Women and cocoa
This report argues that cocoa in West Africa, far from being a ‘men’s crop’ as commonly depicted
(for example, see1
), is the result of a system of labour and kinship relations, involving both men and
women in dynamic and fluid roles. In these complex production systems, women (i.e. wives,
daughters, sisters, young girls sent out as household and farming help) play an essential and not
just an ancillary role. Nevertheless, despite their fundamental contribution in cocoa production,
women’s access to resources (i.e. land, tools and inputs, services, networks and opportunities) is
far more restricted compared to men.2 As a result their ability to improve their economic position from
cocoa production is significantly hindered. Additionally, women have less agency to “act upon the
acquisition of those resources and influence the systems in which they live”,3
resulting in their voice,
choice and control being significantly constrained.4
For example, women involved in cocoa
production are far less visible in terms of research, policy and programme implementation, mainly
because they tend to lack ownership of the land they farm. We have less data on women farming
cocoa (for example, see5
), particularly when they are farming alongside male partners, as lack of
land ownership prevents them from being recognised as farmers by farmers’ organisations,
extension services,6
as well as research and policy actors.7
Lack of recognition as farmers also
hinders women’s ability to participate in farmers’ organisations and other initiatives aiming at
improving cocoa farmers’ livelihoods.
Drawing on the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) framework,8
this report examines the links
between female participation in cocoa production and women’s economic empowerment. The
discussion is structured around the concept of ‘access’, understood as a woman’s capacity to obtain
economic resources, such as “opportunities, services and assets required to upgrade her economic
position”, and the concept of ‘agency’, understood as a woman’s “capacity to make decisions and
act on opportunities that lead to economic advancement”.9
Following Hunt and Samman,10 the
analysis also recognises the heterogeneity across women contributing labour in the cocoa value
chain in terms of their socio-economic, migrant, labour and, most importantly, land ownership status.
The recommendations provided are based on the ground that a combination of structural
transformation and bottom-up change interventions are needed,11 if cocoa production is to contribute
to sustained empowerment for women.
Area of focus: Cocoa
Author(s): Dafni Skalidou
Organisation/institution: Fairtrade Foundation
- Women and cocoa