Key Takeaways: 

Ghana’s new law classifies all cocoa plantations as “protected farms,” which carries significant implications for farmers. Chief among these implications is the inability to switch area under cocoa to other crops, even when economic or biological conditions (such as diseased stands) make continued production unattractive. The move comes as Ghana seeks to prevent further declines in cocoa acreage as pressures from illegal mining and other crops (including rubber) offer strong incentives for farmers to move land out of cocoa production. The new law creates other provisions that may ultimately help improve conditions for farmers and spur broader economic development, but the net benefit for farmers is du...