Assessing the Resilience of the Tef and Cocoa value chains (AERTCvc) in Ethiopia and Ghana

In collaboration with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, we are assessing the resilience of the tef and cocoa value chains through a transdisciplinary process. This research project funded is funded by a COOP World Food System Grant. The research period is from June 2016 to May 2018.

This research project builds on previous pilot studies conducted on tef in 2015 in Ethiopia and on cocoa in 2015-16 in Ghana.

Objectives

• To establish a transdisciplinary process with key stakeholders of the tef and cocoa value chains
• To measure the resilience of value chain activities (input supply, production, processing, retailing and consumption) of the tef and cocoa value chains: identify relationships between resilience attributes and value chain activities; focus on key shocks, drought and heavy rainfall events
• To build strategies for enhancing resilience of the tef and cocoa value chains – action plans for resilience building

Research approach

We adopt a transdisciplinary research approach which includes the active involvement and participation of key stakeholders of our two value chains in Ethiopia and Ghana. A survey, several workshops and project meetings are conducted to fulfil the project objectives and to ensure an active interaction between us (science) and our stakeholders (practice).

Workshops

To set up transdisciplinary processes for both case studies, we conducted stakeholder workshops on the Downloadcocoa value chain (PDF, 5.6 MB)vertical_align_bottom in January 2017 and on the Downloadtef value chain (PDF, 3.4 MB)vertical_align_bottom in March 2017.

To develop action plans to enhance the resilience of the Downloadcocoa (PDF, 413 KB)vertical_align_bottom and Downloadtef (PDF, 358 KB)vertical_align_bottom value chains, we conducted a second workshop with the same stakeholders in October 2017 in Ghana and in November 2017 in Ethiopia.

Final reports

To summarise the key activities and findings on how to assess and enhance the resilience of the tef and cocoa value chains, we prepared final reports.

DownloadTef report in English (PDF, 7.1 MB)vertical_align_bottom, DownloadTef report Amharic (PDF, 7.2 MB)vertical_align_bottom, DownloadCocoa report (PDF, 9.3 MB)vertical_align_bottom

Master thesis

As part of this study, Luzian Messmer and Braida Thom analysed the viability of selected action measures to enhance the resilience of Downloadtef (PDF, 36 MB)vertical_align_bottom and Downloadcocoa (PDF, 14 MB)vertical_align_bottom farmers against drought.