According to Mr Alhassan Junior, the Project Officer of the CWG, the forum was part of a broader effort to strengthen cashew farmer cooperatives in the region, urging the farmers to form cooperatives.

The forum was held separately at Yabraso in the Tain District and Dompofie in the Banda District of the region.

Mr Junior explained that the events formed part of the implementation of “Amplifying the Voices of Cashew Farmers” (AVCF-II) Project, explaining that the project was an 18-month initiative funded by the STAR-Ghana Foundation through the AVID II Programme.

Addressing the cashew farmers, Mr Junior explained that the campaign sought to increase awareness of the principles and benefits of farmer cooperatives.

It also encouraged greater participation of women and youth in cooperative leadership and strengthened collaboration between farmers and key agricultural institutions.

The events were also attended by personnel from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), traditional authorities, women and youth farmers, as well as opinion leaders.

Mr Junior noted that cooperative development remained one of the most effective approaches to improving the socio-economic livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

He said that if the farmers formed cooperatives, they could negotiate competitive prices for their produce and easily access affordable financial services.

They could also benefit from agricultural extension support and actively advocate for policies that would promote the sustainable development of the cashew sector.

Mr Junior said: “Strong cooperatives provide farmers with a stronger collective voice”, adding that: “When farmers work together, they can reduce exploitation by middlemen, improve their bargaining power, and create greater economic opportunities for themselves.”

In an open forum, some of the stakeholders also encouraged the farmers to embrace the idea and form cooperatives, to access extension services, government interventions, improved technologies and capacity-building programmes.

The participants identified and extensively discussed possible solutions to persistent challenges like fluctuating farm-gate prices, poor road infrastructure, inadequate extension services as well as limited access to affordable credit and inaccessibility to reliable markets impeding the growth of the cashew sector.

Some of the cashew farmers also lauded the execution of the project and commended the organisers, saying that the campaign had enlightened them on farmer cooperatives and benefits.

The events placed significant emphasis on gender equality and youth inclusion, encouraging women and young farmers to actively participate in cooperative leadership and decision-making.

According to the project implementers, the AVCF-II Project was being executed in the Jaman North, Jaman South, Tain, and Banda districts of the Bono Region.

The project aims at strengthening farmer advocacy, improving cooperative governance, promoting inclusive participation of women and youth, and enhancing the socio-economic wellbeing of cashew farming households through collective action and strategic partnerships.