[{"bbox": [96, 152, 1132, 206], "category": "Text", "text": "tenure regime discourages farmers to invest in farms. Preference also goes to a full sun hybrid variety in large portions of the cocoa production areas."}, {"bbox": [96, 231, 1133, 471], "category": "Text", "text": "According to a report by the US Department of Labour International Affairs, children in Ghana are subjected to the worst forms of **child labour**, including in cocoa production, sometimes as a result of trafficking in human beings. A majority of children subject to trafficking in human beings in Ghana are exploited in cocoa production, domestic work, sexual exploitation, gold mining, or fishing. One root cause of child labour is insufficient family incomes and lack of legal protection of childhood. Efforts made in past years are constant, but described as limited. Although child labour, forced labour and discrimination are illegal in all cocoa producing countries in West Africa, poverty is still a reality for most smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana and gender inequality remains the rule rather than the exception. The same is true for the destruction of protected forests. Poverty, child labour, deforestation and land degradation are finally linked by a “positive feedback loop”, which makes solutions difficult."}, {"bbox": [96, 496, 1133, 550], "category": "Text", "text": "The fact is that cocoa grown under illegal circumstances still finds its way to markets worldwide. The EU is taking action to reduce the adverse social and environmental impacts in its supply chains with two legislative proposals:"}, {"bbox": [135, 552, 1133, 605], "category": "List-item", "text": "* A \"Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products\" that prohibits the placing on the EU market of seven commodities (including cocoa) associated with deforestation in the country of origin."}, {"bbox": [135, 606, 1133, 660], "category": "List-item", "text": "* A \"Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive\" that requires large companies operating in the EU to conduct human rights and environmental due diligence in their supply chains."}, {"bbox": [96, 660, 1133, 816], "category": "Text", "text": "Engaged in talks for several years, the EU, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire have agreed on a Sustainable Cocoa Initiative⁸, which will have 4 dimensions: (i) prices, standards and traceability, (ii) creation, implementation and strengthening of National Strategies/Action Plans, continuation of national dialogues, (iii) bilateral policy dialogue on sustainability issues in various committees established with ACP States notably under the EPA and the bilateral policy dialogue on development cooperation, and (iv) support through the EU development corporation and finance."}, {"bbox": [96, 845, 882, 872], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## The FLEGT licensing and Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with Ghana"}, {"bbox": [96, 872, 1133, 1058], "category": "Text", "text": "Ghana's Legality Assurance System underwent an independent joint assessment during the second semester 2020. It identified a number of issues that would need to be addressed prior to FLEGT licensing becoming operational. A draft action plan setting out these issues has been jointly developed by the Ghana Forestry Commission and the EUD with support from the European Forest Institute. The draft plan contains a number of issues under discussion between the European Commission and Ghana. Hence, further support is needed – under this action – to continue the policy dialogue and institutional capacity building, leading ultimately to the smooth operationalisation of the FLEGT licensing."}, {"bbox": [85, 1071, 340, 1101], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [96, 1118, 1133, 1199], "category": "Text", "text": "Despite the roll-out of the government's flagship programme of planting for food and jobs (PFJ), which seeks to push crop production technologies (certified seed, fertiliser, and extension) to smallholders, value chain actors are facing serious challenges:"}, {"bbox": [135, 1208, 1133, 1419], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **At national level, Ghana is facing serious threats on natural resources:** Ghana has witnessed extensive tree cover loss over recent decades (with domino effect on climate change), as well as land degradation and soil depletion under heavy mechanization and chemical over-use. Climate change adds to these constraints through rainfall variability, droughts and heatwaves among others. Also mining, logging, and expansion of urban areas have greatly impacted the ecology of savannah landscapes in north Ghana. This has damaged soil fertility and undermined communities' resilience, putting food security at risk. Combined with reduced biodiversity and ecosystem services, natural resources loss is a key problem faced by local farmer communities across the country."}, {"bbox": [135, 1420, 1133, 1526], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Increasing food insecurity especially in the 5 Northern Region in Ghana as compared to the Southern part of the country.** Generally 18 percent of food insecurity is found in the Upper East region and 17 percent in the Northern region. The regions with the highest prevalence of food insecurity is Upper East, with a rate of 49 percent. Two other regions – North-East and Northern - have food insecurity"}, {"bbox": [85, 1594, 552, 1618], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁸ This has led to the Alliance for Sustainable Cocoa (June 28th, 2022)."}, {"bbox": [1038, 1680, 1143, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 7 of 26"}]