Owner & Primary Publisher: University of Tehran; Journal of Rural Research 2008-7373 14 4 2024 02 20 A Rural Development Perspective on the Use of Children in Ghana’s Cocoa Farms A Rural Development Perspective on the Use of Children in Ghana’s Cocoa Farms 764 777 94698 10.22059/jrur.2023.357894.1831 FA Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension Faculty of Agriculture College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, KNUST 0000-0003-1657-1409 Nana Kwame Baah Frimpong Faculty of Agriculture John-Eudes Andivi Bakang Faculty of Agriculture Jafaru Zuwairatu Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension Faculty of Agriculture College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, KNUST Issahaku Sumaya Faculty of Agriculture Ebenezer Osei Jones AAMUSTED, Mampong-Kumasi Rashid Abdul Boduwah Faculty of Agriculture Journal Article 2023 04 16 This study takes a rural development perspective to examine the various reasons behind the use of children under 18 years in cocoa farms in Ghana. Using descriptive research, a sample size of 385 cocoa farmers was selected through the multi-stage sampling technique. The analyses included mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, and perception index. Although the level of usage of children on cocoa farms was relatively low (74%), majority of the children were involved in nursing of cocoa seedlings (87.8%), digging of holes for seedlings (76.3%), gathering of pods (55.7%) and heaping of pods (53.9%). Farmers involved children on cocoa farms for the following three reasons; to acquire indigenous knowledge of farming patterns (Mean=2.18), it is a way of life to learn their parents' occupation (Mean=2.18), and income source of the household (Mean=2.11). The challenge most farmers face in the use of children for farm activities is the fact that the children do not meet the required strength/energy (Mean=2.48). Policy efforts towards the complete eradication of using children under 18 years on cocoa farms must take into consideration the rural nature of the environments in which cocoa farming takes place in order not for it to backfire as is the case currently. This study takes a rural development perspective to examine the various reasons behind the use of children under 18 years in cocoa farms in Ghana. Using descriptive research, a sample size of 385 cocoa farmers was selected through the multi-stage sampling technique. The analyses included mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, and perception index. Although the level of usage of children on cocoa farms was relatively low (74%), majority of the children were involved in nursing of cocoa seedlings (87.8%), digging of holes for seedlings (76.3%), gathering of pods (55.7%) and heaping of pods (53.9%). Farmers involved children on cocoa farms for the following three reasons; to acquire indigenous knowledge of farming patterns (Mean=2.18), it is a way of life to learn their parents' occupation (Mean=2.18), and income source of the household (Mean=2.11). The challenge most farmers face in the use of children for farm activities is the fact that the children do not meet the required strength/energy (Mean=2.48). Policy efforts towards the complete eradication of using children under 18 years on cocoa farms must take into consideration the rural nature of the environments in which cocoa farming takes place in order not for it to backfire as is the case currently. https://jrur.ut.ac.ir/article_94698_0c8802001826ecc131a31453a75eda39.pdf