Accra, May 14, GNA - The Sustainable Tree Crops Programme (STCP) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has developed a Video Viewing Club (VVC) as a group-based method for training cocoa farmers to increase their yield.

The method would also improve the farmers' access to technical information on sustainable cocoa production. The training videos were used together with a guidebook developed by nine farmer consultants, an illustrator and communication specialists from Strategic Communications (Stratcom) Africa Limited and STCP extension staff, to guide discussion and field demonstrations to disseminate the techniques. To date, STCP has trained 864 farmers through 40 VVCs in 24 cocoa growing communities throughout. Dr Sonii David, STCP Regional Extension Specialist, said the pilot VVC activities in Ghana started in 2004 and focused on cocoa integrated crop and pest management (ICPM) to increase cocoa yields by at least 15 per cent.

She said the advantages of using videos for training purposes were the ability to visually show new techniques and practices in a short period of time and to standardize information so that it would be transmitted accurately from technical sources to farmers. Dr David said STCP fostered a strong collaboration between farmers, cocoa researchers and communication and media specialists using an approach of technical materials in digital and pictorial formats that could be easily understood and appreciated by farmers. That approach, she said, allowed farmers to take the lead in their discussions and workshops.

"In all, a total of eight video episodes have been developed covering pruning, controlling black pod disease, chemical control of mirids and black pod disease, harvesting, pod breaking, fermentation and drying of cocoa," she added.

Dr David announced that the preliminary results from a recent study showed that all surveyed VVC participants had adopted most of the ICPM practices learnt and informed knowledge of these practices compared with non-trained farmers.

Ms Esther Cobbah, Chief Executive Officer, Stratcom Africa Limited, stressed the need to involve farmers at any stage of new farming techniques to enable them to have their own mind setting. "It is difficult to change people and their traditional way of doing things. The best one can do is to present the situation in a story form ... matching up the advantages with the disadvantages and allow them to accept the new changes voluntarily. That way, they can sustain the adoption and weave it into the existing culture," she added. The Chocolate Manufacturers Association of USA, Nestle, SunSpire, Mars Incorporated, USAID, the World Cocoa Foundation and the European Union funded the projects. 14 May 09