Effect of farmers’ management practices on safety and quality standards of cocoa production: A structural equation modeling approach.

Abstract

The adoption and implementation of sustainable management practices in the cocoa sector remain crucial in the research and policy agenda in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study aimed to investigating the effect of farmers’ management practices on the safety and quality standard of cocoa produced in the South West Region of Cameroon. Information for the analysis was obtained from 201 farmers using questionnaires and a multi-stage random sampling procedure. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and a cacao beans quality equation, the study was achieved empirically by a two-stage structural equation modeling method using the maximum likelihood estimation technique of SmartPLS version 2. The findings revealed that the adoption and implementation of Good Agricultural Practices and Good Post Harvest Management Practices positively and significantly affect cocoa beans quality. Hence, changing farmers’ behavior and perception toward sustainable management practices is critical to boosting the production of safe and quality cocoa beans. Besides, given that certified farmers receive premiums, it does make a difference in the overall return farmers receive from their cocoa proceeds. The paid premiums lead to an overall marginal income increase. Consequently, this affirms that sustainable management practices have increased a considerable number of farmers’ efficiency and led to more certified cocoa bean production. Hence policies should be geared towards incorporating sustainable, environmentally friendly management practices into agricultural development programs that will continuously improve farmers’ knowledge of safety and quality standards of cocoa production since it tends to increase farmers’ overall marginal income.

Keywords

• farm management
• food safety
• cocoa production
• south west region
• structural equation modelling