Impact of Training on Good Agronomic Practices (Gap) on Wages, Working Time and Working Conditions of Cocoa Farm Wage Workers in Ghana

Abstract

The cocoa sector plays a critical role in Ghana’s economy, yet cocoa farm wage workers continue to face persistent challenges including low wages, irregular working hours, and poor working conditions. While Good Agronomic Practices (GAP) training has been widely promoted to enhance cocoa productivity and environmental sustainability, its implications for labour outcomes remain underexplored. This study examines the impact of GAP training, specifically training in weeding and pruning tasks, on the wages, working time, and working conditions of cocoa farm wage workers in Ghana, with a special focus on gender and youth disparities. Using secondary data from the Cocoa4Future (C4F) project, the study employs Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to control for selection bias and estimate the causal impact of GAP training on labour outcomes. In addition, a probit regression model is used to examine the determinants of earning above the average wage threshold, incorporating interaction terms to assess the differential effects of GAP training across gender and age groups. Importantly, the interaction between GAP training and gender yielded a statistically significant and positive effect on wages. This suggests that female workers who received GAP training were more likely to earn above the average wage threshold compared to their male counterparts. Although youth status was marginally associated with higher earnings, the interaction between GAP training and youth was not statistically significant. Moreover, GAP training was associated with a significant increase in daily pruning wages but had no statistically significant effect on daily weeding wages. In conclusion, while GAP training contributes to labour efficiency, particularly by reducing weeding days, and improves perceived working conditions, its benefits remain uneven and task-specific. Trained workers reported higher perceptions of labour intensity in pruning tasks and increased awareness of health risks in weeding tasks, suggesting that while technical skill improved, the physical burden of some tasks may have intensified. These findings highlight the need to ensure that skill acquisition through GAP training translates into equitable compensation, improved working conditions, and enhanced livelihoods for all cocoa farm workers. This calls for the design of more gender- and youth-responsive training programs, coupled with stronger labour protection measures and targeted incentives that reward productivity and protect worker welfare in Ghana’s cocoa sector.