Modelling the Record Keeping Behaviour of Cocoa Farmers in Ghana

Abstract

This study models the record-keeping behaviour of cocoa farmers in order to stimulate well-informed education and sensitization of the practice among cocoa farmers. The paper uses cross-sectional primary data collected from 400 cocoa farmers in Ghana. Descriptive statistics, a triple hurdle econometric strategy, and Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance were the methods of analysis. The findings reveal that the majority of the cocoa farmers keep farm records. The majority keep records manually. While some farmers maintain records in certain areas, such as production and finance, there are notable gaps in record-keeping for resource inventory, customer records, labour records, farm inventory, climate-related records, and supplementary records. Farmers strongly agree that farm records provide bankers with information about the farm for credit purposes. The results from the first hurdle model show that education, number of farms, access to training, cooperative membership, and extension services have a significant positive effect on the intention to keep records. In the second hurdle model, education, marital status, household size, access to training, cooperative membership, and access to extension services significantly influence this decision to use computerised methods. Further, the results from the third hurdle model reveal that the determinants of intensity to keep records are education, number of farms, access to training, credit, and extension services. Farmers perceive farming more as a hobby or a way of life than a profit-oriented business. This calls for policies that support and promote record-keeping among cocoa farmers.