Does labour migration for cocoa production in Ghana translate into greater social benefits?

ABSTRACT

A survey of 200 migrant labourers was conducted to explore whether labour migration for cocoa production in Ghana translates into greater social benefits using the net social benefit criterion. Majority of migrant labourers on cocoa farms were better off in terms of accommodation, food, medication, respect gained, social and economic impacts, and working conditions after migration. There were external benefits and costs associated with labour migration. Migrant labourers who experienced social benefits from labour migration were more than those who had social costs. Thus, social benefits associated with labour migration for cocoa production in Ghana outweigh the social costs. To maximize social benefits from labour migration, cocoa farmers should assist migrant labourers with accommodation, food and medical expenditure, and improve their working conditions on cocoa farms by giving them personal protective equipment to reduce occupational hazards.

KEYWORDS:

• Cocoa production
• internal labour migration
• net social benefit criterion
• social benefits
• social costs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bismark Amfo

Bismark Amfo is a PhD holder from the Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He also holds MPhil in Agricultural Economics and BSc in Agribusiness from University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. His research interests are agricultural labour, consumer safety and welfare and poverty analyses. He has five refereed journal papers. Bismark has been a member of consultancy teams for GIZ, John A. Kufuor Foundation (JAKF), Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), and the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC).

Robert Aidoo

Dr. Robert Aidoo is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi - Ghana. He holds PhD and MSc Degrees in Agricultural Economics from KNUST. He has about 16 years’ experience in management consulting and has conducted various studies in the agricultural sector and published extensively in peer reviewed journals. Robert has participated in many local and international agricultural conferences/workshops and contributed to debates in the sector and the formulation of relevant agricultural and rural development policies in Ghana.

James Osei Mensah

James Osei Mensah is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. He holds a PhD in Agribusiness Management from KNUST, an MSc in Management and Economics of Innovation from Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg-Sweden and BSc in Agriculture. His research focuses on food and consumer economics, value chain analysis, entrepreneurship, TQM, agricultural insurance, and labour migration. He has nineteen refereed journal papers, ten conference proceedings and over ten technical reports. He has consulted for several organizations such as WFP, ACDI/VOCA, Concern Universal, ADRA, and AGRA.