Abstract:
The increasing consequences of climate change and persistent low farm-level
productivity on the livelihood security of cocoa farmers have become a growing
concern, thereby calling for empirical research findings to support appropriate policy
direction. Given this, the current study examined the food security implication of the
economics of cocoa extension service quality, climate-smart adaptation, and
efficiency of production nexus. A multistage sampling approach was used to
randomly select seven hundred and twenty cocoa farmers from across the cocoa
regions. In analysing the empirical data collected from the sampled farmers, the study
utilised a mixture of descriptive statistics and econometrics models including service
quality measurement model, mixed logit model, multivariate probit model, stochastic
fi'ontier model, the I-Ieckit treatment effect model and the structural equation model.
The result of the analysis showed that perceived increase in extension service quality
positively influences farmers ' willingness to pay for climate smart cocoa extension
service. It was additionally observed that farmers ' choice of climate smart adaptation
practices was significantly explained by their perception of cl imate variability and
change effect. The study noted that most farmers exhibited significant levels of
inefficiencies and were also marginally food secured. It was empirically confirmed
that improvement in the quality of extension service delivery to farmers significantly
increases their adoptions of climate smart adaptations choices which was also found
to positively influence the production efficiencies of fanners. In addition, the study
empirically found out that farmers' food security situation can significantly be
improved as their efficiencies in production increases. Thus. improving cocoa
extension service quality by making its climate smart is critical and must be given
serious attention in national policy directions by policymakers seeking to improve
cocoa productivity/production and for that matter livelihood security of cocoa
farmers .
