A day in the life of … Mavis Adu Gyamfi

What is your role? I am a cocoa farmer. As my fellow farmers in my village trust me, and see that I have been to college and learned...

What is your role?

I am a cocoa farmer. As my fellow farmers in my village trust me, and see that I have been to college and learned accounting, they have elected me to be the recorder in our society. The recorder is the person who weighs the cocoa, checks the quality, and pays the farmers.

How do you get started in the morning?

When I wake up, it is about 4.30-5am. I sweep my house and make breakfast – porridge made with maize and milk and sugar – to give me energy. I have a bath and also make rice to take with me while I work on the farm.

What do you think of co-operatives?

I do not know about other co-operatives in Ghana – and knew nothing about co-operatives before joining Kuapa Kokoo. I would advise women to join Kuapa Kokoo as there are more opportunities for women to better themselves.

Before, I was selling all my cocoa to the Produce Buying Company. I had six acres and was producing around 20 bags of cocoa. I received no bonus and had no influence with the PBC – they didn’t care about me.  There was always a long delay before getting my money.

With Kuapa Kokoo, they pay straight away and give me a bonus per bag of cocoa. I have also had training in how to increase my yield – and I have doubled my yield from the same area. I also received a free machete. I feel empowered as I have been elected to be the society recorder, and in my village a toilet block has been built.

What motivates you throughout the day?

Now that I am paid enough for my cocoa and get a bonus it is a good incentive to keep working. We in Kuapa have been trained how to make sure our cocoa is “pa pa paa” – which means best of the best. I am motivated to make sure our cocoa is the best in Ghana! That means putting the extra time in to weed, and ferment and dry properly. I want to be a good cocoa farmer – and one day I have an ambition to be the president of Kuapa Kokoo.


How do you wind down?

To wind down after a long day of work by lying on my bed. And I like to read books – stories about relationships and history. I swap books with my friends.

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