Improving Access to Solar Irrigation Finance for Cocoa Farmers in Ghana: Co-Design Workshop

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dc.creatorGbodji, Kekeli Kofi
dc.creatorZane, Giulia
dc.creatorQuarmine, William
dc.creatorSchmitter, Petra S.
dc.date2025-12-30
dc.date2026-02-19T15:04:33Z
dc.date2026-02-19T15:04:33Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T18:27:00Z
dc.descriptionOn 10 July 2025, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) convened a co-design workshop in Accra to explore practical pathways for improving access to finance for solar-powered irrigation among cocoa farmers in Ghana. Cocoa farming supports over 800,000 smallholder households but is increasingly threatened by climate change, including rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and longer dry seasons. Solar-powered irrigation offers a promising adaptation option, yet uptake remains limited due to high upfront investment costs and restricted access to affordable finance. Building on earlier empirical research and a discrete choice experiment that identified farmers’ preferences for low-interest loans, longer repayment periods, and group-based arrangements, the workshop focused on how to operationalize Access Bank’s BRIDGE-In Agriculture loan facility for cocoa irrigation investments. Participants from financial institutions, COCOBOD, irrigation suppliers, farmer cooperatives, and research organizations engaged in plenary and breakout discussions to identify feasible implementation strategies. A strong consensus emerged around cooperative-mediated financing as the most viable and scalable pathway. Cooperatives were seen as effective intermediaries for farmer mobilization, borrower screening, risk sharing, and coordination with banks, while also supporting clearer communication and repayment compliance. The workshop concluded with agreement to pilot the cooperative-mediated approach with one to two well-structured cocoa cooperatives to generate operational lessons for potential scale-up.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/181747
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/156214
dc.languageen
dc.publisherInternational Water Management Institute
dc.publisherCGIAR Sustainable Farming Program
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceGbodji, K.; Zane, G.; Quarmine, W.; Schmitter, P. 2025. Improving Access to Solar Irrigation Finance for Cocoa Farmers in Ghana: Co-Design Workshop. Report of the Co-Design Workshop on Improving Access to Solar Irrigation Finance for Cocoa Farmers in Ghana, Accra, Ghana, 10 July 2025. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program. 14p.
dc.subjectaccess to finance
dc.subjectsolar powered irrigation systems
dc.subjectcocoa
dc.subjectfarmers
dc.subjectclimate change impacts
dc.titleImproving Access to Solar Irrigation Finance for Cocoa Farmers in Ghana: Co-Design Workshop
dc.typeReport

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Instituto Internacional para el Manejo del Agua (IWMI)