Perceptions of governance and social capital in Ghana’s cocoa industry

Governance and social capital are significant components in the management and operation of agricultural value chains. We explore these related concepts by examining the regulator (COCOBOD) farmer dyad within the (Ghanaian) cocoa value chain, using unique survey and interview data from 300 Ghanaian cocoa farmers. Utilising this data, we construct multi-scalar and multi-dimensional measures of both governance and social capital, before exploring this dyad using multivariate analysis. Alongside our interview data, our results confirm a positive relationship existing between perceptions of good governance and social capital, although governance perceptions differ across the different cocoa growing regions. Our results point towards industry bodies as conduits for facilitating wider stakeholder participation, enhancing social capital and shared values, and fostering consensus within (agricultural) value chains and socio-economic development.