From cocoa to cassava: Asetenapa's journey to food security and resilient livelihoods

For decades cocoa has been the backbone of Ghana's agricultural economy and the lifeline of many smallholder farmers. In Nankese, in the Eastern Region, Asetenapa recognised the risk of depending on a single crop: price volatility, climate change and external shocks all land directly on member households.

In 2023, through the Acting Now programme facilitated by Agriterra, the cooperative began exploring cassava as a complementary enterprise — a staple crop that offers both food security and a market through products such as gari.

The cooperative's women's council, already experienced in cassava processing, championed the idea. What they needed was organisational and technical support to turn those skills into a business. The Acting Now team carried out a needs assessment and trained lead farmers in sustainable cassava production using a train-the-trainer model, reinforced by an extension officer so the learning became daily practice.

By September 2024 Asetenapa, guided by Agriterra, had a full business plan for a gari processing enterprise led by the women's council.

Turning the plan into action required investment. With co-financing from Agriterra, the cooperative acquired cassava processing equipment — graters, crushers, roasting pans and sealing machines — worth over €5,000, contributing 20 per cent itself. Further investment of €5,075.09 went into tricycles and a motorbike to strengthen logistics and extension services, again with the cooperative playing its part.

On 20 August 2025 Asetenapa commissioned its new gari factory and training centre. The factory does more than produce gari: it creates jobs, secures year-round income and reduces dependence on cocoa. Processing also strengthens household nutrition, with gari fortified using local staples such as beans to help address micronutrient deficiencies common in cocoa-dependent areas.

The significance runs wider than one cooperative. By linking food production to processing and market access, Asetenapa contributes directly to Ghana's food and nutrition security goals — and shows that farmer-led diversification is about livelihoods and nutrition as much as economics.