MASO Agro Academy

The youth farmer incubator “ MASO CocoAcademy” is training youth in best agronomic practices, and basic financial skills as well as social skills (leadership, values & identity, rights & responsibilities, communication). Each CocoAcademy has established a model farm allowing practical application of the skills received during training. To the extent possible, the CocoAcademies are co-located with one of the 20 Rural Service Centres, established through the Cocoa Rehabilitation and Intensification Programme for Ghana (CORIP) managed by Solidaridad.

The curriculum is for a 12 month period and addresses good agronomic practices specific to the cocoa sector (technical knowledge) in combination with social, financial and leadership skills (life skills); an approach which is new to the cocoa sector.  The curriculum is segmented in three modules; foundation module (basic knowledge), transition module (intermediate knowledge) and exit module (advanced knowledge). Youth are encouraged to  adopt technical knowledge and allows for long-term behavioral change. The curriculum is based on youth-centered learning and makes use of practical learning experiences. Participants are schooled in basic business skills and encouraged to develop business plans for their farms. To date 10 “MASO CocoAcademies”  have been established.