Does Extension Access and Intensity Improve Cocoa Farmers’ Technical Efficiency in Ghana? Evidence From Stochastic Frontier and Instrumental Variable Approaches

Cocoa yields in Ghana have been declining in recent years, raising concerns about the effectiveness of Ghana Cocoa Board’s Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) extension services, a support programme designed to improve farm productivity. This study investigates the effectiveness of the division’s programme in enhancing cocoa farmers’ technical efficiency (TE), expectations of extension delivery and the challenges faced by extension agents. The study surveyed 240 cocoa farmers in Ghana’s Western North Region and employed a Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier model together with IV‐based two‐stage least squares (IV‐2SLS) to assess the causal effect of extension on TE while addressing potential endogeneity. The findings revealed that access to extension and visit intensity significantly improved efficiency. Average cocoa yield (311.28 kg/ha) remained below the national target, with farmers operating 18% below the frontier. Farmers with extension access were more efficient (0.85) than those without (0.74), and each additional visit raised efficiency by 2.8%. Farmers’ expectations centred on credit, seedlings and training, but risks of disengagement arose from irregular visits, limited follow‐up and favouritism. Extension agents highlighted staffing, logistics and infrastructure constraints. Overall, the evidence demonstrates that strengthening and restructuring the division’s extension programme through enhanced extension capacity, regular visits, improved logistics, greater inclusivity and stronger linkages with inputs and credit can substantially enhance efficiency, sustain engagement and accelerate the transformation of Ghana’s cocoa sector.