Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Secondary outcomes capture behavioral and economic responses to the intervention. Valuation outcomes inform the design of scalable certification programs by identifying which contract features farmers value most and what premium levels are necessary to maintain participation.
Detailed explanation:
Cocoa Quality: Cocoa quality is measured at the district warehouse, where managers measure moisture content using handheld sensors to determine whether bags require re-bagging. The re-bagging procedure destroys property-level traceability by mixing cocoa from the affected bag with other farmers' cocoa during drying and re-sealing. Re-bagged bags become ineligible for deforestation-free premiums, since premiums are paid conditional on maintaining traceability from shed to handoff to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD). This outcome tests whether monitoring or premiums induce complementary improvements in cocoa quality.
Cooperative Recruitment, Retention, and Sales Volume: We measure cooperative membership status and total bags sold to the cooperative over the season for each farmer. Treatment 2's deforestation-free premiums may attract new members to the cooperative or increase sales from existing members who might otherwise sell to competing buyers. Conversely, Treatment 1's monitoring without premiums could deter farmers who wish to avoid reputational costs. These outcomes test whether deforestation-free certification serves as a recruitment tool and whether farmers value the premium enough to consolidate sales with a single buyer.
Adaptive Responses: We measure farmer adaptation strategies that may emerge in response to deforestation monitoring and premiums, including likelihood of household members working off-farm, planting new cocoa trees, practicing agroforestry by maintaining shade trees on properties, and stated intentions to reduce or exit cocoa farming. These outcomes capture whether certification leads households to shift toward alternative livelihoods or adopt less deforestation-intensive production practices.
Willingness-to-Accept: The survey elicits farmer willingness to accept deforestation monitoring under alternative contract structures. For all farmers, we elicit willingness to participate in (or continue) deforestation monitoring by randomly assigning hypothetical premium offers drawn from a uniform distribution of integers between $0 and $15 per bag. Unmapped farmers are asked whether they would agree to have their farms mapped and monitored at the assigned premium. Mapped farmers are asked about their willingness to participate in (control) or continue (T1 and T2) monitoring at the assigned premium.
Risk Tolerance: We follow up with a risk tolerance question: Would you participate in monitoring and certification if the premium averaged the same amount but varied between $0 and twice that amount? These questions test whether farmers discount uncertain payments relative to fixed premiums of equal expected value, revealing risk preferences that determine the feasibility of market-based premiums.
Tolerance for Enforcement: For Treatment 2 farmers, we measure tolerance for enforcement by asking the minimum premium they would accept if the penalty for detected deforestation changed from loss of premium only to exclusion from selling to the cooperative for the remainder of the season. Response options range from $0 to $20+ or unwillingness to participate at any premium, informing whether cooperatives can implement credible sanctions without damaging supplier relationships.
We will also collect additional descriptive data on farm characteristics, farmer understanding of deforestation monitoring, and purchasing clerk experiences with the app:
Farm Characteristics: We measure total farmed land and land dedicated to cocoa cultivation, number of plots managed, and labor sources
Deforestation and Sustainability Awareness: We assess farmers' awareness of nearby forest boundaries, understanding of "deforestation-free cocoa," and familiarity with monitoring and traceability. We also measure farmers' ranking of deforestation relative to other challenges they face
Treatment Awareness and Comprehension: We measure whether purchasing clerks explained the experiment and treatment assignment to farmers. For mapped farmers, we assess their understanding of monitoring technology.
Purchasing Clerk Feedback: In January 2027, after data collection concludes, we will administer a survey to all purchasing clerks who participated in the experiment. The survey will assess practical implementation challenges, including tablet and printer reliability and time burden per transaction. For T2 clerks, we will assess difficulties explaining the premiums and processing payments.