Learning from the Field: A Master's Student's Sustainability Journey in Ghana

Joining the Ghana project with Preferred by Nature and IITA was an easy decision for me. As part of my master's degree in Forest and Nature Management at the University of Copenhagen, I wanted to gain hands-on experience with applied sustainability research and understand the realities faced by farmers on the ground. It was also my first visit to Africa, making the experience both professionally and personally exciting.

During my time in Ghana, I interviewed more than 200 cocoa farmers across the Western Region as part of my master's research. My work involved planning and organising field visits, coordinating with local teams, and travelling to farming communities to conduct interviews. These conversations provided valuable insights into cocoa production, agroforestry practices, and the challenges farmers face in adopting more sustainable production systems. The data collected now forms the foundation of my master's thesis, which explores the economics of cocoa agroforestry and how these systems can improve farmer resilience through crop diversification while increasing long-term cocoa yields through the ecosystem services provided by diverse agroforestry systems.

Some of my strongest memories came from moments outside the interviews themselves. I will never forget the long motorbike rides along rough dirt roads to reach small, remote villages, or the incredible hospitality shown by the communities we visited. Being invited to share meals with local families in their villages gave me a much deeper appreciation of Ghanaian culture than I could have experienced as a tourist. One memory that will stay with me for a long time is watching football with the locals in Asankragua while heavy tropical rain poured outside and the match was repeatedly interrupted by power outages.

The project challenged me to become more adaptable, organised, and confident in unfamiliar environments. It strengthened my field research and project management skills while showing me how important it is to listen to local perspectives when working with sustainability challenges. Most importantly, the experience opened my eyes to the world of development work and has inspired me to explore opportunities within nature capital and impact investing. It has reinforced my ambition to work on projects that combine environmental sustainability with economic development, and I am certain this will not be my last visit to Africa.