By Abraham Cooper ZWEDRU, Grand Gedeh County
What began as a promise of prosperity through a 40/60 sharecropping deal with Burkinabe farmers is now fueling discontent among Liberian landowners, who warn of exploitation, falling cocoa prices, and accelerating deforestation.
Farmers across Grand Gedeh told the Rural Reporters News Network (RRNN) on February 12 that the influx of Burkinabe laborers has left them feeling both dependent and vulnerable. While the arrangement initially boosted production and helped some families pay school fees, many now describe the partnership as a “double-edged sword.”
“They are robbing our unborn children of their inheritance,” several farmers lamented, citing forest depletion and alleged theft of cocoa harvests.
Randall George Diah, a farm owner in Konobo Wulu Town, said the deal has provided short-term financial relief but at the expense of long-term sustainability. “The Burkinabe are destroying the trees; deforestation has already hit this county,” he warned.
Other farmers, including Madam Decontee Pour, accused workers of bypassing landowners and selling cocoa directly to buyers in remote areas, undermining the agreed upon sharing formula. Jefferson Pajibo of Senewen Town recalled a 2019 verbal agreement involving land and cash, but admitted, “Sometimes they bring 15 bags, sometimes 20. I know it’s wrong, but what can I do? We can’t do the work ourselves.”
Economic frustrations compound the environmental concerns. Despite higher yields, local cocoa prices have dropped, pushing some producers to sell in Côte d’Ivoire, where they say markets are stronger and transportation costs lower.
Stephen Williams, a farmer in Gbarzon District #3, warned that without government intervention, Grand Gedeh could lose access to forests, medicinal plants, and wildlife within two years.
The Forestry Development Authority recently confirmed widespread illegal encroachment on community forests, reporting that eight of nine authorized sites are threatened or occupied by Burkinabe nationals. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the county loses about 10,000 hectares of forest annually to unchecked cocoa farming.
