Beyond Cocoa: Can Grain of Paradise ( Aframomum melegueta ) Integration Reduce Poverty Among Cocoa-Farming Households?

Overreliance on cocoa exposes West African smallholders to income instability and poverty, highlighting the need for diversification. This study examines whether integrating grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta) into cocoa farming improves household welfare in Ghana. Using data from 480 households and an endogenous switching regression model, the analysis accounts for observed and unobserved selection. Among cultivators, cultivation increased per capita consumption expenditure by 67.5% and reduced the poverty gap by 18.7%. Counterfactual estimates suggest that non-cultivators could reduce poverty gap and severity through adoption, supporting the integration of GoP in cocoa-based farming systems.