Ghana’s cocoa and EUDR: “The local reality clashes with EU ambitions” (L. Guerra, Univ. St. Gallen)

“Since cocoa was introduced, Ghana has experienced extensive deforestation to make way for cocoa monoculture”, says Lisa Guerra, Research Assistant at Universität St. Gallen,
to News Tank, on 16 July 2026. In 2025, Lisa Guerra conducted her thesis research in Ghana, as she was following her Master's cursus at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS).

In the frame of her research work, Guerra focused on the first mile of cocoa production and the supply chain, in order to assess the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) on Ghana's cocoa sector.

Lately, on 13/07/2026, the EU Commission adopted a new train of measures to support the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation, with the aim of reducing the list of…