IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS) e-ISSN: 2319-2380, p-ISSN: 2319-2372. Volume 10, Issue 7 Ver. III (July 2017), PP 34-39 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/2380-1007033439 www.iosrjournals.org 34 | Page Factors Influencing Cocoa Farmers Smallholder Clusters in Adoption of Technology: A Review Paper Salim Hassan 1 , Ramle Kasin 2 , * Olagunju Oluwatoyin 1, 3 1 Department of Agricultural Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia 2 Malaysian Cocoa Board, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia 3 Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Faculty of Agriculture, Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria Corresponding Author: Olagunju Oluwatoyin Abstract: Cocoa farmer cluster is an advanced type of cocoa revitalization. It is great significant in influencing adoption of technology among cocoa farmers, productive advantage through mutual closeness and associations, promoting cocoa growth, enhancing the rural competitive strength, and increasing the incomes of the farmers. The main objective of cocoa farmer cluster is to enhance sustainable adoption of technology among smallholder cocoa farmers for increase in productivity and sustainability of cocoa upstream. This paper discusses the importance of farmer Clusters function in Adoption of Technology as well as Factors that can influence effectiveness of farmer clusters. Meanwhile, it recommended that farmers cluster should be effectively manage as this will serve as a key to repositioning declining status of cocoa plantation in Malaysia. Keywords: cocoa farmers, farmer cluster, group, smallholder, technology adoption, --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 13-07-2017 Date of acceptance: 27-07-2017 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction Clustering is a way to increase effectiveness, support collective research, rationalize a whole industry, and implement environmental management systems. It was based on the concept of agglomerating enterprises with related economic factors and organizations for the purpose of productive advantage through mutual closeness and associations [1, 2, 3]. However, the approach to clustering is not new, but agricultural based clustering is said to be one of the important approaches development practitioners are using to improve agricultural sector [4]. Furthermore, case studies gathered found that clustering was slowly becoming a rural phenomenon as we can find in the expansion of Indonesian cottage industries [5]. Cluster farming is both marketing and a production strategy which means individual farmers are committed to work together to gain market opportunities and overcome common challenges [6]. It also functions as a production and financial planning tool for groups of farmers in a particular area [7]. According to [4], agriculture based clustering is an efficient and sustainable way of connecting farmers to global value chains. The approach has benefits in terms of diffusing innovations, using and creating farm services, and increasing access to markets and information [8]. In the case of Mindano, Philippines, the cluster process was applied by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) by organizing smallholder farmers into 5 to 15 clusters of farmer in order to supply high quality vegetables to market specifications as well as the volume required by the buyers with characteristics of market-driven [9]. Moreover, [9] reported that farmers begin by understanding the needs of market, plan production and marketing with a view to responding to those needs. In the process, farmers produce the type of vegetables needed, to the quality specifications required and guided by the knowledge that they are producing what the market wants when it needs it. Therefore, farmers know their targets and they are producing with the knowledge that markets are more likely to buy their products. In Malaysia, farmers cluster was introduced to enhance the production of cocoa bean in the country by way of improving cocoa technology adoption, when they realized that the work rate of extension services to individual farmers would be too costly and time consuming [10]. Each group has a member of 10-50 cocoa farmers with a leader in order to look after the growth and development of cocoa farms in their area and for transfer of technology. He also emphasized that through cluster or group, cocoa farmers interact with one another to achieve a common goal, and the interaction among members of the cocoa farmer clusters is more than with those outside the group. However, this article positioned farmers cluster as effect of a practice in which it shows increase in the adoption of cocoa technology among smallholder farmers to undertake initiatives that will improve their quality of production. Moreover, Farmers cluster as a practice of success must be influenced by many factors depending on the area, needs, interest, values and norms of the cluster and farmers at large. This paper discusses the importance of farmers cluster function in adoption of technology as well as factors that determine increase in the adoption rate of cocoa technology by farmers through the use of farmers cluster.