This mission was undertaken in connection with CIRAD technical assistance to the Coconut Sector Development Project (CSDP) in Ghana. Under the aegis of the MOFA (Ghanaian Ministry of Food and Agriculture), this project, which is scheduled to run for a total of 5 years, is currently managed by a private operator: GREL, Ghana Rubber Estates Limited. Its main three activities components are: - provide the opportunity for smallholders who have lost their coconut plantings after devastation by so-called "Lethal Yellowing" disease, to replant them if they wish. - offer the possibility of rehabilitating their coconut plantations by supplying fertilizers so as to increase nut production and ensure supplies to one of the most dynamic sectors in the region: coconut oil production. - improve income derived from coconut oil production activities by distributing small items of equipment which are adapted to this small-scale sector and produce oil of a better quality. This last component, known as "Women Processing Activities" has been covered so far by two support missions, in March/April 2000 and February/March 2001. This mission, the third since the beginning of the project, was undertaken to provide support to CSDP socio-economist in charge of "Women Processing Activities". Its initial aims were as follows: 1. Take stock of the situation at the demonstration sites, monitor the activities of this component. 2. Monitor socio-economic indicators, with a view to assessing the cost-effectiveness of the proposed equipment. However, the situation encountered in the field very soon led us to add a third mission objective: 3. Prospects and proposals for further action in the form of an "active" post-harvest component. In fact, two combined effects seem to be preventing progress in project activities. Firstly, the level of activity in this component is extremely low when compared to that of the agronomy components. Secondly, the coconut oil production sector in the Western and Central