Abstract
The study was conducted in organic and conventional crop farms in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region of Ghana. The key issue the study sought to determine was whether there are productivity differences among organic and conventional crop farms and what factors account for these differences. The results indeed revealed that there are productivity differences among organic and conventional crop farms. However, both had negative total factor productivity growth, largely accounted for by a negative technical change over the period considered. The technical efficiency change, however, was positive for both but much higher for organic farms than conventional farms. More importantly, the study revealed that the type of agriculture practiced by farmers is not the most critical problem confronting farmers as indicated by the negative total productivity growth for both. Major constraints confronting farmers that need to be addressed include better organization on the farmers’ front, improved access to extension and improved access to farm inputs. These challenges notwithstanding, the study revealed that organic agriculture has the potential, in the long run, to achieve much more progress in total factor productivity, compared to conventional agriculture, if the right conditions exist for its uptake and optimal application.
Highlights
Agriculture plays a significant role in Ghana’s economy, contributing about 39% to Ghana’s GrossDomestic Product [1]
58.8% of the respondents were within the age group of 20–40 years and these accounted for 26.3% and 32.5% of organic and conventional farmers, respectively
Educational Status and the Decision to Engage in Organic Agriculture
Summary
Agriculture plays a significant role in Ghana’s economy, contributing about 39% to Ghana’s GrossDomestic Product [1]. Agriculture and related employment together account for more than half of the population, the majority of whom are rural. Smallholder (mostly rural) farms dominate agricultural production in Ghana. It is expected that any significant growth in the agricultural sector will boost the rural economy, in particular, and will impact meaningfully on the wider economy. Productivity increases, through efficient use of existing technology and resources, must be accorded all the seriousness that they deserve in the face of worsening climatic conditions, poor accessibility to inputs by smallholder farmers and environmental degradation that has become the bane of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa [2]. It is obvious that output increases in agriculture by way of spatial expansion, as has been the case in the past, is no longer sustainable due to population pressure
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