Abstract
The study sought to test the hypothesis that gender influences adoption of innovations in the rice sector of Ghana. There is an existence of gender gap in adoption of farm innovations in Ghana. After desk review, it was found that the existing literature has not provided a clear linkage between gender and adoption of agricultural technologies. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine how the interaction between gender and other socio-economic factors influence the incidence of adoption of improved rice variety and fertilizer. Drawing on 917 face-to-face interviews with rice producers, the results show that child care and limited access to land inhibit female incidence of adoption. It is recommended that the innovation system should take cognizance of female reproductive role and develop, as much as possible, technology options that rely less on intensive use of labour. Furthermore, government should facilitate the development of land markets to improve female access to land, especially in northern Ghana where cultural norms restrict women’s access to land.
Highlights
Ghana’s agricultural policy identifies rice as an important food crop that has the potential to ensure food security (Anang, Bäckman, & Sipiläinen, 2016)
Rice production by smallholder farmers is confronted with numerous challenges
The rice sector is underperforming, achievable yield of 6 t/ha have been recorded (MoFA, 2009)
Summary
Ghana’s agricultural policy identifies rice as an important food crop that has the potential to ensure food security (Anang, Bäckman, & Sipiläinen, 2016). Rice production by smallholder farmers is confronted with numerous challenges. Many of these farmers continue to invest in low-yielding traditional varieties and produce rice crop using rudimentary farm equipment. In the absence of competitive local rice production, the current trend of low rice production is likely to affect rice farmers’ income and food security in Ghana (Robinson & Kolavalli, 2010). Against this background, government has facilitated the promotion and dissemination of improved rice technologies in rice sector, to increase productivity on already cultivated lands (Faltermeier, 2007).
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