Gender empowerment and market access in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Establishing policy to ensure gender equity in market access and price transmission is critical, however, empirical research to feed the policy is limited. This research examines participants of Resilient and Sustainable Livelihoods Transformation (RESULT) Project access to agricultural market based on a gender and analyse price transmission from the producers' market to the consumers' markets and vice versa. Secondary data collected from RESULT in 2019 for two regions in Ghana was used for the analysis. To achieve the intended aim of the research, Double Logarithmic model, Co-integration analysis and Vector Error Correction model were employed. The intensity of market participation was measured by market surplus which results show that, marketable surplus found to fluctuate significantly with changes in household income, farm size, price of crop, crop output and cost of fertilizer if applicable to the crop either for male or female producers in both regions. The results also indicate long run relationship between the producers' and the consumers' market with supply/demand shocks have the potential of causing price adjustment up to 68% and 72% respectively in the net consumer and net producer markets to restore equilibrium. The research recommended frequent delivery of market information by RESULT to participants without gender discrimination which should be complemented by improvement in road network by government as poor transportation increase transaction cost.