Reducing Crop Yield Volatility Among Smallholder Farmers

Abstract

This brief explores factors that influence crop yield volatility among rural and urban smallholder farmers in Ghana. The data was sourced from the sixth round of the Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS 6). The findings showed that while rural farmers in the forest and coastal zones experienced less volatility in their crop yield, rural farmers in the savannah belt experienced high volatility. The study revealed that smallholder farmers who had access to credit obtained 35.5 percent more yield per acre than their counterparts who did not have access to credit. Similarly, smallholder farmers who adopted farming technologies such as improved seeds and fertility-restoring technologies like organic manure, had about 65.7 percent more yield per acre than farmers who did not adopt any farming technology. To increase yield among smallholder farmers in Ghana, policy should focus on making credit available to farmers, especially those in the rural areas. Measures to enhance adoption of farming technologies such as organic manure, improved seeds, modern agricultural machinery and education of smallholder farmers on their use and importance, would help increase yield and reduce volatility.