Socioeconomic drivers of inoculant technology and chemical fertilizer utilization among soybean farmers in the Tolon District of Ghana

Abstract

Soybean farming is an important source of income for smallholder farmers in Ghana, particularly in the northern savanna ecological zones, where soil infertility is a challenge. To increase soybean production and farm revenue, farmers must adopt improved soybean production technologies. Smallholder soybean farmers' decisions to embrace high-yielding technology are influenced by various socioeconomic factors. The factors driving the adoption of rhizobium inoculant and mineral fertilizer technologies in Ghana's Tolon district were evaluated using a multinomial logit model with 200 smallholder soybean farmers. According to the findings, the likelihood of using inoculants and inorganic fertilizers increased with herd size, farm size, and access to extension services. In addition, female soybean producers were more likely than their male counterparts to use inoculants and chemical fertilizers. The study also found that soybean producers were less likely to use inoculants and chemical fertilizers because of their distance from the local market. To encourage technology adoption, the study recommends that agricultural extension services to farmers be increased. Farmers should also be encouraged to join farmer-based groups to increase inoculant technology uptake.