Farmer-based Organizations Research Articles

Intensity of Adoption of Improved Malt Barley Production Technologies in Ethiopia: A Case Study in Oromia Region

Improved malt barley production technology packages are not yet widely adopted in Ethiopia. Stakeholders, including brewers, malt factories, research institutes, and farmer-based organizations, have been collaborating and promoting new malt barley production technologies in order to boost the intensity of acceptance. The aim of this study was to find out the intensity of improved malt barley production technologies adoption in Arsi zones, Oromia region, Ethiopia. A stratified random sampling approach with multiple stages was employed to collect primary data from 384 malt barley household heads. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the intensity of adoption of improved malt barley production technologies was determined using an econometric Tobit regression model. The findings specified that the most adopted improved malt barley variety was Traveler (47.92%), which was followed in descending order by Iboni (14.58%), Sabini (9.38%), Grace (5.47%), Holker (4.43%), and 18.23% unnamed varieties. The Tobit model result also depicted that the intensity to which improved malt barley varieties adopted were affected by, taking into account factors including contract farming involvement, cooperative membership, off-farm income, size of livestock holdings, access to training, and mobile ownership. Enhancing farmers’ knowledge of the advantages of contract farming, income diversification, and mobile phone-based information delivery are among the many ways to support access to and accelerate the adoption of improved malt barley technology in the research area and beyond.

THE LEVEL OF RICE FARMERS’ ADOPTION OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES STANDARD IN INDONESIA: A DISCRETE CHOICE EXPERIMENTS

Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAPs) serve as a yardstick for whether a farmer has effectively implemented sustainability principles. Several levels exist for quantifying sustainability activities. However, farmers frequently find standardised practices intimidating due to their complexity; alternatively, streamlined levels can be provided as an introductory step towards the adoption of SAPs. Assessing the extent to which farmers have embraced SAPs is an essential undertaking. This study utilises Discrete Choice Experiments to examine the preferences of farmers regarding sustainable farming practices. Results involving 407 Indonesian farmers indicate that farmers are generally receptive to adopting SAPs. Nevertheless, the extent to which farmers participate in SAP extension and their engagement in farmer-based organisations may diverge from their preferences. This study highlights the effectiveness of capacity building and information dissemination to farmers as efficient strategies for spreading knowledge, while extension agents play a crucial role as key facilitators.

Harnessing climate information service use for cocoa farming sustainability in Ghana

ABSTRACT Climate change poses significant challenges to agricultural sectors worldwide, including the cocoa industry, which is highly vulnerable to climate variability. Understanding how climate information services (CIS) can support cocoa farmers in adapting to these challenges is crucial for enhancing resilience and ensuring the sustainability of cocoa production. We employed a survey methodology that usedd a simple random sampling technique to select 400 cocoa farmers. The findings show that a substantial majority of cocoa farmers actively use climate information services. Weather forecasts emerge as the most commonly utilised CIS (87.57%). Radio emerges as the predominant source of climate information, notably for its accessibility and reach. Respondents expressed a favourable perception of CIS. Membership in farmer-based organizations and access to extension services enhance the likelihood of CIS utilisation. A compelling narrative of the remarkable outcomes of CIS unfolds, spotlighting a 53% increase in cocoa yields, a resounding 72% reduction in household food insecurity, and a striking 58% surge in income. Despite these triumphant strides, the perceived complexity surrounding CIS dissemination and utilisation emerges as a key challenge. Urgent efforts to streamline accessibility, foster comprehension, and bolster resource allocations must follow, ensuring that cocoa farming remains a beacon of sustainable prosperity.

Climate change adaptation and smallholder farmers welfare: Empirical evidence from the Sahelian Region of West Africa

Global climate change has threatened sustainable agricultural growth over the years, severely affecting food sufficiency and the livelihood of farmers. The Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies (CSAT), as a form of adaptation, offer pathways for mitigating the negative effect of climate change on crop producers in developing countries. This study uses cross-country (Mali and Niger) cross-sectional data to examine the welfare (proxied by crop sales revenue and income) impact of multiple adoptions of CSAT on smallholder farm households. To control for potential endogeneity that leads to bias estimates, we employ the multinomial endogenous treatment effect (METE) model, complemented with the inverse probability weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) for the analysis. The result reveals that household (education, location, and assets) and plot (plot size, plot topography, and soil fertility) characteristics, institutional factors (farmer-based organization, access to formal credit, and extension service) and crop disease shock significantly influence different combinations of CSAT adoption. The impact estimates show that adopting joint combinations of CSAT leads to higher crop sales revenue and income among the farmers in most cases. These findings suggest that the adoption of CSAT as a package should be encouraged and disseminated in the West Africa Sahel region. Moreover, some sociodemographic and institutional factors such as education, credit access, farmer-based organizations, and extension services could be strengthened for easy and rapid adoption of CSAT by smallholder farmers, which subsequently improves their economic welfare.

COVID-19 and its impact on the profit of mango value chain actors.

The unprecedented impact of the pandemic on both activities and profit of actors draws out the various areas of the value chain that need to be strengthened to ensure resilience in the face of global shock. This study fills the gap by assessing the extent at which COVID-19 impacted the profit of mango value chain actors in southern Ghana. It also analyzed the governance structure and the existing linkages in the dissemination of market information in relation to the profit of the actors. A two-year panel survey on 240 respondents was conducted in 2020 through a multi-stage sampling technique in Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta regions of Ghana. Net Farm Income, Social Network Analysis and Difference-in-Difference models were used in analyzing the data. Findings revealed that mango processors have more bargaining power and make the most profit while producers receive more information than other actors. Farmer-based organizations were found to be the prominent node and influential in the dissemination of market information within the value chain. The outbreak of COVID-19 negatively impacted the profit of mango producers and distributors; however, processors had a positive impact on their profit. The study therefore demonstrated that producers and distributors were vulnerable to the effect of the COVID-19 shock, whilst processors were robust to the shocks. Thus, reformed policies by all stakeholders for emergency preparedness should be targeted especially at those vulnerable actors in the chain. Additionally, FBOs, retailers and other key stakeholders should be considered in policy development to enhance market information dissemination.

Exploring popular information sources and determinants of farmers’ access to agricultural extension services in the Indo-Gangetic plains

A study was undertaken to analyse farmers’ access to various agricultural extension service sources, their preferences and to delineate underlying determinants for their access. The study used NSSO 77th survey dataset of 14,782 households of IGP states (Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal). Farmers’ preferences varied, with private agencies—particularly input dealers—emerging as the top choice, followed by traditional mass media channels and the public extension system. Utility of Cooperative model, and farmer-based organizations have not yet been fully explored for information needs. The inputs (seeds, fertilizers, plant protection) were the most sought-after information. However, in an era of changing needs, farmers should strive to acquire additional information on aspects such as marketing, climate change, and post-harvest functions. The type of information sought by the farmers, influences their preferred sources of extension services. Irrespective of the source, the degree of access diminishes with the decreasing landholding. Among the five IGP states, Haryana emerged as the champion of information access for farmers, while Bihar lagged. Multivariate probit analysis reported that the likelihood of access to agricultural information sources was positively influenced by age, gender, education, size of operational landholding, irrigated area, and sale of produce at MSP. The study suggests making the extension services for small and socio-economically marginalized farmers more inclusive. Inclusiveness of extension services is essential for sustainability because it ensures that all farmers, regardless of their landholding, gender, age, caste, etc., have access to knowledge and resources they need to adopt improved agricultural practices and thus, secure prosperous livelihoods.

Promoting the adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies among maize farmers in Ghana: using digital advisory services

Although policy and advisory communities have promoted the use of digital advisory services (DAS) to stimulate technology adoption among smallholder farmers, little is known about whether DAS use encourages farmers to adopt climate-smart agricultural (CSA) technologies. This study addresses the gap by estimating data collected from 3197 maize-producing households in rural Ghana and considering three CSA technologies: row planting, zero tillage, and drought-tolerant seeds. A recursive bivariate probit model is utilized to mitigate selection bias issues. The results show that DAS use significantly increases the probabilities of adopting row planting, zero tillage, and drought-tolerant seeds by 12.4%, 4.2%, and 4.6%, respectively. Maize farmers’ decisions to use DAS are influenced by their age, gender, education, family size, asset value, distance to farm, perceived incidence of pest and disease, perceived drought stress, and membership in farmer-based organizations (FBO). Furthermore, the disaggregated analysis reveals that DAS use has a larger impact on the row planting adoption of female farmers than males.

Farmers’ adoption of multiple climate-smart agricultural technologies in Ghana: determinants and impacts on maize yields and net farm income

This study investigates the factors affecting maize farmers’ decisions to adopt climate-smart agricultural (CSA) technologies and estimates the impacts of CSA technology adoption on maize yields and net farm income. Unlike most previous studies that analyze a single technology, we consider different combinations of three CSA technologies (zero tillage, row planting, and drought-resistant seed). A multinomial endogenous switching regression model addresses selection bias issues arising from observed and unobserved factors and analyses data collected from 3197 smallholder farmers in three Ghana regions (Brong-Ahafo, Northern, and Ashanti). The findings show that smallholder farmers’ decisions to adopt multiple CSA technologies are influenced by farmer-based organization membership, education, resource constraints such as lack of land, access to markets, and production shocks such as perceived pest and disease stress and drought. We also find that adopting all three CSA technologies together has the largest impact on maize yields, while adopting row planting and zero tillage as a combination has the largest impact on net farm income. Governments should collaborate with farmer-based groups and extension officers to improve farmers’ awareness and understanding of the benefits associated with CSA technologies and help them adopt multiple technologies that generate higher benefits.

‘Associations do not survive here’: Inequality, Mistrust and Obstacles to Collective Action in Oil Palm Growing Communities in Ghana

Collective action through farmer-based organisations (FBOs) could potentially improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by opening up access to credit and inputs, overcoming market constraints, and reducing transaction costs. However, in the absence of strong or well-functioning farmer associations, the cost of market participation is likely to exacerbate economic hardships and inequalities among smallholders. Based on qualitative data from five oil palm growing communities in southwestern Ghana, we observe a general decline in associational life, driven by a breakdown of trust among farmers. The inability of poorer farmers to meet their collective obligations over time has weakened attempts at collective action and encouraged the emergence of highly individualised economic relations in the local agrarian economy. Under these circumstances, cooperation tends to be limited to small groups of better-off farmers who can afford the cost of cooperation. The result is a vicious cycle in which wealth disparities widen because the cost of participating in livelihood-enhancing collective schemes ends up excluding exactly those who need such schemes the most.

Dimensions of Accessibility and Use of Information Communication Technology Among Cocoa Farmers in Atwima Mponua District, Ghana

This research examined the drivers of accessibility and use of information communication technologies (ICTs) by cocoa farmers. A sample size of four hundred (400) cocoa farmers was selected using a multi-stage random sampling procedure. Data were analysed using percentage, means, standard deviation, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and multiple linear regression model. The study revealed that mobile phones, radio and television are the most available (=4.99, 4.95 and 4.85 respectively), accessible (=4.97, 4.83 and 4.40 respectively) and utilised (=4.97, 4.81 and 4.30 respectively) ICT tools by cocoa farmers. There is a relatively high level of availability of ICT (=3.57), a moderate level of accessibility (=2.90) and low use (=2.19) of ICT tools. Cocoa farmers mainly used ICT tools to acquire information on their cocoa farm activities (=4.82). Gender, age, education and farmer-based organisation participation affected farmers' accessibility of ICT tools. Age, education and farm experience significantly affected farmers’ use of ICT tools. The greatest challenge faced by cocoa farmers in accessing and using ICT tools is a lack of skills in operating the tools ( rank=2.24). Training on ICT use should be intensified by all relevant stakeholders to enable cocoa farmers to increase their use of ICT tools.

Towards sustainable food crop production: Drivers of shift from crop production to mining activities in Ghana's Arable Lands

This study contributes to the observed reduction of arable lands discourse by examining the shift in land use patterns as well as factors influencing farmers' shift from crop production to mining activities. To achieve this, we employed a combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and Cragg's Double Hurdle Econometric Model as analytical tools. Our approach integrates an econometric model of land use with GIS simulations that predict the spatial pattern of land-use change. The results revealed that crop production lands have been converted into artisanal small-scale mining (galamsey) sites, a development which has implications on food security, life on land and effective utilizations of land and water resources. The results also showed that membership in Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs), access to credit, and low yield of food crops influenced farmers to shift from crop production to participate in mining activities. In addition, the extent of participation in mining was influenced by family size, membership in FBOs, and low crop yield. While mining operations offer substantial economic benefits, it is crucial to strike a balance between land use for mining activities and food crop production. This is because it has the potential to worsen recent hikes in food prices and subsequently leading to rising inflation rates in Ghana. Our findings have implications on achieving multiple SDGs, viz. SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) as minimizing illegal mining helps increase food production as well as protect water bodies and land. We therefore suggest that government should take steps to make credit accessible to farmers by collaborating with financial institutions and also collaborate with Crops Research Institutes to develop high-yielding crop varieties. Future research could focus on exploring the impact of participating in mining activities on the profitability of food crop production in Ghana.

Scope and governance of terrestrial sand mining around Accra, Ghana

Sand is a crucial resource for the construction of urban infrastructure and constitutes an integral part of the built environment. In Ghana, terrestrial sand mining on farmlands is widespread in the rural and peri-urban communities adjoining the country's capital, Accra. Despite an estimated mining volume of 765 truckloads per day, corresponding to about 4.55 Mio m3 annually, the governance of sand has received little research attention. To fill this knowledge gap, this paper examines the scope and governance of terrestrial sand mining around Accra. Qualitative data were collected from 30 key informants, including landowners, officials of local government authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Minerals Commission (MINCOM), sand miners, truck drivers, and staff of real estate companies. Besides, three Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were held with Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs), complemented by a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the mining process and sand trucking. The results showed that sand mining in the study areas was governed by several regulatory agencies with limited inter-institutional collaboration. Illegal sand mining was widespread in the study areas due to bureaucratic licensing procedures, inadequate collaboration among the regulators, bribery of some regulatory officials by the miners, insufficient monitoring of miners, particularly at night, and landowners' preference for sand mining over farming as a result of prompt monetary gains. The revenues from sand mining accrued to the miners, landowners, and truck drivers who controlled capital or land, while the livelihoods of the majority of the local residents were negatively affected due to the environmental degradation. The findings call for a review of the existing licencing process and collaboration among the regulatory agencies to foster enforcement of the existing laws to ensure sustainable sand mining around Accra.

Farmers' coping strategies to artisanal small-scale mining activities: welfare improvement or deterioration in Asutifi North District of Ghana?

PurposeIn Ghana, legal and illegal artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) activities have attracted the attention of the general populace and academia with varied opinions. This study examined how adopting the coping strategies for ASM operations affected the welfare of farm households.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were solicited from respondents using a semi-structured questionnaire. This paper used the endogenous treatment effect model to quantitatively estimate whether or not farmers who adopt coping strategies for activities of ASM have improved or deteriorated welfare.FindingsThe results revealed that households adopted coping strategies such as diversification, social networking, land reclamation, borrowing, dependence on the market for food and resettlement in other communities. The endogenous treatment effect model results show that households that adopted land reclamation and social networking had improved welfare regarding consumption expenditure and food security compared to non-adopters. Conversely, diversification was associated with lower consumption expenditures and high food insecurity among adopters.Practical implicationsThis paper recommends that farm households in mining communities form cooperatives and farmer-based organizations to ensure improved access to joint resources for enhanced capacity to cope with ASM-induced shocks. There is a need for government and civil society organizations to encourage and support land reclamation measures.Originality/valueThis paper covers a broader perspective and deploys more than one welfare proxy, which has not been considered before in previous studies.

Drivers and intensity of adoption of digital agricultural services by smallholder farmers in Ghana

The penetration of digital technologies to enhance market participation by farmers, and intensify farmers' access to support services such as finance, farm inputs, and agricultural production information is on the rise in developing countries. However, the drivers and intensity of the adoption of these technologies by Ghanaian farmers have received little attention in policy and academic circles. This study analyzed the factors that drive the adoption and intensity of adoption of digital agricultural solutions by smallholder farmers in the Bono East Region of Ghana. The study used a survey questionnaire to collect data from 1199 randomly selected smallholder farmers in 2023. The multivariate probit model and the Heckpoisson regression model were used to analyze the drivers of different digital agricultural solutions and the intensity of adoption of these solutions, respectively. The results show that there is a joint demand for technologies that enhance access to extension services and those that accelerate access to inputs. Market-oriented solutions and agricultural extension solutions exhibited a complementary relationship. In addition to selected socio-demographic factors, the study found that membership in farmer-based organizations, access to credit, and participation in agronomic training increased farmers’ propensity to adopt different digital agricultural solutions and increased the number of solutions adopted by farmers. Receiving visits from extension officers reduced the likelihood and intensity of adopting digital agricultural solutions. The results suggest that government and development partners should enhance access to credit and promote capacity development programmes among farmers. This will capacitate them to adopt digital agricultural solutions.

Assessing gendered impacts of post-harvest technologies in Northern Ghana: gender equity and food security

Post-harvest loss of grains contributes to food insecurity, high food prices, and climate change. Several post-harvest technologies are used in Northern Ghana to reduce post-harvest loss, yet research on the subject rarely considers the gendered impacts of the introduction of technologies. The social and cultural context must be considered when introducing agricultural technologies into a community to avoid exacerbating inequality. The authors used a gender technology assessment tool to analyze the impacts of an introduction of three common post-harvest technologies to communities through farmer-based organizations (FBOs) in the Northern Region of Ghana. We found that, while both men and women had access to the technologies, the technologies were controlled by literate/numerate men. Although the technologies were controlled by men, their effects overall benefited men and women. When used in combination, the technologies reduced women’s time burden and had a positive impact on household food and nutrition security. We recommend that gender equity be integrated throughout a project’s lifecycle through recruitment of a gender specialist. Furthermore, extension workers and FBO leaders need training and support in gender equity.

Impact of digital financial inclusion on the participation in farmer‐based organisations, structured market and off‐farm work in Ghana

AbstractThis paper examines the impact of mobile money account ownership on farmers' participation in farmer‐based organisations (FBOs), structured market and off‐farm work. Relying on recursive bivariate probit model, our results reveal that owning a mobile money account increases the likelihood of farmers' participating in an FBO, structured market and off‐farm work by 15.4%, 33.3% and 37.5%, respectively. Furthermore, mobile money account ownership is influenced by socioeconomic and institutional factors as well as the presence of mobile money vendors within a community. Our finding calls for sustained efforts to deepen digital financial inclusion for increased participation in FBOs, structured market and off‐farm work.

Factors Influencing Rural Farmers' Access to Agricultural Extension Services Provided by Private Organizations in Kibondo District, Tanzania

Agricultural extension plays a very important role in improving agricultural productivity in many countries, including Tanzania. Through agricultural extension services, farmers acquire useful information to minimize agricultural production challenges. Though farmers in many countries, including Tanzania, still rely on public extension services, the governments in many countries have started to open doors for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), farmer-based organizations, and private agribusiness firms to provide services to farmers. Regardless of their existence still access to extension services provided by private organizations has remained a main question. Studies have consistently pointed out that only a few farmers in rural areas get access to extension services provided by private organizations. Low access to extension services by rural farmers has contributed to low agricultural production in rural areas and has remained the main factor for persistent poverty. There are limited studies documenting the factors for low access to agricultural extension services provided by private organizations. This study aimed to determine factors influencing rural farmers’ access to agricultural extension services provided by private organizations in the Kibondo district. The study used a cross-sectional research design and data were collected by interviewing 120 farmers sampled from four villages. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model techniques. The study found that only 18.3% of farmers had access to extension services. Gender, marital status, education level, farmers’ income, and group membership had a positive and statistically significant association with access to extension services. The study concluded that only a small proportion of rural farmers in the study area had access to extension services. It is recommended that the provision of extension services by private organizations should consider the identified factors.

The synergy between farmers’ declaration of qualitative and quantitative maize postharvest losses in the transition agroecological zone of Ghana

Maize is a vital staple food crop in Ghana, providing nutrition and income for millions of farm households. However, postharvest losses pose a significant threat to the maize value chain, limiting its impact on livelihoods. Besides, there are few empirical studies that examine the socio-economic and farm-level factors that influence maize postharvest losses at the farm level. This study aimed to assess maize post-harvest losses in Ghana using farmers’ declarations of their losses expressed as a quantity (kg/acre) and a percentage and, their determining factors. Survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 189 maize farmers on their perception of quantitative and qualitative postharvest losses at Atebubu-Amantin municipality in the 2021 production season. The data was analyzed using descriptive, seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) and multivariate ordered probit (MOP) models. The quantitative data shows higher postharvest loss of Gh₵362.19/acre (US$64.7) in the major season compared with the minor season (Gh₵240.9 or US$43.02/acre). Data on the qualitative estimation is similar to the quantitative losses as it also depicts higher perceived maize postharvest lost during the major production season compared with the minor season. Both methods of estimation further show increased postharvest losses associated with the drying and winnowing of maize grains, implying that adoption of modern technologies such as the solar dryer that effectively dry maize grains would be crucial towards reducing losses at the farm level. Likewise, the SUR and MOP models reveal that the main drivers of maize postharvest losses are age, sex, and the number of years in formal education and training. Production season, membership in farmer-based organisations, extension access, and credit access also appear as important factors influencing postharvest losses. The findings from these assessments provide valuable insights for policymakers, development practitioners, and farmers to develop effective strategies to reduce postharvest losses and improve food security in Ghana.

Gender-disaggregated analysis of sustainable intensification practices adoption: A case of northern Ghana

Agricultural productivity has remained low in Africa, especially among smallholder farmers. Women often suffer resource constraints and access to certain technologies needed to increase productivity relative to men. This study analyzes the effect of gender on the adoption of selected sustainable intensification practices (SIPs) in northern Ghana using a sample of 463 farmers involved in maize and cowpea production. Probit regression analysis revealed that age, membership of a farmer-based organisation (FBO), and perception of ease of adoption (PEC) would likely influence the decision of females to adopt SIPs. FBO membership and ease of adopting technologies affect both male and female farmers to adopt SIPs positively. SIPs adoption decisions by males are influenced by many factors relative to those of females, thus highlighting the complexities involved in agricultural technology adoption. These findings have implications for policymakers and development practitioners working to bridge the gender gap in agricultural productivity, particularly in developing countries. The article makes an empirical contribution to the innovation and technology adoption literature, especially in terms of the factors that drive gender-transformative processes. Strengthening FBOs and utilizing the concept of technology parks to deepen farmers’ perceptions and understanding of SIPs could help bridge the gender gap in technology adoption and improve productivity.

Exploring the contributions of non-farm income diversification for improving soil and water conservation practices and reducing rural poverty in rain-fed areas of Punjab, Pakistan

Attaining agricultural sustainability and eliminating poverty are the key challenges of rural areas. Non-farm income diversification is a vital livelihood strategy that endorses sustainable agriculture and alleviates poverty. Considering the land degradation and poor economic situation of Pakistan's rain-fed areas, the current research examined the potential effects of non-farm income diversification on household poverty and adopting soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies. A survey of 441 farmers was conducted in rain-fed areas of Punjab, Pakistan, and for econometric analysis, the propensity score matching (PSM) technique was employed to explore the objectives. The results signified that diversified farmers were more likely to adopt SWC practices and were less vulnerable to poverty. The findings suggest that farmer-based organizations and agricultural extension activities must be strengthened as they support non-farm income diversification, thus facilitating investment in soil and water conservation technologies and reducing poverty.