Farmers In Ghana Research Articles

The role of social capital in adoption of risky versus less risky subsidized input supplies: An empirical study of cocoa farmers in Ghana

This study evaluates the effect of social capital on farmers’ adoption of subsidized seedlings and fertilizer for cocoa farmers in Ghana. We distinguish three types of social capital: network social capital, relationship social capital, and community social capital. Network social capital refers to the peer-to-peer information flow about product benefits reaching farmers, therefore closing the information asymmetry that prevents farmers from social learning about crop risk management through inputs adoption. Relationship social capital considers the role of social status in getting facilitated access to inputs through connections with extension officers who facilitate information dissemination about input benefits, and moreover potentially help bypass the government criteria in getting access to inputs themselves. Finally, community social capital concerns the community collective income, community size and reachability relative to the cooperative main office.We find that network social capital has a significant effect on adoption of subsidized seedlings, to an extent where it allows farmers to bypass subsidy qualification criteria for access to seedlings imposed by the government. This applies even more so for group and village leaders. Subsidized fertilizer uptake, on the other hand, is less dependent on social capital. We argue that this difference results from the risk involved in adopting seedlings versus fertilizer. In the case of seedlings adoption, relying on information provided by the social network promotes sharing of benefits of hybrid varieties, and thus reduces the risk of its application. Adoption of fertilizer, on the other hand, is not correlated with social capital because fertilizer application is less risky to farmers. They can easily switch from using fertilizer to not using fertilizer. Access to both inputs is influenced by government inputs’ eligibility criteria, namely having mapped farm. However, we find that 15% and 29% of farmers respectively have access to seedlings and fertilizer, even though their farms are not mapped. Our findings suggest that for governments to stimulate uptake of substantive inputs, such as seedlings, subsidies should coincide with attention to social capital and fair distribution of inputs.

Preferences for Seed Quality and Cultivar Characteristics of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) by Farmers in Ghana

Peanut remains a major staple and important cash crop in Ghana. Seed quality is a critical component of successful peanut production in Ghana. A survey of 200 peanut farmers documented perceptions of seed quality attributes in 2019 in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Bono East, and Ashanti Regions of Ghana. Farmer-saved seed was the main source of seed for planting. High germination rate was the primary attribute of seed in the selection process. Farmers indicated that a premium would be considered for high quality seed. Farmers also agreed that certified seed and farmer saved seed provided high quality relative to seed found in local markets with respect to cultivar purity, germination, and seedling vigor. Shitaochi was the most popular cultivar. Early maturation was the most desired characteristic listed by farmers. These findings support the need for greater investment in seed quality for certified seed production and the need for improved regulation of seed sold in open markets.

Welfare impacts of adoption of improved soybean varieties in northern Ghana

Soybeans are an integral part of Ghana's smallholder cropping systems and show significant promise for combating soil fertility decrease and improving food security and wellbeing for households. Many yield-enhancing improved soybean varieties (ISVs) have been produced and distributed in Ghana, but little is known about the adoption and impact of these cultivars. This paper explores the welfare effects of adopting ISVs using data collected from 330 soybean farmers in Northern and Savannah regions of Ghana. The results indicated that about 47% of the sampled farming households have adopted the ISVs. The first-stage results of the instrumental variable 2sls (IV-2SLS) indicated that adoption of ISVs are influenced by factors such as farm size, engagement in non-farm economic activities, membership of farmer group and household asset index. Furthermore, after correcting for observed and unobserved differences in household characteristics, adoption of ISVs led to a significant gains in productivity and consumption expenditure per capita (welfare indicators). Overall, the findings suggest that ISVs need to be scaled up in order to have a stronger influence on the welfare of smallholder farmers in Ghana.

Interceding Role of Agricultural Extension Services in Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies in Northern Ghana

As a result of the effect of climate change on food security and rural livelihoods, the promotion and adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices have become very crucial. The role of agricultural extension in the adoption decision process is an important factor. However, extension delivery systems in most developing countries face numerous challenges that raise concerns about their ability to bring about the desired impact on farm households’ decisions. Relying on data from a cross-section of smallholder farmers in Ghana’s northern savanna area, specifically the Tolon district, the study assessed the determinants of farmers’ decision to adopt climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices as well as the intensity of adoption and the role agricultural extension plays in CSA adoption. Using a Poisson regression with endogenous treatment effects model to account for selectivity bias, the study observed that farmers adopt multiple CSA practices, with adoption being influenced by farmer group membership, size of herd and participation in off-farm work. Intensity of adoption, on the other hand, increased with access to agricultural extension, farm credit and input subsidy, but decreased with farm size and participation in off-farm work. Furthermore, an impact assessment indicated that participants in agricultural extension had 1.27 more adoption of CSA practices than they would if they had not participated in agricultural extension. The study concludes that there is a strong association between adoption intensity and access to agricultural support services such as extension, input subsidy and agricultural credit. The interceding role of extension in the adoption of CSA practices calls for more resources to be channeled towards extension service provision as a means to mitigate the effects of climate change and promote sustainable production at the farm level. The positive externalities from CSA adoption will go a long way to protect the environment, promote food security and rural livelihoods.

Risk preferences and management strategies of farmers in Ghana: Does the type of crop grown matter?

AbstractThis paper examined the risk preferences and management strategies of cereal and legume farmers of Ghana's savannah zones using both the exploratory factor analysis and the linear regression model. Using primary cross‐sectional data and employing the multistage sampling technique made up of purposive, cluster and random sampling techniques, the paper found that cereal farmers are more risk averse than legume farmers. Rainfall variability was ranked topmost by cereals and legumes farmers. Both cereal and legume farmers employ multiple but dissimilar risk management strategies to manage these sources of risk. The commonest sources of risk to cereal and legume farmers were climate and market risk, while off‐farm activities are the commonest management strategy. Production risk faced by cereal farmers was managed by both off‐farm and farm production strategies whereas human risk faced by legumes farmers was managed by both off‐farm and financial management strategies. The importance of market risk implies that policy initiatives should aim at reducing market‐related risks by focusing on increasing off‐farm opportunities for rural households.

Awareness and participation in input credit scheme: evidence from smallholder rice farmers in Ghana’s North East region

PurposeOutgrower scheme as a contractual agreement between farmers and some funding entities has in recent times found proliferation among resource poor farmers in Ghana, especially in northern Ghana. This contractual arrangement, which involves the provision of farm inputs, and in some cases, technical support by the implementing company and the repayment by farmers with portions of their harvest, is often regarded as an effective way to mutually improve the outcomes of both smallholder farmers and outgrower companies. The study aims to analyse. the level of awareness, nature of input package, determinants of participation and intensity of participation in input credit scheme by smallholder rice farmers in the Mamprugu Moagduri District of Ghana’s North East Region, using the Integrated Water Management and Agriculture Development (IWAD) scheme as a case.Design/methodology/approachUsing a quantitative analytical approach, the study gathers information from 233 randomly selected smallholder rice farmers consisting of 150 participants and 83 non-participants using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, as well as the Tobit model, are the methods used in the analysis.FindingsThe results show that while factors such as age, marital status, number of dependents and farming experience only influenced participation in the scheme, religion, age, sex, number of dependents and farming experience influenced intensity of participation.Originality/valueThis study calls for the adoption of sustainable approaches by input credit companies in their credit support to smallholder farmers rather than the current ad hoc support during each cropping season.

Financial analysis of pigeonpea-yam cropping system options and implications on profitability of smallholder farmers in Ghana

Financial analysis of pigeonpea-yam cropping system options and implications on profitability of smallholder farmers in Ghana

Land tenure system and harvesting time’s influence on the marketing behaviour of cashew farmers in the Bono Region of Ghana

This study investigated the land tenure system, harvesting time and marketing behaviour of cashew farmers in Ghana. Primary data was compiled from 120 cashew farmers, and the multinomial probit was used to assess the determinants of cashew marketing outlets. Types of land ownership (tenure system) for cashew production in Ghana were leasehold, stool, family, state and customary lands. The sales of cashew nuts to buying companies and/or exporters is positively influenced by the land tenure system, good road network, weekly harvest, contract agreements and grading of cashew nuts. Conversely, the experience of farmers coupled with less than one week of harvesting influences the choice of brokers' outlet. The result implies that, cashew cultivation on stool land, likewise harvesting time increases the probability of selling to buying companies and exporters who offered higher margins compared with brokers. Consequently, generic land reform for the whole country to enhance agribusinesses may be important but unnecessary. It is also suggested that the customary land arrangement provided the opportunity to sell to a profitable marketing outlet, it is suggested that Government and NGOs should rather be interested in strengthening the current customary land regime and consultatively recommend for review where necessary in the study areas.

Impacts of extension dissemination and technology adoption on farmers' efficiency and welfare in Ghana: Evidence from legume inoculant technology

Examining the welfare impact of agricultural development interventions that incorporate diffusion of improved production technologies to farmers within extension delivery programs can be very challenging, because of the difficulty in disentangling the individual impacts of the production technology and the extension delivery program. Using recent farm level survey data from extension dissemination program of legume inoculant technology of 600 farmers in Ghana, we employ a recent methodological approach to investigate, simultaneously, the impact of the inoculant technology adoption and the extension program participation on farmers' productivity, efficiency and welfare. We decompose each of these impact measures into subcomponents whose causal paths can be traced to both the adoption of the production technology and the extension delivery program. We find that, in terms of yields and net revenue, direct contribution of improved technology adoption alone is 34 and 64%, respectively, and 35 and 66% indirectly due to improved farmer efficiency, leading to 36 and 74% improvement in farmers' welfare, respectively. On the other hand, direct contribution of extension delivery program participation alone is 66 and 36%, respectively, with 66 and 34% indirectly due to improved farmer efficiency, resulting in 64 and 26% improvement in farmers' welfare, respectively. Based on the findings, we recommend that policymakers should invest in research and development to produce yield enhancing agricultural technologies suitable for poor and degraded soil conditions in developing countries which can contribute immensely to poverty and food insecurity reduction. The development of new agricultural technologies must be pursued with vigorous provision of extension services to farmers to be able to exploit the full potentials of the new technologies.

Assessment of the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bag for maize storage in Ghana

Despite the recent introduction of improved grain storage methods and technologies, many smallholder maize farmers in Ghana still use traditional storage practices and structures for storing their maize grains after harvest. This practice contributes to the high post-harvest losses in maize grain at the smallholder level largely due to insect pest infestation. Hermetic bag storage is a proven technology effective in reducing grain damage and losses from insect pests. In this study, the efficacy of the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bag was compared with a polypropylene (PP) bag stored with maize treated with Betallic Super EC chemical and PP bag stored with maize without Betallic treatment (Control) during a 6-month storage period. Data on grain moisture content (MC), number of live insects, insect damaged kernels (IDK) and maize weight loss were collected monthly for analysis. Grain viability and nutrient analysis were also conducted before and after storage. The results showed initial grain moisture content of 11.4% was not significantly affected in the PICS bags but increased by 1-2% in the PP bags. Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags and Betallic treatment significantly reduced insect damage grains with mean weight loss of < 5% and 6.35 % respectively compared to the control (PP bag without Betallic) treatment with mean weight loss of 21 % over the 6-month storage period. Germination rate of sampled seeds after storage in the PICS bags (75 %) was not significantly different to the initial germination rate (78 %) compared to the control (PP bag without Betallic) treatment of 56 %. Overall, maize grains stored in the PICS bags showed no signs of deterioration as compared to grains in the PP bags. The PICS bags were superior to the PP bags in terms of other grain quality metrics assessed and the nutrient characterization such as protein and carbohydrate which had no significant difference (p<0.05) between the initial and the three treatments. The results showed that PICS bags can be effective in protecting maize grains during storage. Smallholder farmers are therefore encouraged to consider this technology especially for controlling insect pests of stored maize. Key words: Insect pests, Polypropylene, Smallholder farmers, Purdue Improved Crop Storage bag

Social networking and risk attitudes nexus: implication for technology adoption among smallholder cassava farmers in Ghana

BackgroundTheoretically, social climate and social networking which may affect attitudes, motivations, and readiness towards quality improvement and rewards, influence the adoption decision process by possibly modifying the risk behaviour/attitudes of individuals. Thus for effective promotion of agricultural technologies among farmers in Africa, it is necessary to understand the social context within which risk attitudes are formed and social participation decisions are made. The study, therefore, employed the recursive bivariate endogenous switching probit model to examine how risk attitudes of farmers are shaped through social interactions in the information and communication networks of farmers to influence their technology adoption decisions. Here, the empirical application was done with the contextual case of agriculture intensification technologies in the Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP) introduced to smallholder cassava farmers in Ghana. This paper makes a contribution to recent advances in the empirical analysis of impact where anticipated problems posed by unobserved confounders are accounted for. This was possible since the approach used allows for the estimation of the treatment effect of endogenous risk attitude variable of interest on farmers’ adoption decisions.ResultsThe study found that the effectiveness and usefulness of social interactions as well as a high degree of trust by cassava farmers in their social networks have higher tendencies to lower the degree of risk aversion behaviour of the farmers to significantly influence RTIMP Technologies adoption decisions positively. The ATE estimate confirms that there has been a significant increase of 38% probability in the likelihood of adopting agricultural intensification technologies in the RTIMP attributable to the non-risk aversion attitudes of cassava farmers. The cassava farmers’ risk attitudes were found to be significantly influenced by the effectiveness and usefulness of social interactions, and a high degree of trust as well as age, frequency of extension services, access to credit, and revenue.ConclusionBy implication, attempts to introduce innovations to improve agricultural commodities value chains that target farmers must pay particular attention to the information and communication network to ensure the effectiveness and usefulness of information dissemination to farmers in an honest manner, so as to build trust; which will go a long way to reduce doubts and uncertainties (function of risk aversion). This will help achieve higher innovation adoption impacts thereby resulting in attaining the overall deliverable objectives of agricultural innovations.

Disaggregated impacts of off-farm work participation on household vulnerability to food poverty in Ghana.

This study examines disaggregated impacts of participation in off-farm employment on household vulnerability to food poverty in Ghana. We use household-level data collected from smallholder farmers in Ghana. This study employs the multinomial endogenous switching regression model to account for selection bias due to both observed and unobserved heterogeneity. Our results indicate that participation in off-farm employment activities, such as petty trading, significantly decreases household vulnerability to food poverty. Our findings further show that households that do participate in arts and crafts as an off-farm activity are more vulnerable to food poverty had they not participated. This paper provides useful policy insights to enable smallholders involved in off-farm work activities to improve food consumption expenditure and reduce their risk of food poverty.

Perceptions of COVID-19 shocks and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in Ghana

Most studies on the novel COVID-19 pandemic have focused mainly on human health, food systems, and employment with limited studies on how farmers implement sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) in response to the pandemic. This study examines how perceptions of COVID-19 shocks influence the adoption of SAPs among smallholder farmers in Ghana. We find that perceptions of COVID-19 shocks influence the probability and intensity of SAPs adoption. Secondly, households who anticipated COVID-19 shocks recorded heterogeneity effects in the combinations (complementarity and substitutability) of SAPs. Farmers who anticipated an increase in input prices and loss of income due to COVID-19 recorded the highest complementarity association between pesticide and zero tillage while farmers who expected limited market access reported the highest complementarity between mixed cropping and mulching. Farmers who projected a decrease in output prices complements pesticides with mixed cropping. The findings suggest that understanding the heterogeneity effects in the combinations of SAPs due to COVID-19 shocks is critical to effectively design, target and disseminate sustainable intensification programs in a post-pandemic period.

Do smallholder farmers belong to the same adopter category? An assessment of smallholder farmers innovation adopter categories in Ghana

More often than not, good innovations introduced to farmers failed to be adopted or diffused among them, simply because the complexities and the variations in farmers' innovation adoption are not well explore. This study aims to analyse the innovation adopter categories that smallholder farmers belong to in Ghana and how their socioeconomic attributes influence their innovativeness. A survey was employed to gather information from smallholder farmers in Ghana. The data obtained from the survey were analysed using the SPSS version 22 and the Individual Innovativeness (II) scales. The hypotheses were tested using the Logistic regression model. The results indicated a large number (36.6%) of the smallholder farmers belong to the late majority of the innovation adopter category. Also, more than three-quarters of the farmers were classified as low innovators. Factors such as farmer education and gender were found to be insignificant to their innovativeness, while other prominent factors were significant to farmers' innovativeness. The study also made a novel revelation on Roger's innovation adopter categorisation values. The study concluded that smallholder farmers in the study area do not belong to a homogenous innovation adopter category. Also, educated farmers without income are less innovative. It was therefore recommended that stakeholders introducing new technologies to smallholder farmers should develop attractive marketing packages combined with videos and pictures to educate farmers on the new products, to speed up adoption.

Exploring the drivers of herbicide use and risk perception among smallholder farmers in Ghana

Although herbicide adoption is gaining popularity among farmers in the Global South, the reasons for their adoption and perceptions of the impacts of their use may vary. Drawing theoretical insights from political ecology and using photovoice and interviews with (N = 48) backyard farmers in the semi-arid savannah region of Ghana, this article explored the underlying factors shaping herbicide adoption and the perceived health and environmental impacts. The findings reveal a set of complex intersecting drivers of herbicide adoption, including climate variability, labor supply constraints, and high costs of alternative technologies. Important adverse impacts of herbicide use include human health complications, suppressed seed germination, water pollution, and disruption of ecosystem processes. Notably, there were marked gender and locational variations in farmer perceptions which reflect the intersecting political, socio-economic and cultural factors that shape human-environment interaction, including agricultural production decisions. Given the growing need to make smallholder agriculture more sustainable, we recommend a community-based approach that engages government agencies, herbicide retailers and farmers to regulate herbicide use to minimize adverse impacts.

Farmers’ knowledge on fall armyworm (spodoptera frugiperda) pesticide application and its relationship with quantity of maize that is lost to fall armyworm

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) has spread rapidly and posed numerous threats to the food security and livelihood of millions of smallholder farmers in Ghana. This study quantifies the damages of fall armyworm infestation in maize production and identifies the various methods used in controlling fall armyworm infestation. Almost all farmers 94% experienced fall armyworm infestation on their farms. They cited key common visual damages as yellowish leaves, stunted growth, poor yield quality, holes in leaves, and egg masses on leaves. Farmer’s loss an average of GH¢2616.07 to fall armyworm infestation. Pesticide application is the frequent control measure mostly used by farmers. Farmers do not mostly use biological methods for the control of the fall armyworm. The use of pesticide as a control method is however not effective as about GH¢ 3 000 per 1 acre is lost with the use of insecticides. It is recommended that the use of other control measures like the contemporary measures involving the use of birds and chickens as predators of eggs and worms of fall armyworm should be encouraged. JEL code: Q16

Changing the perceptions and attitudes of rural Ghanaian youth towards cocoa farming

ABSTRACT Cocoa farmers in Ghana are aging, and this threatens the sustainability of the sector. Using a qualitative approach, this study assessed how the youth-centred training programme has changed existing negative perceptions on youth participation in cocoa farming. The results confirmed that youth disinterest in cocoa farming is partly influenced by the perception that cocoa farming is an activity for the aged. The positive effect of applying the knowledge and skills beneficiaries received in enhancing the quality of cocoa farms and improving cocoa yield have changed existing negative public perceptions. Youth-centred interventions inspire hope in the revitalisation of Ghana's cocoa sector.

Training of Rice Farmers and Its Effect on Socio-Economic Assets Acquisition and Change in Status

Training programmes for rice farmers is believed to be an activity leading to the improvement in yield if it is well managed and implemented. Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) initiated a training programme for rice farmers in three regions in Northern Ghana. Indeed, the benefits of training could be social, cognitive, economic or both. The training was intended to help increase rice farmers yield leading to productivity and profitability. This study was set up to evaluate the extent to which the rainfed lowland rice training programme influenced changes and improvement in socio-economic status of the rice farmers. A sample of 257 out of the total population of 880 was selected across both sex for this study. The analysis showed that all participants in the training benefitted in the form of changes in their socio-economic statuses as well as cognitive improvement. Various assets were acquired from proceeds of excess rice sole after feeding their families. One asset the majority of the farmers acquired was cell phone with all the women farmers acquiring cooking utensils either for their domestic use or in preparation towards settling their daughters when they are due for marriage. It was established that the rice training programme was beneficial to farmers and therefore should be extended to cover all rice farmers in the three regions in particular and to rice farmers in Ghana in general.

Examining the Relationship Among Socio-Demographic, Institutional Factors and Adoption of Best Tomato Production Practices in Southern Ghana

Tomato, an important staple in many Ghanaian homes, provides livelihood for many farming households. Despite its importance, farmers within major growing tomato districts are either unaware or have not adopted productivity enhancing tomato production practices. This paper examined the relationship between socioeconomic and institutional factors and the adoption of pre-emergence, post-emergence and filed management practices in the Ada West and Central Tongu districts. The study employed descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, and chi-square test to describe the respondents and test of independence between farmer characteristics and adoption. The results revealed that the adoption rates of preemergence, post-emergence and field management practices were 48%, 50% and 64%, respectively. Factors such as farm size, education, farming experience, land tenure arrangements, access to extension services, access to credit and point of sale were found to be significantly associated with adoption of these practices. The main constraints to double season production were reported as unavailability of water and fluctuations in market demand. It is recommended that extension officers and researchers focus their dissemination messages on improved tomato production practices through appropriate channels and build farmers' capacity on the improved practices for enhanced food security and incomes of smallholder tomato farmers in Ghana.

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

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.