Agriculture In Ghana Research Articles

Transforming Small-Scale Farm Entrepreneurship Through Innovation: the Case of Cross Link

The study focuses on the critical role of innovation, education, and technology in fostering agricultural entrepreneurship among youth, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The research highlights the challenges and opportunities encountered in the intersection of traditional agricultural practices and modern technology. The purpose of the research is to bridge the gap in literature regarding young agricultural entrepreneurs in Ghana, providing a detailed case study that could serve as motivation for other aspiring small-scale farmers. The paper investigates the factors that contributed to the success of Cross Link Farms, including the educational background, networking, and mentorship received by the entrepreneur, as well as the practical application of innovative technologies such as smart incubators and hydroponic systems. This case-paper demonstrates the importance of entrepreneurial education that instilled a passion in a student to become the co-founder of a farm entrepreneurship startup. The paper applied a case study approach; data were collected through the usage of interview. The interview was recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed interpretively. The main conclusions emphasize that innovation and technology, when coupled with a strong educational foundation and support system, are vital in transforming agriculture in Ghana and similar regions. Cross Link Farms serves as a model for how young entrepreneurs can leverage these elements to drive change, enhance food security, and contribute to rural development. The findings suggest that targeted policies and programs that foster entrepreneurial innovation in agriculture are essential for sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on the case-study findings, recommendations for future research include conducting empirical studies involving entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan countries to assess the role of curiosity, resilience and passion in their entrepreneurship journey.

Effectiveness of foreign aid in agricultural development in the Adaklu District of Ghana: a case study of the Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) Fund

Effectiveness of foreign aid in agricultural development in the Adaklu District of Ghana: a case study of the Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) Fund

Agro-Chemical Use in Crops in Ghana: Multidimensional Impacts and Sustainable Solutions

Agrochemical usage in Ghana's agriculture sector has become indispensable for enhancing crop yields and combating weed infestations. However, its extensive application raises concerns due to its adverse effects on soil fertility, human health, and biodiversity. This study examines the multifaceted impacts of agrochemicals in Ghana, emphasizing the need for sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate these challenges. Through an analysis of the effects on crop yield, soil fertility degradation, human health risks, and biodiversity loss, this research underscores the urgency of regulatory measures and the adoption of organic farming methods. The findings highlight the importance of balancing agricultural productivity with environmental and human health considerations to ensure long-term sustainability. Keywords: Agrochemicals, Crop Yield, Soil Fertility, Human Health, Biodiversity, Ghana, Sustainable Agriculture, Organic Farming

Constructing A Climate-Smart readiness index for smallholder farmers: The case of prioritized bundles of climate information services and climate smart agriculture in Ghana

Issues around bundling of climate smart agriculture (CSA) and climate information services (CIS) have been kept relatively distinct whereas in reality, they are more impactful when integrated. Using the case of the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Change Research in Africa (AICCRA) Project that emphasizes bundling as a critical component of research in development, six regions of Ghana were purposively selected based on the identified value chain crops for implementation. 120 respondents including practicing farmers and advisors as reference, rated contributions of 21 innovations to 25 climate smartness indicators. These include gender, youth and social inclusion (GSI), enabling environment (EE), ability to enhance soil, water, crop and animal health (One-Health Achievement) (OHA), end-user friendliness (EUF) and climate smart agriculture (CS) for prioritization, bundling and ultimately to construct a Climate Smart Readiness Index (CSRI). There was a high level of concordance between the ratings of farmers and advisors on the Climate Smartness; moderate concordance on OHA and a lower concordance on GSI. The CS and EUF had a significant and same agreement among farmers while EE had a substantial same agreement among advisors. These elements (CS, GSI, OHA, EUF, EE) formed an integral part of the CSRI construct confirmed by the Fornell-Larcker and the Heterotrait-Monotrait criteria. While OHA was the fundamental factor in determining CSRI for farmers, EE was considered more important by the advisors. CSRI informs policy makers and agricultural practitioners on appropriate bundling of CSA and CIS practices to generate evidence for farmer preparedness in the context of resilience, productivity, adaptation, and mitigation.

Unlocking Opportunities in Agro-Industrialization and Agro-Processing for Inclusive Growth in Ghana

Unlocking Opportunities in Agro-Industrialization and Agro-Processing for Inclusive Growth in Ghana

Climate variability impact on crop evapotranspiration in the upper East region of Ghana

Ghana's agriculture is primarily rain-fed, making it vulnerable to the impact of climate variability and climate change. This study examined the trends and impact of climatic variability and evapotranspiration on the crop evapotranspiration of selected staple crops across three districts in the Upper East region of Ghana over a 19-year period. Data on agro-climatic conditions (rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, and sunlight) in the Upper East region were obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) from 2000 to 2018. Given the non-conformity of the response variables to the normality assumption, the Quantile Regression (QR) was employed to examine the impact of climatic variability on different crop evapotranspiration scenarios (low = 10 %, typical = 50 %, and high = 90 %) of the selected crops. The analyzes disclosed a significant difference in crop evapotranspiration between the districts, except for maize, which remained consistent. There was an increase in crop evapotranspiration trend for all, but the maize crop informs the potential improvement of crop evapotranspiration notwithstanding the climatic variability. The study offers a vital insight into the complex dynamics of crop evapotranspiration in response to climatic variability and evapotranspiration. It is recommended, therefore, to consider advances in crop varieties through continuous investment in crop breeding research programmes to improve drought tolerance crops and develop regional water balance techniques.

Determinants and framework for implementing sustainable climate-smart aquaculture insurance system for fish farmers: Evidence from Ghana

The just-ended Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference in November 2022 brought to light the need to mitigate climate change adaptation related to risk and challenges through Climate financing, has made it very paramount the need to protect fish farmers' investments from climate change-related risk through the development of climate-smart insurance products and covers to help mitigate climate change effects on aquaculturists. As a result, this paper examines aquaculture farmers' preference for climate-smart aquaculture insurance products, challenges of climate-smart aquaculture insurance, and their preferred insurance cover. Survey data was collected from 140 fish farmers and analysed via Multinomial logistic regression, Bivariate Probit regression and Kendall's coefficient of concordance. Climate-Induced Aquaculture Stock Mortality Insurance (CIASMI) was the most-preferred climate-smart insurance product. Insurance Cover for Diseases (ICD) was the least preferred. The results further indicated that membership in a farmer organisation, farm income, credit access, climate-related peril and anthropogenic-related peril had a positive influence, whereas years of education had a negative influence on climate-smart aquaculture insurance participation.Moreover, production system had a negative relationship with mode of participation while number of employees, farm income and climate-related peril influenced mode of participation positively. The results also revealed that age, sex, stock size, awareness, income, climate and environmental-related peril, and anthropogenic-related peril significantly influenced the choice for climate-smart aquaculture insurance products, specifically climate risk related to stock mortality insurance and climate-related to consequential loss insurance. Finally, delay in claim settlement was the most pressing constraint. In contrast, lack of experts in disease diagnosis was the least ranked constraint of climate-smart aquaculture insurance. Therefore, this study provides insights for the Fisheries Commission, Ghana Agricultural Insurance Pool (GAIP), World Cover and other agricultural insurance companies globally to draft climate-smart insurance products for aquaculturists.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Citrus Production in the Eastern Region of Ghana: The Case of Okumaning and Nkwantanang in the Kwaebibirem District

Citrus farming has not been as popular as cocoa and other traditional crops in Ghana. The University of Ghana Agricultural Research Station (UGARS) at Okumaning undertook a research into how citrus could be produced throughout the year and make the tree last longer. Why farmers cultivate citrus on small-scale basis and the impact of the results of the UGARS’ research findings on the citrus industry in Ghana is the basis for this study. Using a mixed method, the results revealed that the citrus industry has a very bright future since for every GH?1.00 invested, a return of GH?2.78 is obtained. Land acquisition in the study area is the challenge, coupled with the lack of credit. Farmers are unable to meet the collateral requirements of the banks and delay in loan approval also puts them off. As a result, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA-Ghana) and the University of Ghana, Legon signed an agreement to intercrop citrus with food crops on the farm of low-income earning farmers. The adoption of the ADRA-University of Ghana’s proposal by both part-time and full-time farmers in Ghana is a manifestation of the great impact the research findings of the UGARS, has on the country. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that citrus processing plant(s) be established to take care of the excess fruits that will arise as a result of the local supply outweighing local demand while alternative markets are sought outside the country. Also, the rigid procedure for loan application and approval, especially to farmers, should be reviewed to incorporate a little flexibility to help the farmers acquire credit to improve, expand and make their operations easier.

Competence-based education: reflections on the context of teaching agriculture in Ghana’s pre-tertiary schools

Competence-based education: reflections on the context of teaching agriculture in Ghana’s pre-tertiary schools

Does weather index-based insurance adoption influence Cocoa Output? An endogenous swicth regression approach

ABSTRACT Agriculture is the most weather-dependent and risky sector where it is unpredictable when a season will be profitable during harvest. Droughts and floods may increase the risk of weather-related catastrophes in agriculture. Weather index Insurance has been widely recommended for decades to control weather risk. 600 Ashanti cocoa producers were surveyed to see how weather index insurance adoption affects cocoa output in Ghana. The endogenous switching regression (ESR) technique coupled with probit models were employed in this study. Cocoa bean production was 30.8 percent whiles only 15.8% of cocoa farmers knew about weather index insurance. The average annual farm income, off-farm, and remittances were 7.40, 7.26, and 6.61, respectively. Weather index insurance adoption and cocoa output were positively influenced by cocoa farm age, gender, education, awareness, and access to finance. We found that weather index insurance negatively influences cocoa output in Ghana due to inadequate information on insurance among farmers, lack of education, lack of awareness, and access to credit. Our findings will help Ghana Agricultural Insurance Pool and the government improve accessibility, affordability, and awareness for cocoa growers in the region and beyond. The findings will add to weather index insurance literature and improve agriculture risk.

Research on the Comparative Advantage and Complementarity of China–Ghana Agricultural Product Trade

As trade partners, China in East Asia and Ghana in Africa both play a major role in the China–Africa economic and trade cooperation and have strengthened their bilateral trade. The trade cooperation between China and Ghana has progressed, and there currently exists a large agricultural product trade between the two countries. China has become one of Ghana’s largest trading partners in recent decades, and bilateral cooperation has become stronger. This paper analyses the comparative advantage and complementarity of trade in agricultural products between China and Ghana in terms of twenty major agricultural products from 2016 to 2020, based on the revealed comparative advantage index, trade complementarity index, and their status quo. The results showed that the trade volume of China–Ghana agricultural products has continuously increased, and China is currently in a surplus state, but their total agriculture trade volume proportions had been decreasing. From the perspective of comparative advantage and complementarity, the results showed that the comparative advantage and complementarity coexist, but their comparative advantage is more obvious showing strong competitiveness. The result further shows that the comparative advantage of Ghana was stronger than that of China and the complementarity of China’s exports and Ghana’s imports of agricultural products has not been fully exploited; likewise, the complementarity of China’s imports and Ghana’s exports of agricultural products has not been fully exploited since 2018, and there is a large potential for further cooperation and development. Finally, based on the current situation and our analysis of agricultural trade between China and Ghana, suggestions were put forward to seek new and continuous development opportunities for agricultural trade cooperation between the two countries.

Status of Agricultural Mechanization in Ghana: Insight from Farmers’ Perception, Population, and Nonagricultural Sector Growth

The growing human population is a driver for higher food demands with a need to scale agricultural production and maintain security of the food supply chain. Thus, there is a need to increase the adoption and improvement of mechanized systems in agriculture, especially where needed labor is also drifting into nonagricultural production sectors. With this view, the relationship or link between population and employment in nonagricultural sector in Ghana (West Africa) to agricultural mechanization was tested to ascertain any such validity. This formed the primary basis for this study and furthered on to establish the current level of agricultural mechanization within the country through measuring effect of available farm energy sources on farm sizes under cultivation. The methods employed included a structured questionnaire administered to farmers and other agricultural stakeholders to determine the level of mechanization, readiness to adopt/accept mechanization technology, level of usage of mechanization technologies, and ownership of machinery. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 20) software was used to model and analyze data obtained including a multiple regression method for the relationship between parameters. The overall level of agricultural mechanization in Ghana was found to be very low with 77.6% of the farm operations being performed manually. The level of the tractor power availability in Ghana was found to have increased from 0.0207 kW/ha in the year 2004 to 0.0588 kW/ha in the year 2020 and is expected to increase to 0.0752 kW/ha in the year 2025. The power availability valued in this study was also found to be low compared with that in other developing countries. Statistically, both employment in the service sector and population growth were significant determinants ( Adjusted − R 2 = 0.9172 ) in the variations in the level of mechanization of agriculture in Ghana and policymakers will have to make adjustments in policies to take note of these indicators most often underplayed. Advocacy for higher levels of mechanization of agricultural operations must increase as it is critical to the overall cost of production in agriculture as this study also found out that mechanized operations were between 21.3% and 53.8% cheaper than manual operations.

Economic Viability of Smallholder Agriculture in the Savannah and Transitional Zones of Ghana: Implications of Farm Output Commercialization and Farm Diversification

Smallholder agriculture remains the heart of Ghana’s food crop production and crucial to meet the zero-hunger target. Unfortunately, rural households continue to see no significant improvement in their livelihoods, as poverty and food insecurity remain high in these areas. This has raised concerns about the economic viability of smallholder agriculture in Ghana. We estimated propensity score matching on a sample of 581 farmers to determine the economic viability of the smallholder farmers and the impact of farm output commercialization and off-farm diversification on their food security and welfare status. Large-scale (>2 ha) maize production led to 8% more yield and 96% more income than small-scale (≤2 ha) production. At observed mean levels, large-scale farmers performed better in most of the livelihood outcomes. The impact of diversification and commercialization on livelihood outcomes was mixed, based on the scale of production. For small-scale farmers, diversification reduced per capita consumption expenditure, while commercialization improved food security, consumption expenditure, and income. For large-scale farmers, diversification improved yield and food security, while commercialization improved fertilizer application rate and income but reduced yield. Although small-scale farmers are not necessarily doomed, the heterogeneity of farmers’ production scale should be considered in the design of rural agricultural policies.

The Leeds Africa Climate Hackathon – experiences of running a hackathon and highlights of results

The Leeds Africa Climate Hackathon aimed to generate user-relevant narratives of possible future climate in East and West Africa relevant to hydroelectric power generation and agriculture respectively. Here we discuss how the virtual hackathon was organised, present the results, and examine the lessons learned from running such a hackathon. We found East African hydroelectric power generation will need to store more water during heavier rain events and cope with longer drought periods in future. Agriculture in Ghana will face a much greater possibility of severe droughts by mid-century especially if 1.5 degC global warming targets are not met.

Livelihood considerations in land-use decision-making: Cocoa and mining in Ghana

• Socioeconomic basis of cocoa agriculture in Ghana. • Regulation of Ghana’s cocoa sector by the Ghana Cocoa Board. • Environmental impacts of deforestation and artisanal mining.

Financial Analysis of the Use of Land: Agriculture or Woodlot

Agriculture is the main driver of deforestation. In other to reduce deforestation, a viable alternative livelihood strategy, aside from agriculture, must be in place to provide a sustainable income for investors. Managing forests for sustainable production (the forest economy) has been suggested as an alternative for sustainable land use practice. In the current study, we undertook a comparative analysis of woodlots and agriculture. The profitability of agriculture and woodlot production in Ghana was compared using a profitability model. We looked at profitability in terms of Net Present Value (NPV) and the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) of three regions in Ghana, namely, Ashanti, Bono-East, and Western Regions. We found that woodlot producers with contractual relationships with the Forest Commission and other forestry companies produce the highest Net Present Value (NPV) and Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR). However, this profitability is marginally higher than that of agriculture, which gives a fixed yearly return. This means woodlot production may not be a panacea to reducing agriculture in Ghana.

Impact evaluation of households participation in agriculture on welfare in Ghana

The role of agriculture in Ghana’s economic development cannot be overstated as it is a major contributor to GDP and employs more people in the rural areas thereby improving on their welfare. However, the sector’s performance in recent time has declined as poverty incidence has remained high among rural agriculture households. This study, therefore, examines how participation in agriculture activities impact households’ welfare in Ghana using the seventh edition of Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS) dataset conducted in 2016/2017. The Heckman probit model is applied to determine the drivers of households' probability of engaging in agriculture. The propensity scores matching technique is used to match the farming households to their replica non-farming households as counterfactuals to ascertain the welfare impact of the households. The result shows that the welfare of households in agriculture is multidimensionally deprived than non-agriculture households. In addition, factors such as size of household, sex and age of household head, age at first marriage, location, ethnicity, and educational level of household heads have the likelihood of influencing agriculture participation in Ghana. Therefore, by modernising agriculture to enhance value addition through technology, irrigation, financing and marketing to boost agribusinesses would enhance the welfare in the agriculture households.

Environmental degradation effect on agricultural development: an aggregate and a sectoral evidence of carbon dioxide emissions from Ghana

PurposeQuality environment is argued to be essential for ensuring food security. The effect of environmental degradation on agriculture has thus gained the attention of researchers. However, the analyses of aggregate and sectoral effect of carbon dioxide emissions on agricultural development are limited in the literature. Consequently, this study examines the effect of aggregate and sectoral carbon emissions on Ghana's agricultural development.Design/methodology/approachTime-series data from 1971 to 2017 are employed for the study. Regression analysis and a variance decomposition analysis are employed in the study.FindingsThe results show that the country's agricultural development is negatively affected by aggregate carbon emission while financial development, labour and capital increases agricultural development. Further, industrial development and emissions from transport sector, industrial sector and other sectors adversely affect Ghana's agriculture development. The contribution of carbon emission together with other explanatory variables to the changes in agricultural development generally increases over the period.Originality/valueThis study analyses the aggregate and sectoral carbon dioxide emission effect on Ghana's agricultural development.

Young people and women as key drivers of agricultural transformation in Africa: transiting from rhetoric to action in Ghana

The prevalence of hunger, malnutrition and poverty in many African countries like Ghana is mainly due to low agricultural productivity and the sector's inability to attract educated young people and women (YPW). Ghana has not been able to leverage her abundant land and water resources as well as her youthful population to transform her agricultural sector, promote food and nutrition security, and improve the livelihoods of the rural people, especially in the transition and northern savannah ecological zones. Agricultural transformation constitutes the core element of this paper's conceptual framework. The findings of a comprehensive desk research informed the selection and conduct of field surveys in two local communities in two districts in the transition and northern savannah ecological zones of Ghana. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 20 while the qualitative information was subjected to content analysis. The opportunities for transforming Ghana's agriculture into a productive sector and a major employer of educated young people and women include smart agricultural practices, widening access to resources, markets and social amenities in rural communities.

“Illegal” Gold Mining Operations in Ghana: Implication for Climate-Smart Agriculture in Northwestern Ghana

Globally, climate-smart agriculture is highly recognized as an approach for sustainable agriculture and food systems. In Africa and other developing countries, climate-smart agriculture is observed to reposition and modify agricultural systems for improved food and nutritional security. Despite the relevance of the approach to sustainable agricultural planning, illegal gold mining in many parts of the society is placing constraints to its implementation and adoption through its contest with agricultural land for space and activities. Illegal gold mining is on the rise due to the lucrativeness of the non-regulated gold rush opportunities with hard consequences on sustainable agriculture and resilience food systems. As a result, this study seeks to investigate illegal gold mining and its environmental implication for climate-smart agriculture in Ghana. The study used a single case study using a mixed-methods approach to research. The study adopted purposive and systematic sampling techniques to select the study communities and respondents, respectively. Questionnaire and interviews were used to gather the primary data from respondents at the household level, as the unit of analysis. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis reveal that known agricultural practices such as terracing, crop rotation, use of domestic waste/manure, and irrigation of crops were affected adversely by activities of illegal mining. The study recommends the need for conscious efforts from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to sustain the ban on illegal mining with intensified monitoring and supervision while a systematic scheme involving relevant stakeholders is developed and implemented to ban illegal mining in Ghana completely. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture needs to develop an approach to support the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices by smallholder farmers to meet the food demand of their households.