Maize In Ghana Research Articles

The economic potential for area‐yield crop insurance: An application to maize in Ghana

AbstractRainfall index insurance can enable farm households to manage production risk, but demand in developing countries remains low at market prices, in part because the insurance trigger may not correlate well with individual farm losses. Area‐yield crop insurance, which links payouts to average yield in a geographic zone, attempts to increase demand by more accurately targeting insurance payouts to production shortfalls. However, shifting from an exogenous weather‐based to an endogenous yield‐based index introduces concerns of asymmetric information, which can lead to market failures that constrain supply from providers. These features are inversely related: larger insurance zones inhibit index manipulation, but average yield is less informative about any individual plot. We quantify this tradeoff for maize in Ghana using a spatial yield model calibrated to match observed production. Insurers must demarcate zones of no more than 5000 farmers for area‐yield insurance to outperform weather insurance. The framework presented in this paper allows assessment of the relationship between index performance and asymmetric information in new crop insurance products.

Assessing the impact of climate variability on maize yields in the different regions of Ghana-A machine learning perspective.

Climate variability has become one of the most pressing issues of our time, affecting various aspects of the environment, including the agriculture sector. This study examines the impact of climate variability on Ghana's maize yield for all agro-ecological zones and administrative regions in Ghana using annual data from 1992 to 2019. The study also employs the stacking ensemble learning model (SELM) in predicting the maize yield in the different regions taking random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), gradient boosting (GB), decision tree (DT), and linear regression (LR) as base models. The findings of the study reveal that maize production in the regions of Ghana is inconsistent, with some regions having high variability. All the climate variables considered have positive impact on maize yield, with a lesser variability of temperature in the Guinea savanna zones and a higher temperature variability in the Volta Region. Carbon dioxide (CO2) also plays a significant role in predicting maize yield across all regions of Ghana. Among the machine learning models utilized, the stacking ensemble model consistently performed better in many regions such as in the Western, Upper East, Upper West, and Greater Accra regions. These findings are important in understanding the impact of climate variability on the yield of maize in Ghana, highlighting regional disparities in maize yield in the country, and highlighting the need for advanced techniques for forecasting, which are important for further investigation and interventions for agricultural planning and decision-making on food security in Ghana.

An overview of foliar application of macro and micronutrients on the yield of maize in Ghana

Maize is a major staple crop in Ghana which plays a significant role in consumer diets. For some time now, the farming methods used by the farmers have been negatively affected by components such as climate, soil nutrient depletion, and constant monocropping resulting in the adoption of inorganic fertilizers. Conventional fertilizers supplied through soils are subjected to slow release of nutrients, leaching, fixation, surface runoff, erosion, and volatilization, which hinders optimal plant growth and yield. Foliar application of fertilizer offers an alternative method of fertilizer application that supplies nutrients directly to the stomata and cuticle of the leaves of maize thereby enabling rapid absorption and enhancing crop vigor. The The main objective of this paper is to review research papers which explores the potential of foliar application of vital nutrients – phosphorus (P), sulphur (S), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) – to improve the yield of maize crop. According to the literature gathered, foliar fertilization in combination with soil applied fertilizers emerges as a promising strategy, particularly in addressing nutrient deficiencies and stress scenarios. The efficient uptake of nutrients through leaves, as opposed to traditional soil-based approaches, holds promise for augmenting yield and enhancing protein content in maize crops. Notably, prior research highlights the efficacy of foliar-applied P, S, Zn, and Fe in significantly boosting grain yield. By understanding the complex mechanisms of nutrient absorption and the advantages of foliar application, the agricultural sector can explore innovative avenues to surmount soil-related challenges and achieve sustainable crop development.

Effectiveness of some aflatoxin interventions in reducing the aflatoxin contamination of maize in Ghana

The presence of aflatoxin in food and feed represents a significant health hazard to both human and animal populations, hence exerting adverse effects on the environment and the global economy. The effects of maize variety, agroecological zones, and aflatoxin control measures on aflatoxin contamination were tested using a 2x2x3 factorial in a randomised complete block design (RCBD). The treatments consisted of two agroecological zones, two varieties of maize, and three aflatoxin control measures. The aflasafe was applied at a rate of 10 kg/ha and the nicoking at 200 ml per 15 liters of water. There was no contamination of maize samples grown in the Forest zone with aflatoxins during all the treatments. There was no contamination of maize samples with aflatoxins BI, B2, G1, and G2 for all the treatments in the Savannah zone except for the hoeing method. The highest contamination of Aflatoxin G2 (AFG2) (0.19 µg/kg) was recorded by the Wangdataa maize variety using hoeing as the means of the aflatoxin control method. The highest Aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) contamination (0.45 µg/kg) was produced by maize grown in the Savannah ecozone using the hoeing method of control. In conclusion, the study showed that all the control methods gave maximum protection to the maize while growing on the field except the hoeing method in the Savannah ecological zone. The study recommends that in the Savannah zone if a farmer chooses hoeing as a method to control aflatoxins, it is advisable to complement this approach with the use of biological or chemical methods for effective aflatoxin control.

Pest risk information, agricultural outcomes and food security: evidence from Ghana

This article investigates the short-term effects of an information intervention that provided early warning pest alerts and integrated pest management (IPM)-based advice to smallholder farmers. Specifically, this study focuses on fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) of maize in Ghana. We particularly examine the relationships between access to pest risk information and a number of outcomes, ranging from farmer’s knowledge to household food security. This study is based on survey data collected between December 2021 and January 2022 from 888 farm households operating 1305 maize fields. Results from doubly robust and switching regression models indicated that exposure to the pest risk information campaign was significantly (ρ < 0.05) associated with increases in the likelihood of optimal timing of fall armyworm control action and the adoption of multiple IPM practices, but it had no significant effect on pesticide use. Households who received the pest risk information obtained an average of 4% or 54 kg/ha (ρ < 0.01) gain in maize yield and were about 38% less likely (ρ < 0.01) than their non-recipient counterparts to report experiencing hunger, as measured by the household hunger scale. However, the pest risk information campaign was not associated with greater household dietary diversity. Further results indicated that households where the pest risk information was received by women, alone or together with their spouses, were more likely (ρ < 0.05) to achieve positive outcomes than if the recipient of information were male member of households. Overall, our findings imply that the dissemination of early warning pest alerts in combination with actionable IPM information to smallholder farmers can contribute to the adoption of sustainable crop protection technologies, and ultimately improve the standard of living of farm households.

Efficacy of Beauveria bassiana against adults of Prostephanus truncatus (Horn), Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky and Teretrius nigrescens Lewis in stored maize

The larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) and the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky continue to cause tremendous losses to stored maize. Research in the UK has identified Beauveria bassiana, IMI 389521 as a suitable control agent for grain storage pests in the UK. The pathogenicity of B. bassiana, IMI 389521 was evaluated against adult P. truncatus, S. zeamais and Teretrius nigrescens in Ghana. Fifty adults of each insect species were treated with 0.5 g dry conidia powder of this isolate at 8.65 × 108 conidia/g for 1 minute and mortality recorded daily for 14 days. The results indicated that B. bassiana, is pathogenic against P. truncatus and S. zeamais, inducing over 90% mortality by day 7. Teretrius nigrescens was, however less susceptible to the fungus with 30% mortality. To determine the most effective concentration of B. bassiana for the control of P. truncatus, a laboratory dose response experiment using four concentrations of B. bassiana (108–1011 cfu/kg maize) was also conducted. Maize grains (250 g) in separate jars were treated with the four concentrations of the product. Fifty adults of P. truncatus were placed into the jars containing the treated maize and mortality was assessed weekly for 3 weeks. The most effective dose was 1010 cfu/kg maize, which resulted in 96% and 100% mortality of P. truncatus after 2 and 3 weeks, respectively. This study shows that B. bassiana could effectively be integrated into bio-control programme of these two key pests of maize in Ghana after further field trials.

Genetic Diversity and Evaluation of Assembled Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Breeding Purposes in Northern Ghana

Background of the Study: Rice (Oryza sativa L) is an important staple food crop that feed over half of the global population and it has become the cereal that provides a major source of calories for the urban and rural poor in Africa. Rice has is the second most important food staple after maize in Ghana and its consumption keeps increasing as a result of population growth, urbanization and change in consumer habits. Rice yield across Ghana is far below achievable yield. The need for increasing rice yield depends not only on cultural/traditional practices but also on their inbuilt genetic potential to withstand stresses. Adequate diverse rice germplasm is a pre-requisite for breeding varieties to meet local biotic, abiotic and grain quality challenges. Knowledge of germplasm diversity and genetic relationships among breeding materials is valuable information for crop improvement.&#x0D; Aim: To identify the diversity among assembled rice germplasms for evaluation and possibly exploit its genetic variability for earliness for cultivation in the Guinea and Sudan Savanna ecologies.&#x0D; Study Design: The experiment was conducted at CSIR-SARI research station, Nyanpkala. Using a Randomized Complete Block Design with two replications, and a plot size of 4 m x 3 m was used. Field data taken included 10 qualitative and 11 quantitative traits. The data were statistically analyzed for various descriptive statistics.&#x0D; Results: Correlation analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis were used to assess genetic variability. Most of the morphological traits showed remarkable differences in their distribution. Five significant principal components were identified accounting for 78.11% of the total variation. Cluster analysis based on the morphological data grouped the germplasm into two distinct clusters suggesting diversity among the assembled rice germplasms.&#x0D; Conclusions: The rice germplasm used in the present study displayed variability for most of the studied traits with the exception of ligule. Twenty one out of the 100 germplasm were distant from the rest, and were selected to constitute a core collection for further improvement.&#x0D; Recommendations: Diversity revealed in this study is narrow. It is, therefore, recommended that rice breeding programs in Ghana should include new genetically unrelated genotypes in order to broaden the genetic base of Ghanaian rice germplasm.

Mitigating aflatoxin contamination in maize: Breeding for stable resistant cultivars

Maize is a major cereal crop for humans and animals. The production and consumption of maize are adversely affected by aflatoxin contamination resulting in reduced grain quality with high health risk to consumers. Unsafe aflatoxin levels above 20 ppb have been reported in maize from farmers’ fields in Ghana. A study was undertaken to evaluate the yield and aflatoxin contamination resistance stabilities of selected hybrids being developed in Ghana. Eighteen maize genotypes (14 hybrids with the following code names: GH01, GH02, GH03, GH04, GH05, GH06, GH07, GH08, GH09, GH10, GH11, GH12, GH13, and GH14 and four local checks: Etubi, Obotantim, Tintim, and Mamaba) were evaluated across six environments in two seasons. Artificial inoculation was done randomly using the side needle injection method 14 days after midsilk at a concentration of 9 × 107 conidia/ml. After the harvest levels of aflatoxin in the harvested grains were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Data analysis showed that genotypic effects and environmental effects on some traits were consistently significant across environments, which mean that there was useful variation among the genotypes that could be utilized for the development of hybrids. Non-significant genotype by environment interaction effects for grain yield suggests that a promising genotype selected in one of these locations will also be suitable for production in the other locations in the same agroecological zone. GGE biplot analyses provided clear bases for determining stability and performance of the hybrids. Two hybrids have the potential for production in Ejura, Fumesua, Ohawu, Akumadan, and Kpeve and similar agroecological zones. GH04, GH10, and GH01 were lowest yielding, but GH10 was most stable. GH05 was identified as the most promising for production in Ejura, Ohawu, and Akumadan. Again, GH08 was the Vertex genotype for Wenchi environment. Ejura, located in the transition zone, was identified as the ideal testing environment for the hybrids. Most of the hybrids showed low levels of aflatoxin accumulation below 20 ppb despite artificial inoculation. The study revealed GH01, GH05, and GH08 as the most stable among the top yielding hybrids with aflatoxin levels of 11.9, 14.3, and 3.8 ppb, respectively, after artificial inoculation, which can be considered for cultivation as varieties to help mitigate aflatoxin contamination in maize in Ghana and beyond.

Natural Enemies of the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Ghana

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an invasive insect pest attacking maize in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa countries. Biological control will need to be an important management strategy, and a first step was to identify potential natural enemies. Sampling was conducted in different localities of the 10 regions of Ghana from May to Nov 2017. A total of 1,062 larvae were collected from 106 maize farms, and the presence of natural enemies was recorded in 18 (17.0%) farms. Among natural enemies recorded, 7 species were parasitoids: Chelonus bifoveolatus Szpligeti, Coccygidium luteum (Brull), Cotesia icipe Fernandez, Meteoridea testacea (Granger), and Bracon sp. (all Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Anatrichus erinaceus Loew (Diptera: Chloropidae), and an undetermined tachinid fly (Diptera: Tachinidae). The parasitism rate was 3.58%. Three predator species were collected: Pheidole megacephala (F.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Haematochares obscuripennis Stal, and Peprius nodulipes (Signoret) (both Heteroptera: Reduviidae). The 2 most abundant parasitoids were C. bifoveolatus and C. luteum with a relative abundance of 29.0% and 23.7%, respectively, and a parasitism rate of 1.04% and 0.85%, respectively. However, C. bifoveolatus was the most dispersed parasitoid, found in 6.6% of the inspected sites within all the agroecological zones of Ghana. This species is a good candidate as a biological control agent for fall armyworm in Africa. The predator that was most abundant (46.0%) and dispersed (3.8% of the farms) was P. megacephala.

Biochar and inorganic nitrogen fertilizer effects on maize (Zea mays L.) nitrogen use and yield in moist semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major nitrogen consuming crop, as nitrogen is considered as an important determinant of its grain yield. Though inorganic fertilizer is widely recommended, the problem of high cost and inaccessibility limit its usage by resource poor farmers. Biochar application provides a new technology for both soil fertility and crop productivity improvement. With limited research on the suitability of biochar for soil improvement practices in Ghana, our objective was to determine the synergistic effect of biochar and inorganic fertilizer on the nitrogen uptake, nitrogen use efficiency, and yield of maize. Field experiment was conducted in Ghana, KNUST, in the major and minor raining seasons. Biochar was applied at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 t ha−1 and fertilizer N applied at 0, 45, and 90 kg ha−1. The results showed significantly (p < .05) higher N uptake, N use efficiency and yield of maize when biochar was applied with fertilizer N compared to both the control and sole N fertilizer plots. Biochar applied at 10 t ha−1 supplemented with 45 kg N ha−1 increased N uptake by 200%, and grain yield by 213% and 160% relative to the control in the minor and major rainy seasons, respectively. The greater yield of maize recorded on biochar-amended soils was attributed to the improved N uptake and nitrogen use efficiency. In conclusion, our finding suggests that the application of combined biochar and inorganic N fertilizer is not only ecologically prudent, but economically viable and a practicable alternative to current farmers’ practice of cultivating maize in Ghana.

Factors influencing improved Maize Farming Technologies adoption in Yendi Municipality of Northern Region of Ghana

Low technology adoption continues to affect the production of maize in Ghana, including the Yendi municipality, which is one of the high maize producing areas. The study examined the factors influencing the adoption of improved maize farming technologies in the Yendi municipality. Data was collected from 154 randomly selected maize farmers using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Descriptive statistics and Poisson Regression Model were used to analyze the demographic characteristics of maize farmers as well as the socioeconomic factors influencing the adoption of improved maize farming technologies. The study revealed that 59% of the maize farmers had no contact with agricultural extension agents, which could negatively affect adoption of improved maize farming technologies. The Poisson regression analysis showed that education, farm size, credit and extension contact significantly influenced the adoption of improved maize farming technologies in the area. Maize farmers therefore need to be adequately trained on the technologies to understand their full benefits to enable them adopt them fully. The study recommends that Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) together with Development Partners (DPs) should facilitate farmers’ access to credit and provide more logistics to facilitate access to extension services.

Impact of storage structures on moisture content, insect pests and mycotoxin levels of maize in Ghana

Insect pests and fungal pathogens can cause extensive product losses and pose health risks in sub-Saharan Africa. In this experiment, maize stored as de-husked cobs or shelled maize in a ventilated crib and a metal bin, and in bags in warehouses, was monitored monthly in Ghana from October of 2015 to December of 2015 (the major season) and from January to April of 2016 (the minor season). Temperature, moisture content, insect pests, and associated damage were assessed monthly, and samples were taken in October, December, January, and April for mycotoxin analyses. Moisture content, which ranged from 9 to 15% during the year was occasionally greater in the bin and warehouse compared to the crib, and greater in months associated with the major season compared to other months. Temperatures varied with season but were generally warmer in the bin compared to the warehouse and crib. The predominant insect collected was Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky), with the lowest populations in the crib, but in each structure the populations were about 10x greater in the major season compared to the minor season. Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) was the second most-prevalent species, but populations of this species were greater in the crib compared to the bin or warehouse. Scattered populations of other stored product insects were collected from the maize samples and in pheromone traps. Percentage insect damaged kernels (IDK) and weight loss were also greater in samples from months where S. zeamais was present. Aflatoxin was above 10 ppb only in the warehouse in December, while fumonisin levels in all the storage structures were <0.5 ppm for all months. Results show that maize stored during the major season in Ghana is at risk from insect damage, and metal bins could be utilized more frequently for storage.

Moisture content, insect pest infestation and mycotoxin levels of maize in markets in the northern region of Ghana

Reliable quantitative data on maize post-harvest losses and factors that cause them in northern Ghana are limited. In this study we assessed maize at six markets in the Northern Region of Ghana, in and around Tamale, during the harvest and storage period of October 2015–June 2016. Across all the markets and sampling periods grain temperature was 32.6 ± 0.2 °C and equilibrium moisture content (EMC) was 9.5 ± 0.2%. EMC tended to decrease to a low in January and February and then increased again, while mean maize temperature was above 30 °C in all months. The primary stored product insects collected from the samples were Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), Sitophilus spp., Rhyzopertha dominica (Fauvel), and Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens). Using all the market and sampling month data, there was a significant correlation between EMC and total number of insects recovered, but not between total number of insects and temperature. The average percentage of insect-damaged kernels (IDK) in the maize sampled across all the markets and sampling periods was 2.7 ± 0.2%, with a range between 0 and 21.4%. Using all the market and sampling month data, levels of insect damage tended to be positively correlated with maize moisture, but not temperature, and levels of insect damage increased with number of stored product insects recovered. The action threshold for aflatoxin in maize in Ghana is 15 ppb, but overall mean aflatoxin level was 19.8 ± 1.5 ppb and aflatoxin levels ranged from 0.3 to 132.2 ppb, with 53% of the samples having levels above 15 ppb. The mean fumonisin level was 1.2 ± 0.0 ppm, which is below the 4.0 ppm action threshold for Ghana. Our results show that aflatoxin levels were high in the market maize in Northern Region of Ghana and insects were prevalent, even though grain moisture tended to be relatively low, especially compared to the Middle Belt of Ghana.

Determining the effect of genotype × environment interactions on grain yield and stability of hybrid maize cultivars under multiple environments in Ghana

Abstract Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important cereal crop cultivated across all agro-ecologies in Ghana, but productivity in farmer's fields is generally low (1.7 t/ha). The low maize productivity is attributed to the continuous use of low-yielding varieties among others. Hybrid maize varieties have proven to be high yielding than unimproved varieties, therefore, farmers' adoption would reduce the deficit of demand and supply of maize in Ghana. A study was conducted to assess the relative yield performance and stability of 45 extra-early single-cross hybrids. The trial was conducted in the Forest, Forest-Transition and Coastal savannah zones over the main season of 2015. The experiment was laid-out in a randomized incomplete block design with three replications at each location. Data were collected on grain yield (GY) and other agronomic traits for each location. Results showed significant mean squares for environment (E), genotype (G) and G × E interaction for GY and other agronomic traits suggesting that the test environments were unique to contribute to the expression of genetic variability of the hybrid genotypes. Hybrids 28 (TZEEI 78 × TZEEI 66), 2 (TZEEI 64 × TZEEI 61), 18 (TZEEI 66 × TZEEI 64) and 41 (TZEEI 94 × TZEEI 76) were identified as high yield and most stable under the test environments. Moreover, hybrid 28 was the ideal and most yielding hybrid and should extensively be tested on-farm for consistent yield performance and then released to farmers for commercialization.

Effects of tractor ownership on returns-to-scale in agriculture: Evidence from maize in Ghana

Agricultural transformation process around the world has often accompanied the rise in returns-to-scale (RTS). While tractor ownership is often associated with greater RTS in agriculture, whether the tractor ownership actually causes such increase in RTS has not been formally tested in the literature. We bridge this knowledge gap, using a unique survey data of tractor owning farm households in Ghana. We find that owning tractors significantly increases the RTS in maize production on the households’ largest mono-cropped plot, and weakens inverse-relationship between land productivity and farm size. This is partly achieved through the rise in the “RTS in tillage production” (the amount of tillage conducted), rather than the RTS in maize production given a fixed amount of tillage produced. These sets of evidence are obtained by addressing jointly the multiple sources of endogeneity of tractor ownership, tractor values, tillage production, and other inputs used.

Population dynamics of stored maize insect pests in warehouses in two districts of Ghana

Understanding what insect species are present and their temporal and spatial patterns of distribution is important for developing a successful integrated pest management strategy for food storage in warehouses. Maize is stored in bags in warehouses in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, but little monitoring information is available on insect activity in those warehouses. We monitored the populations of major post-harvest insect pests of maize at three different warehouses (MiDA, Gundaa and Wienco) in two regions in Ghana (Middle Belt and Northern Belt). The study was conducted from September 2015–July 2016, which represents a common maize harvest and storage period in the two regions. The most abundant insect pest found in the warehouses was Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), but other major pest species were recovered during the study. Sitotroga cerealella (Oliver) and Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) which are major pests on farms, were more likely to be captured in traps outside or at nearby farms than inside the warehouses. When recovered inside they tended to be found in the receiving and cleaning areas. Sitophilus spp. were commonly captured in the warehouses, but were more abundant in the Middle Belt warehouse. Our results identified the major species found during warehouse storage of maize in Ghana and suggest that the specific pest species may be different in warehouses compared to on-farm storage.

Moisture content, insect pests and mycotoxin levels of maize at harvest and post-harvest in the Middle Belt of Ghana

Grain moisture content (MC), insect pest infestation and mycotoxin contamination of maize are challenges to food safety and security, especially in the tropics where maize is a staple grain. However, very little documentation is available on the impact of these factors on maize in Ghana. This study focused on post-harvest losses of maize and assessed grain MC, insect pests and mycotoxin (aflatoxin and fumonisin) levels on-farm at three stages, during the major and minor seasons (primary and secondary harvest seasons, respectively). Grain MC decreased significantly from the field stage (17.2–19.0%) to the post-drying stage (12.4–14.2%). The mean grain MC was significantly greater in the major season (20.4%) than in the minor season (12.5%). Maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella Olivier, square-neck grain beetle, Cathartus quadricollis Guerin-Meneville, and corn sap beetle, Carpophilus dimidiatus Fabricius were the dominant insect species that attacked maize on-farm. Mean numbers of each species were generally significantly greater in the minor season than in the major season, but in both seasons, greater numbers were detected at the heaping stage compared to field and post-drying stages. Percentage insect damaged kernels and weight loss were significantly lower at the field stage than at both the heaped and post-drying stages; statistically similar levels were observed in the latter two stages. Mean aflatoxin (ppb) and fumonisin (ppm) levels were significantly higher in the major season (29.1 ppb, 1.6 ppm) than in the minor season (3.5 ppb, 1.0 ppm). Results showed variation between locations sampled, but in general more insect damage and quality deterioration occurred during the major season compared to the minor season. Farmers should dry immediately after harvest to reduce risk of damage from insect pests and mycotoxins.

The Influence of Exchange Rate Changes on Agricultural Prices: The Case of Cocoa and Maize in Ghana (1966-2008)

Exchange rates are a key determinant of the domestic prices for agricultural goods and therefore affect the quantity of these goods produced for domestic consumption and export. Accordingly, in competitive domestic markets with complete market integration with foreign markets, exchange rate changes are fully reflected in the domestic currency prices of traded goods. However, agricultural policy instruments such as intervention mechanisms tend to insulate domestic markets and impede exchange rate transmission. The study examines the influence of nominal exchange rate changes in Ghana on the annual domestic producer prices of cocoa, a traditional export crop, and maize, a non-traditional export crop from 1966 to 2008. Nominal exchange rate changes in Ghana were found to reflect the gradual shift from a fixed to a flexible exchange rate regime since independence. Using an Autoregressive Distributed Lag model, it was discovered that exchange rate transmission was extremely low for both crops. Therefore, it did not have a statistically significant effect on domestic producer prices of cocoa and maize in Ghana. Whiles market intervention was found to be the cause of this phenomenon in the case of cocoa, the very nature of maize as a non-traditional export with low export supply accounted for the lack of exchange rate transmission in the maize sub-sector. Consistently, world price transmission to domestic producer prices of both crops was also not statistically significant.

Resource use efficiency among maize farmers in Ghana

Despite the enormous importance of maize in Ghana, maize farmers in the country continue to experience low yields, making Ghana self-insufficient in the production of the crop. For maize farmers to be helped to increase productivity, the focus should not only be on whether or not they have adopted productivity-enhancing technologies, but it is necessary to carefully examine whether they are even making maximum use of the technologies or inputs available to them. This study analysed resource use efficiency for Ghana’s maize farms. The data used were obtained through a cross-sectional survey of 576 maize farmers in the Northern Savannah, Transitional, Forest and Coastal Savannah zones of Ghana using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, stochastic frontier analysis and the ratio of marginal value product to marginal factor cost were the methods of analysis employed. The results showed that generally, maize farmers in Ghana were inefficient in their use of resources available to them. Fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, seed, manure and land were underutilized, while labour and capital were overutilized by the farmers. The results further showed that maize farmers in Ghana exhibit increasing returns to scale, indicating that the famers can increase their output by increasing the use of some of the key resources. Incentives and strategies aimed at encouraging farmers to optimize the use of fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, seed, manure and land are recommended to ensure improved maize productivity in Ghana. Currently, incentives and strategies could take the form of better management by government of the current fertilizer subsidy programme and efficient input distribution through farmer-based organizations to ensure easy access by farmers.

Smallholder Maize Farmers’ Food Consumption Expenditures in Ghana: The Mediating Role of Commercialization

This paper examines the effect of smallholder maize farmers’ commercialization on their household food consumption expenditures in Ghana using data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey Round Five (GLSS5). The results indicate that the intensity of smallholder maize commercialization is generally low and that better output price, quantity of maize produced, farm size, type of market or point of sale, access to mobile phone network coverage, proportion of crops given to landlord, instant payment for maize sold, are inter alia key incentive variables that influence the intensity of maize commercialization. The study also revealed that intensity of maize commercialization positively influenced food consumption expenditures. Increases in the sale of maize results in increases in purchases of food items needed to address household food security needs. These findings demonstrate the urgent need to strengthen smallholder market integration initiatives, encourage market information delivery systems, and establish more retail outlets with improved market facilities in order to promote production and trade in high value cereals such as maize in Ghana