ABSTRACT This study tries to find out why the Ghanaian Poultry Industry is unable to produce enough poultry chicken to meet the local market demand which has led to the large importation of frozen chicken for the period 1988-1999. It determines how responsiveness major poultry inputs such as vaccines, feed, labor and institutional credit are to price change and the economies of scale of layer production in the poultry industry. The study therefore estimates parameters of the input variables f...
ABSTRACT Over the last decade, improved soybean production technologies have been tested and promoted among farmers using different technology transfer mechanisms. Whether the various agricultural technology transfer mechanisms are effective, and whether they have any effect on adoption of soybean production technologies and soybean yields remain unanswered. This study therefore focused on the effectiveness of agricultural technology transfer mechanisms (ATTMs) on adoption and soybean yield...
ABSTRACT Globally, vegetable production and marketing serve as a source of livelihood for both urban and rural poor and contribute tremendously to food security. This study evaluates the social and economic relationships between vegetable farmers and marketers as well as the production and marketing related problems that limit farmers and marketers from getting potential benefits across seasons in the Tamale Metropolis. Qualitative individual interviews consisting of 10 and 8 farmers and ma...
ABSTRACT The contribution of irrigation farming to food security, nutrition, employment and poverty alleviation cannot be overemphasized in the savannah zone of Ghana of which Kassena-Nankana area is part. The main objective of the study was to assess the use of ecosystem-based farm management practices (EBFMPs) in government and community managed irrigation schemes within the Kassena-Nankana area and how these EBFMPs affect farmers’ livelihood. The study used data collected from 300 irri...
ABSTRACT The study was conducted in Kassena Nankana East Municipal and Gushiegu District where there are highest recordings of registered medium and large scale lands within the northern belt of Ghana. This study assesses how agricultural land grabs affect farm households’ access to land and also their access to other alternative land based resources and services. It then considers livelihood strategy adaptation among farm households within affected communities in Northern Ghana. A two st...
ABSTRACT Despite the importance of credit in enhancing productivity and livelihoods, farmers continue to complain about lack of access to adequate credit for agricultural production. The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of agricultural value chain (AVC) participation on credit access, loan repayment and farmers’ income in Northern Ghana. Also, the interrelationships between AVC vertical linkage(AVC-VL) and AVC horizontal linkage (AVC-HL) and that of AVC participation ...
ABSTRACT The study used contingent valuation to solicit monetary values from researchers and farmers on how much they were willing to sell and buy the following innovations from research respectively: improved seed, soil fertility management techniques, crop protection techniques, safe-use of agro-chemicals as well as farm management and record keeping. Also, a probit model was employed to identify the determinants of researchers’ willingness to sell innovations from research. Furthermore ...
ABSTRACT The study assesses the postharvest losses along the fresh tomato value chain in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Simple random sampling technique was used to select three districts from the Upper East Region and a total of 80 farmers, 30 wholesalers, and 80 retailers were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics was used to estimate outcome of losses by each actor along the tomato value chain. Kendall‟s Coefficient of Concordance was employed to rank the m...
ABSTRACT Gaining insight into the livelihood strategies adopted by farmers is crucial for the success of interventions aiming at improving livelihood in rural areas. This study assessed the livelihood strategies adopted by farm households in southern Benin. The study was carried out in Allada and Bonou, districts located in the southern region of Benin which was purposively selected for their noticeable agrarian and economic activities. A total of 160 farm households were randomly sampled and...
ABSTRACT In Benin, Oueme Delta wetlands, as an ecological life support system, play a vital role in contributing to the local population’s livelihood, health and wellbeing. The paucity of knowledge about the value of the Oueme Delta wetlands and their attributes to society, especially to agricultural households undermines the ability of decision makers to develop and implement sustainable wetland use and management policies that maximize societal welfare. To fill that gap, this thesis has b...
ABSTRACT This study examines the determinants of health and nutrition of children under five in Ghana using data on 2127 children and their households were drawn from the Ghana Living Standards Survey in 1987/88 (GLSS I). The study reveals that Ghanaian children of 0 to 59 months obtain 82.7 per cent of the recommended required daily allowance of calorie intake. Also, the children weighed 9.9 per cent higher than the recommended weight of 12.0 kg. It was further shown that the level of under...
ABSTRACT The study focused on malaria care seeking behaviour of farm households in general. Time and money costs of care, the impact of socio-economic factors affecting health care seeking behaviour and household choice of malaria care providers were investigated. The findings show that households appear to be more sensitive to time costs in choosing malaria care providers. The report presents direct costs and indirect costs of treating an episode of malaria and also traced malaria treatmen...
ABSTRACT The government of Ghana introduced the Youth-in-Agriculture Programme (YiAP) in 2009 as one of the modules of the National Youth Employment Programme. The Government through the YiAP motivates the youth to accept agriculture as their main occupation by providing the necessary inputs and services (incentives) that the youth themselves under their present condition cannot provide. This study is an analysis of determinants of participation in the YiAP in three districts in the Eastern R...
ABSTRACT Continuous tillage of soils results in nutrient mining. It leaves the soils in very fragile conditions and therefore nutrient augmentation through the application of fertilizers has become imperative to maintain crop yields to feed the ever-growing population of Ghana. The use of organic fertilizers has its pros and cons. This study sought to determine the factors that influence the adoption of organic fertilizers, in vegetable production in Accra. Vegetable growing areas were purpo...
ABSTRACT The study looked at the economic potential of black pepper production in the Western Region of Ghana. The objectives of the study were: to determine whether there is comparative advantage or disadvantage of producing black pepper; to determine the competitiveness of black pepper production; to determine whether the prices paid by local and international markets give any incentives for black pepper production; and to identify constraints that militate against the production of black p...