ABSTRACT This study examined youth participation and productivity in cocoa farming in the Western North Cocoa Region of Ghana using primary data from 958 respondents through the field assistance of Solidaridad West Africa. Systematic and purposive sampling techniques were used to sample 588 youth (35years) from Sefwi Bekwai, Boako, Akontombra, Bodi and Asempaneye. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the distribution in the roles played by the youth in cocoa farming in the study are...
ABSTRACT Intraspecific variation in Achatina achatina achatina Linne (one of the numerous giant African snails) in Ghana was studied using chronological features, body characters and reproductive potential. Snails were collected from June to August, 2006, from four ecological regions namely Ashanti (Amansie East district), Central (Assin South district), Eastern (Suhum- Kraboa- Coaltar district) and Western (Wassa West district). In this study, the four snail populations showed a broad range ...
ABSTRACT Government of Ghana has put in place many measures to improve the wellbeing of cocoa farmers in the country through increase in the income they receive from cocoa produce. Despite this, cocoa farmers in Ghana do not earn the quality premium received by Ghana cocoa on the international market. This study examined the influence of cocoa farming business and financial literacy on the social welfare of cocoa farmers in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana. The study employed both qualitative ...
Abstract This project attempts to identify the implications of commercial pineapple farming in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District for farm workers and communities. Primary data were gathered using questionnaires, interviews as well as observations made in the farms and communities. Secondary data sources included published and unpublished official documents, new papers and the Internet. The report concludes that although pineapple farms offer employment opportunities for both citizens and migra...
ABSTRACT The Muni-Pomadze wetland in the Central Region of Ghana is one of five internationally-recognised coastal wetlands (Ramsar sites) in Ghana under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. The wetland is known for its rich variety of biodiversity and unpolluted ecosystem and is fed by a main river called Pratu along with its tributaries (Ntakofa and Muni Rivers) that flows into the Muni lagoon. However, the need to produce enough food to feed the ever increasing populatio...
ABSTRACT The study examines the relationship between household initial asset endowment and participation in urban farming in Ibadan metropolis. A stratified random sampling method was used to stratify the city into two strata. It was followed by the random selection of two Local Government Areas from each of the two strata. One hundred and ninety-eight urban producers of high - value horticultural crops were selected from the two LGAs based on probability proportionate to size. Data on socio...
ABSTRACT Climate change and variability is one of the great challenges facing farming households in Ghana. The main objective of this study is to assess the vulnerability of smallholder maize farming households to climate variability in the Eastern region. Specifically, the study investigates the vulnerability of households to climate variability, the determinants of households’ livelihood vulnerability level, the adoption level of adaptation strategies to climate variability and the deter...
ABSTRACT The main objective of the study was to examine farmers’ perceptions of the contribution of maize farming technologies to livelihoods in the Buea Sub-Division of Cameroon. The specific objectives dealt with farmers’ demographic characteristics and their use of maize technologies, farmers’ views of other factors that influence their use of maize technologies, a comparison of the yields, incomes and livelihood perceptions of farmers who use traditional technologies and those who u...
ABSTRACT The prevalence of climatic events, such as drought and floods in northern Ghana has contributed significantly to food shortages in the area. This prompted the need for appropriate alternatives to enhance food production and improve rural livelihoods. The PAVE Irrigation Technology (PIT) is rainwater harvesting technology being promoted by Conservation Alliance (CA), International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Northern Ghan...
ABSTRACT Contract farming is emerging as a promising way to upgrade domestic rice quality in Togo. The Non-Government Organisation ‘Entreprise Territoir et Développement’ (ETD) has started promoting a kind of contract farming scheme called ’Entreprise de Service et Organisation de Producteurs’ (ESOP) in the country. The rewards from contract farming could be substantial for smallholder farmers; yet there is a serious concern about the farmers’ ability to stay in the partnership for...
ABSTRACT Societies are dynamic: so too are the farming systems that provide their food and other needs. The study examines transitions in farming systems and their contribution to food security at the household level. This is important as most people in rural areas rely on farming for their basic needs. These systems are under pressure from both external and internal forces with diverse impacts on food and livelihoods. A mixed-methods approach, which combined a survey with different qualitati...
ABSTRACT The decision by the government of Ghana to diversify the agricultural sector through the Medium Term Agricultural Development Programme (MTADP), led to the establishment of the World Bank Funded Agricultural Diversification Project in 1991. The project sought to identify some agricultural products for development and promotion of which pineapple was the most prominent because of its high yield and export value. Government and other organizations have since encouraged pineapple ...
Abstract In the Upper West Region of Ghana, most the people are engaged in subsistence agriculture. A major challenge that they face is a long dry season of about eight months that renders most of them jobless. This research assessed the possibility of dry season farming in improving living standards of rural farmers. The research revealed that most farmers used dams with canals and furrows, others used canals with fuel powered pumps and some used wells for irrigating their crops. An average ...
ABSTRACT Adoption of yield increasing technologies among farming households is one way of reducing poverty and food insecurity. In Nigeria, Root and Tuber Expansion Programme (RTEP) was implemented to develop improved technology of root and tuber crops. However, the impact of RTEP technology on poverty and food security has not been fully established. Therefore, the effect of RTEP technology on poverty and food security status of cassava-farming households in southwestern Nigeria was investi...
Abstract The paper engages the contradiction wherein in the face of unemployment in its several strands young people in cocoa farming communities in Southwest Nigeria exhibit strong aversion for farming activities. Anchored on Rational Choice Theory and Ethno-methodology the study adopted the qualitative data collection techniques including In-depth Interviews, Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions. Findings show that prospects for out-migration to urban centres to undertake o...