Motivating the future farmers? Understanding farmer attraction and retention policy interventions in Newfoundland and Labrador's agriculture

The declining number, and the ageing of farmers in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) necessitate the understanding of attraction and retention of people into agriculture. This study aimed to understand the factors that influence the decision to farm, the reinforcements that keep people sustained in farming, and how those link to issues of attraction and retention of farmers in the province. The thesis draws mainly from interviews with farmers, agricultural officials, and policy document reviews. The study showed that the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are vital in the decision to farm. However, even when general interest and desire to farm do exist, triggering and sustaining factors, including connection to consumers, an active farmer community, and government interventions, may be needed to turn interests and motivations into action and to sustain them. The study also found that the agricultural policy setting is characterized by an emotionally driven discourse which manifest through satisfaction, discord, hope and optimism, lack of trust, suspicion, among others in relation to interventions. Thus, the interventions will not bring the required impacts unless structural issues that are embedded in the policy environment are tackled. Some of these issues include the lack of room for experimentation, excessive red tape in government support, stringent program requirements, undue focus on conventional farming, limited of partnership, and silo approach to farmer support. The study concludes that the policy actions have a role in creating, enabling, triggering, and sustaining interest in agriculture. But, conscious efforts from actors are needed to appreciate and incorporate human psychological elements, including motivations and emotions, into the policy setting to achieve intended outcomes. To that effect, policy recommendations including the support of an active farm active community, a diversity-conscious agricultural approach, sector/model specific interventions, human characteristics and values sensitive policies, and human resource capacity building are put forward to facilitate farmer attraction and retention efforts, and to advance policy practice

Engaging Diverse Audiences: The Role of Community Radio in Rural Climate Change Knowledge Translation

Community radio is an important form of knowledge dissemination, especially in rural areas where it can create opportunities for a geographically spread-out audience to engage in local debates. Through this article, we reflect on the community-building function of radio and consider how it can be mobilized to support climate change knowledge transfer in rural communities. Our reflections draw on the use of community radio during the Gros Morne Climate Change Symposium, an event that brought together researchers, practitioners, and community members to discuss coastal climate change adaptation in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. We consider the history of radio in Canada, its role in rural communities, and review experiences with radio-focused knowledge dissemination in other locations to frame our own discussion of the topic. Through reflection, each of the co-authors highlights their understanding of the role of community radio at the symposium and argue for the continuing relevance of radio in an era when digital communications are more common. We conclude by arguing that community radio can strengthen place-based identities by creating a distinct forum for engagement and is therefore an important tool for climate change knowledge transfer

Mechanisms and Strategies for Mobilisation of Property Rates in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of Ghana

Property rates are important revenue items to local government units all over the world. This is due to the fix nature of its components, which makes it predictable. However, local governments find it difficult to effectively mobilise revenues from this important source. This study thus examined mechanisms and strategies adopted towards mobilisation of property rate, in the specific context of Kassena-Nankana Municipality of Ghana. Adopting a case study, data was collected through interviews with key officials of the Municipality and randomly selected revenue collectors and property owners.  The study revealed that, property valuation was carried out in 2009, which was used to rate items for taxation. Revaluation, which is due every five years by statutory provision, was however not carried out in 2014 due to limited resources and lack of expertise. The study further revealed that, the Municipality employs many mechanisms in order to maximise revenues from the already flawed property rate system. Some of these included instituting a property rate task force; sensitisation of the public through radio discussions and announcements; sanctioning of tax defaulters; regular training of revenue collectors; intensification of street naming and property addressing system; designing of revenue database; and outsourcing collection of certain property taxes to private entities. Despite these mechanisms and strategies, property rate mobilisation was still hampered by the absence of professional valuation officers; low commitment and lack of political will to enforce regulations; lack of will to pay among property owners; and incomplete administrative set-up for property rate mobilisation. To improve property rate mobilisation at the local level, monitoring and supervision of processes must be made more regular and effective by relevant institutions; institutions responsible for mobilization must be equip with adequate logistics; local property rate database must be setup and updated regularly; political interference in tax mobilization should be minimized, and government should make efforts to train more valuation officers in the country by revamping the National Valuation School. Keywords: Property Rate, Mechanisms, IGF, Revenue Mobilisation, Local Governmen

Knowledge, Awareness And Perceptions Of Females On Clandestine Abortion In Kintampo North Municipality, Ghana

Clandestine Abortion will continue to be an integral part of human society as long as people continue to accept and engage in sexual activities without being prepared to give birth. Despite the risks (death and other health complication) involved in clandestine abortion, people continue to engage in the act. The central inquiry is; why do people continue to do clandestine abortions despite its associated risk? Do people have knowledge on abortion concerning its legalities and associated risks? This paper thus seeks to clarify the above questions by examining the knowledge, awareness and perceptions of females on abortion, with focus on clandestine abortion in the Kintampo North Municipality of Ghana. The paper reveals that, though most females have little knowledge on the 1985 abortion law, they are aware of the risks associated with criminal abortion. Despite being aware of the risks, circumstances such as unwanted pregnancies, poverty, desire to pursue education and career goals, and job related issues compel most to abort pregnancies through dangerous means. The paper therefore calls for public education on abortion laws in Ghana to be intensified and possibly, consider shifting the existing paradigms of the abortion law in order to curb clandestine abortions and its associated fatalities

“Triple Bottom Line” of the 12th Five Year Plan: A Pathway for China’s Identity Construction through Energy Consumption

Change and reforms in the energy structure is realizable when new and renewable sources are developed with the mandate to support a policy on larger-scale basis. Energy consumption and economic development are household names in China and effects of both phenomena are present. For the purpose of achieving a green growth, China’s ambitious Twelfth Five Year Plan (2011-2015) was set to develop a new and renewable energy but faced several challenges due to the diversity and instability of new and renewable energy resources. The plan further stands for the first time, as a national plan that shifts away from development agenda with a focus toward a pattern of green growth. Taking the theory of triple bottom line of social equity, economic and environmental development as a base of the 12th FYP, this paper has analyzed the impact of the plan in achieving a green growth and an identity construction in China Keywords: Energy Consumption, Green Growth, Identity Construction, Triple Bottom line, Sustainability DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/69-07 Publication date:September 30th 2020

Climate Change and Rural Livelihoods in the Lawra District of Ghana. A Qualitative Based Study

Climate change is a growing threat to the world's poorest and most vulnerable living in rural areas. The impacts of climate change challenge efforts to reducing poverty and hence, will require new approaches to focus development programming on the changing realities of the world. Understanding how the impacts of climate change affect the people, and their knowledge and experience in coping with it will assist in identifying appropriate strategies for adaptation to it. This paper thus examined the impacts of climate change on livelihoods of rural communities in the Upper West region of Ghana and the challenges posed to efforts at reducing poverty in the area. Discussions on vulnerability to climate variability and adaptation issues in this paper focused on evidence observed by 10 communities in the Lawra District. Adopting a qualitative approach, ten focused group discussions were organized to gather data. Specific issues discussed surrounded evidence of climate change in the communities, its impacts, underlying causes of vulnerability to climate and coping strategies employed by community members. Based on the discussions, the paper recommends the need to develop and intensify effective institutional mechanisms to facilitate community adaptation measures, awareness raising (creation) on anti-environments practices in communities, institution of bye and customary laws to regulate human anti-environmental activities, and the implementation of adaptation projects to aid communities cope with the major impacts of climate change in the district and world at large

Beyond transformations: Zooming in on agricultural digitalization and the changing social practices of rural farming in Northern Ghana, West Africa

Digitalization of agriculture (DA) has emerged as a powerful rural transformative force. However, the dynamics of how digitalization is changing smallholder farming practices at the heart of rural life remain underexplored. Here, we employ a mixed-method approach (1565 survey respondents, 16 focus group discussions, and 22 interviews) to examine farmers' experiences with digital agriculture services in Northern Ghana through a social practice theory (SPT) lens. We found that farmers perceive digitalization as transitioning their everyday activities across the farming spectrum, including decisions and activities related to season planning, planting, husbandry, harvesting, post-harvest management, and sales. Notably, 1) new materials of phones and digital platforms redefine farmers’ knowledge and competencies, ultimately 2) temporary re-patterning their routines and rhythms. Therefore, we argue that, beyond the contested claims of digital transformations, a pertinent dimension of DA and rural social change is the transitions in the everyday practices of farmers and rural living. Our paper, as we know, is among the early attempts to theoretically and empirically examine agriculture digitalization through an explicit practice lens, and more so in the context of African smallholder systems. We contribute to the scholarship on DA and rural change by (re)framing the dynamics of the phenomenon through everyday practices. By this approach we aim to steer the DA discourse and policy from the optimistic rural transformations towards the often-overlooked yet critical gradual changes and transitions in the day-to-day life of farmers

Why “formal” climate adaptation strategies fail in sub‐Saharan Africa: Ignoring adapters’ agency in the case of smallholding agriculture farming practices in Bono East Region of Ghana

This paper reviewed a body of literature on climate adaptation options in sub-Saharan Africa's (SSA) smallholding agriculture and complemented it with a case study involving experts interviews, focus group discussions, large-scale household surveys, and farmer practices observation while drawing insight from the concept of “everyday adaptation and interrupted agency” and agency theory to assess farmer perceived limitations with climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and climate-wise food systems (CWFS) practices for climate adaptation in the SSA. The study noted that the narrow focus on CSA and/or CWFS as a silver bullet for climate change adaptation suitable for smallholding agriculture ignores food producers’ agency to undermine sustainable and inclusive adaptation solutions. Moreover, smallholder farmers’ everyday climate adaptation practices could be grouped into three categories; on-farm adaptation, off-farm adaptation, and Indigenous agroecological adaptation options. The on-farm adaptation options are usually agriculture intensification and extensification. The off-farm adaptation options include livelihood diversification activities, petty trading, seasonal labor jobs, and migration. The Indigenous agroecological adaptation strategy uses observing nature and weather elements to predict the onset of the rainy season. The study noted that smallholders’ adaptation options, which is an expression of their agency, are motivated by smallholders’ desire to be resilient to changing climate, increase productivity and income, and social network influence but not necessarily because the strategy is being promoted by the government or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Therefore, we propose a sustainable food agency (SFA)—a multifaceted blended constellation of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, as the best approach to addressing the climate crises in the SSA. The SFA allows individuals or groups to decide what climate change adaptation options best work for them to adapt to changing climate and produce and distribute their food without undermining the economic, social, and environmental bases that generate food security and nutrition for present and future generations

Is agricultural digitization a reality among smallholder farmers in Africa? Unpacking farmers' lived realities of engagement with digital tools and services in rural Northern Ghana

Background Digital technologies are promoted as transformational for smallholders in Africa through the potential to enhance access to knowledge, increase productivity and food security. Despite the anticipations for agricultural digitalization in Africa, smallholders' engagement with digitalization is empirically underexplored. Hence, we surveyed 1565 rural farmers in Northern Ghana to explore how farmers interact with digital tools and services, and the variations in their engagements. Results We found that despite the growing array of digital opportunities (with diverse tools and services available to farmers), farmers are mainly confined to simple devices (mobile phones, radio, and TV) as access to digital resources, including the internet remains limited. Meanwhile, the main sources of digitalization services for smallholders remain largely the highly subsidized, development-oriented. NGOs and private-sector projects, which generally leverage SMS, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), radio, or field agents to reach farmers. Nonetheless, participation in digitalization services remains limited, unimpressive at best, and often fades over time because of weak building blocks evident in low literacies, lack of digital competencies and the limited access to digital resources. Conclusions Thus, full-scale digitalization remains a distant goal, and transformation claims are disconnected from smallholders' lived realities. However, opportunities exist to create a ‘digitalization for smallholders’ that is sensitive to the current and future structural limitations of smallholder agriculture, including low literacy and limited access to digital tools, to make agriculture digitalization reach its full potential in Africa

Insecticide resistance status of Aedes aegypti in Southern and Northern Ghana

Background: Outbreaks of Aedes-borne arboviral diseases are becoming rampant in Africa. In Ghana, there is no organized arboviral control programme with interventions restricted to mitigate outbreaks. Insecticide application is a crucial part of outbreak responses and future preventative control measures. Thus, knowledge of the resistance status and underlying mechanisms of Aedes populations is required to ensure optimal insecticide choices. The present study assessed the insecticide resistance status of Aedes aegypti populations from southern Ghana (Accra, Tema and Ada Foah) and northern Ghana (Navrongo) respectively. Methods: Phenotypic resistance was determined with WHO susceptibility tests using Ae. aegypti collected as larvae and reared into adults. Knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations were detected using allele-specific PCR. Synergist assays were performed with piperonyl butoxide (PBO) to investigate the possible involvement of metabolic mechanisms in resistance phenotypes. Results: Resistance to DDT was moderate to high across sites (11.3% to 75.8%) and for the pyrethroids, deltamethrin and permethrin, moderate resistance was detected (62.5% to 88.8%). The 1534C kdr and 1016I kdr alleles were common in all sites (0.65 to 1) and may be on a trajectory toward fixation. In addition, a third kdr mutant, V410L, was detected at lower frequencies (0.03 to 0.31). Pre-exposure to PBO significantly increased the susceptibility of Ae. aegypti to deltamethrin and permethrin (P<0.001). This indicates that in addition to kdr mutants, metabolic enzymes (monooxygenases) may be involved in the resistance phenotypes observed in the Ae. aegypti populations in these sites. Conclusion: Insecticide resistance underpinned by multiple mechanisms in Ae. aegypti indicates the need for surveillance to assist in developing appropriate vector control strategies for arboviral disease control in Ghana. Keywords: insecticide resistance, target-site mutations, Aedes aegypti, Piperonyl butoxide Synergist, knockdown resistance, Ghana