Uncertainty of Food Security in Ghana by Biofuel (Jatropha curcas) Production as an Adaptation and Mitigation Capacity to Climate Change

No Abstrac

Performance evaluation of prototype mechanical cassava harvester in three agro-ecological zones in Ghana

Large-scale cassava harvesting, especially during the dry season, is a major constraint to its industrial demand and commercial production. Manual harvesting is slow and associated with drudgery and high root damage in the dry season. Research on mechanisation of cassava production is very low especially in the area of harvesting, and currently there exists no known functional mechanical cassava harvesters in Ghana. The main objective of the study was to test and evaluate mechanical cassava harvesting techniques in different agro-ecological zones in Ghana. Performance of two prototype mechanical harvesters (TEK MCH 2 and 6) was evaluated against manual harvesting methods for field capacity, efficiency and root damage using two cassava varieties, namely ‘Afisiafi’ and ‘Bankyehemaa’, on ridged and flat landforms. Results from field trials showed prototype harvesters weighing 268 – 310 kg can achieve optimum performance on ridged landforms. When harvested mechanically, tuber damage ranges from 16 per cent to 27 per cent for both ‘Afisiafi’ and ‘Bankyehemaa’. The mechanical harvester works best on dry fields with moisture content from one per cent to 17 per cent db containing minimum trash or weeds, and develops average drafts of 10.86 kN whilst penetrating depths from 13 to 40 cm. Optimum mechanical harvesting performance was achieved at tractor speeds of 5 – 8 km h-1, fuel consumption of 15 – 19 litres ha-1, and a field capacity of 2 h ha-1. After mechanical harvesting, the field is left ploughed with savings on fuel, time and production costs. It is, however, recommended to test the harvesters for wear and durability in major agro-ecological zones and through a wide range of soil moisture regimes in Ghana to support nationwide adoption

Function optimization over integral domain: Comparative performance of elite genetic algorithm for small iterariions and small generation size

In this paper we present a version of the Genetic Algorithm (GA), which we call XSGA to find integral suboptimal global solution of one variable multimodal functions. XSGA makes use of local search and restarts. Our proposed XSGA works better than the elite Genetic Algorithm for small generation size and small number of iterations. Both versions of the GA work well for larger generation size and larger number of iterations.Journal of Science and Technology(Ghana) Vol. 27 (1) 2007: pp. 61-7

Giving out loans, the best way out case study: Atwima Kwanwuma rural bank, Ashanti Region of Ghana

No Abstract

Factors affecting farmers' decision to harvest rainwater for maize production in Ghana

Climate change, especially the variability of rainfall patterns, poses a threat to maize production in Ghana. Some farmers harvest rainwater and store it for maize production to cope with unpredicted rainfall patterns. However, there are only a few studies on the adoption of rainwater harvesting for maize production. This study analyses the factors that influence farmers' decision to harvest rainwater for maize production in Ghana. A probit regression model is applied for the empirical analysis, using primary data from 344 maize farmers. The results show that 38% of the farmers harvest rainwater. We found that male farmers, farmers with primary education, large-scale farmers, experienced farmers, and those with access to weather information are more likely to harvest rainwater, while older farmers, those with limited access to extension services and labor, and those who perceive changes in rainfall pattern and amount of rainfall are associated with a lower probability to harvest rainwater for maize production. The findings suggest that enhancing farmers' access to weather information and extension services and improving awareness of climate change are needed to promote the adoption of rainwater harvesting. For gender inclusiveness in the adoption of rainwater harvesting, policies need to consider the needs of women