Gender and Access to Agricultural Resources by Smallholder Farmers in the Upper West Region of Ghana

Men and women continue to have differential access to agricultural resources despite the seemingly equal roles they play in agriculture in many developing countries. The study sought to determine the relationship between gender and access to agricultural resources in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select 400 farmers disaggregated into men and women from four districts in the region. Statistically significant differences were observed between gender and access to land, labour, inputs and radio, extension agents and input suppliers (p<0.05) while there was no significant difference between gender and access to credit (p>0.05) even though women also have more access to credit than men. It has been recommended that more aspects of the culture of the people be improved to pave way for more access to agricultural land in particular. Levels of credit support are very low in the region and financial institutions need to reduce some of the bottlenecks to allow easy access to credit. Also extension agents should endeavour to educate smallholders on how to access information through electronic platforms and also make them seek more information from input suppliers as the current situation demands. Key words: Gender, Inputs, Credit, ICT

Influence of improved technology adoption on livelihoods of small ruminant farmers in Ghana

The study was conducted with the objective of finding how the adoption of small ruminant technologies affected the livelihood outcomes of small ruminant farmers in Ghana. Data collected using questionnaires which were triangulated with focus group discussions. A sample size of 180 small ruminant farmers comprising 141 men and 39 women was used. Socio-economic factors such as sex, age and contact with extension agents were observed to have significant effects on adoption. Also, a significant relationship was found between adoption and incomes, ability to afford school fees, payment of utility bills and access to veterinary drugs. There was also a significant relationship between adoption and food security and group membership. Adoption of improved technologies had influenced most of the livelihood outcomes of the farmers. It is recommended that extension officers continue to intensify education on the improved technologies so that more results can be obtained on livelihoods of the farmers

Perceived Impacts of Rural-Urban Migration on Agricultural Productivity in Nanumba South District of Northern Region of Ghana

There has been much out-migration by the youth from the Nanumba South District in the Northern Region of Ghana to urban centres in the country. The study was designed to to find out perceptions of the community members of causes of out-migration and its impact on agriculture and food availability in the Nanumba South District.The research design used quantitative data on a sample size of 400 farmers. A significant relationship was found between two push factors (poor educational services and poor health services) and the motivation to migrate while all the pull factors studied were statistically significant. It was observed that there was no significant relationship between farm incomes and the motivation to migrate but there was a significant relationship between migration and labour availability; migration and availability of agricultural land; and migration and food availability. The study recommends the need for policies aimed at increasing income growth in agriculture, intensification of the non-farm economy and investment in basic education, skills development, and provision of functional social amenities. Keywords: Migration, push factors, pull factors, out-migratio

The Dynamics of Linkages and Innovativeness in Publicly and Privately Driven Agricultural Value Chains

The study examined how linkages among actors in the cocoa and pineapple value chains relate to the innovativeness of actors in the chains. The study showed that a policy environment that promoted public sector leadership in value chain functions and service provision, tended to offer less incentives for smallholder producers in the value chain to forge linkages and interact horizontally or vertically. It concluded that actors in agricultural value chain could build their capacity to respond to challenges if they united their efforts. In terms of policy implication, the study makes a case for more private sector involvement in value chain functions and service provision as it is more likely to foster linkages towards systems innovation

The Dynamics of Linkages and Innovativeness in Publicly and Privately Driven Agricultural Value Chains

The study examined how linkages among actors in the cocoa and pineapple value chains relate to the innovativeness of actors in the chains. The study showed that a policy environment that promoted public sector leadership in value chain functions and service provision, tended to offer less incentives for smallholder producers in the value chain to forge linkages and interact horizontally or vertically. It concluded that actors in agricultural value chain could build their capacity to respond to challenges if they united their efforts. In terms of policy implication, the study makes a case for more private sector involvement in value chain functions and service provision as it is more likely to foster linkages towards systems innovation