CONSERVATION AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES: DETERMINANTS AND EFFECTS ON SOIL HEALTH FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION IN NORTHERN GHANA

Research background: The threat from climate change remains a major concern especially for developing economies like Ghana. Hence, agricultural practices that are environmentally friendly and improves soil health are very necessary for building resilience. Purpose of the article: The present study investigated the determinants of conservation agricultural practices in northern Ghana as well as the effect of these practices on soil health for sustainable production. Methods: Using cross-sectional data collected by the International food policy research institute from 1284 households, a multivariate probit model was first performed to identify the determinants of conservation agricultural practices while the inverse probability weighted regression adjustment was employed to establish the effect of conservation agricultural practices on soil health. Findings & value added: Results from the multivariate probit model showed that socioeconomic and institutional factors as well as different household-specific factors, influence farmer’s decisions to engage in various conservation agricultural practices. Crop rotation, fallowing, contour ploughing or pit planting and manure application were found to have a positive effect on soil health through improved resilience to soil erosion. The study concludes that conservation agricultural practices will be useful in Ghana’s quest of achieving zero hunger since the conservation agricultural practices ensure that food is produced for the present generations without compromising the soil health for further productions. Hence, the current Ghanaian government’s flagship programme dubbed ‘planting for food and jobs’ should include conservation agriculture as a priority module in its framework so that households could both increase their output while maintaining the quality of the soil

Adoption of Zai technology for soil fertility management: Evidence from Upper East region, Ghana

Zai is a conventional soil rehabilitation management practice where organic matter is buried in a small pit to help restore fertility and conserve water in the soil. However, adoption of this environmentally-friendly technology is low. This study makes two key contributions. First, it identifies the determinants of adoption and intensity of adoption of Zai technology for soil fertility management. Second, it performs diagnostic tests to show that Cragg's double-hurdle as compared to the Heckman and the standard Tobit regression models is the best econometric approach to identify factors influencing farmers' decision to adopt and the extent of adoption of the Zai in the Upper East region, Ghana. Results from the Cragg's double-hurdle model revealed that different set of variables affect the probability and the intensity of adoption of Zai technology. The paper concludes that farm households should be encouraged to engage in non-farm economic activities to complement their farm income and enhance the purchase of productive farm inputs. Moreover, farm-level policies oriented towards increasing access to agricultural extension services, credit facilities, and the facilitation of farmer groups are essential to improving the adoption of farm innovations such as the Zai technology

DETERMINANTS OF INCOME DIVERSIFICATION AMONG MAIZE FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN THE GARU-TEMPANE DISTRICT, GHANA

This study explores the determinants of income diversification using a sample of 200 farm-level data collected from households in the Garu-Tampane district, Ghana. The Simpson Index of Diversification was used to determine the extent of income diversification while Fractional Response Model, particularly Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was employed to identify the determinants of income diversification. Results from the Simpson Index of Diversification showed that the average income diversification index was 0.65 with the minimum and maximum of 0.13 and 0.83, respectively. No farm household was found to depend solely on a single source of income for its survival. The results from the Generalized Linear Model revealed that extension services, attendance to demonstration fields, membership of Farmer-based Organizations (FBOs), farmer accessibility to credit, the number of days spent on on-farm activities per month and the number of years in maize farming significantly influence income diversification. The study, therefore, concludes that farm-level policies geared towards alternative sources of income for the rural farm household should focus on improving extension services, the formation of farmer-based organizations, use of demonstration fields as well as ensuring farmers’ accessibility to credit

DETERMINANTS OF INCOME DIVERSIFICATION AMONG MAIZE FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN THE GARU-TEMPANE DISTRICT, GHANA

This study explores the determinants of income diversification using a sample of 200 farm-level data collected from households in the Garu-Tampane district, Ghana. The Simpson Index of Diversification was used to determine the extent of income diversification while Fractional Response Model, particularly Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was employed to identify the determinants of income diversification. Results from the Simpson Index of Diversification showed that the average income diversification index was 0.65 with the minimum and maximum of 0.13 and 0.83, respectively. No farm household was found to depend solely on a single source of income for its survival. The results from the Generalized Linear Model revealed that extension services, attendance to demonstration fields, membership of Farmer-based Organizations (FBOs), farmer accessibility to credit, the number of days spent on on-farm activities per month and the number of years in maize farming significantly influence income diversification. The study, therefore, concludes that farm-level policies geared towards alternative sources of income for the rural farm household should focus on improving extension services, the formation of farmer-based organizations, use of demonstration fields as well as ensuring farmers’ accessibility to credit

DETERMINANTS OF INCOME DIVERSIFICATION AMONG MAIZE FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN THE GARU-TEMPANE DISTRICT, GHANA

This study explores the determinants of income diversification using a sample of 200 farm-level data collected from households in the Garu-Tampane district, Ghana. The Simpson Index of Diversification was used to determine the extent of income diversification while Fractional Response Model, particularly Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was employed to identify the determinants of income diversification. Results from the Simpson Index of Diversification showed that the average income diversification index was 0.65 with the minimum and maximum of 0.13 and 0.83, respectively. No farm household was found to depend solely on a single source of income for its survival. The results from the Generalized Linear Model revealed that extension services, attendance to demonstration fields, membership of Farmer-based Organizations (FBOs), farmer accessibility to credit, the number of days spent on on-farm activities per month and the number of years in maize farming significantly influence income diversification. The study, therefore, concludes that farm-level policies geared towards alternative sources of income for the rural farm household should focus on improving extension services, the formation of farmer-based organizations, use of demonstration fields as well as ensuring farmers’ accessibility to credit

Toward e-agriculture in Ghana: Effect of mobile phone access and usage on household crop income

AbstractThe concept of e-Agriculture has become prominent in recent times as a mechanism for the modinization of agriculture especially in developing nations like Ghana. The concept encompasses the creation of a platform for utilizing Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-mediated tools by practitioners such as extensionists and farmers to promote agricultural production and productivity. A key component of e-Agriculture is the use of mobile phones in agriculture. In Ghana, there is little knowledge of the factors driving access and usage of mobile phones by farmers and the associated impact on household crop income. To provide empirical evidence of mobile phone access and usage and the impact on crop income, this study was carried out relying on data from 2,662 respondents. Specifically, the study categorized mobile phone usage into agricultural and non-agricultural use. Multinomial endogenous treatment effect model was employed to assess the drivers of mobile phone usage and the impact of usage on crop income. The results showed that cost of airtime, location of the household, and access to electricity significantly influenced mobile phone usage for both agricultural and non-agricultural purposes. Furthermore, gender, educational status, and livestock ownership significantly influenced mobile phone usage for agricultural purposes. With regard to impact, the results showed that crop income increased with mobile phone usage, with a higher-income effect for agricultural usage. The study therefore recommends that the National Communication Authority (NCA) should partner with telecommunication companies to ensure that mobile network connectivity is made available and accessible to rural communities to promote mobile phone usage. Also, extension agents should adopt the use of mobile phones to render extension services in order to reach more farmers. Meanwhile, reducing the tax on airtime for rural dwellers will go a long way to promote mobile phone usage and increase crop income

Savings and economic diversification among youth in Ghana: implications for policy and practice

Savings remain a critical mechanism for capital accumulation for the purpose of investment in developing countries like Ghana. Using data from the Next Generation Cocoa Youth Programme (MASO) implemented by Solidaridad and partners, a bias correcting count data model was applied to determine the drivers of savings, and the impact of savings on youth economic diversification. The results showed that youth trust on financial institutions as well as usage of mobile phones for digital marketing have a positive and significant effect on their decision to save at 1% significance level. The parametric results revealed a significant positive impact of savings on youth economic diversification at 1% significance level. There is thus the need for the promotion of savings among the youth as a tool by national youth policy to reduce youth unemployment in Ghana