Households’ Response Strategies to Rubber Land Deal Shocks in the Ahanta West District, Ghana

Sustainability of food crop production depends on secure land tenure arrangements Yet food crop farmers in many developing countries face various land deals and land grabbing that often deprive them of their sources of livelihoods One source of land deal shocks in the Ahanta West district of Ghana is the massive production of Para rubber This study examined food crop farmers perceptions of rubber land deal shocks and the corresponding response strategies used to cope and adapt in the Ahanta West district of Western region The survey found a total of nine 9 key response strategies with participation in off-farm activities being the most dominant while seasonal migration was the least used coping measure A multivariate probit model was used to analyze the factors determining the choice of response strategies The findings indicate that households perceptions household size farm size distance to nearby community market years of rubber ownership age sex years of education land source and land tenure are significant determinants of various response strategies adopte

Resilience and household food security: a review of concepts, methodological approaches and empirical evidence

The way economic studies conceptualize and measure resilience is very heterogeneous. This does not only challenge scientific progress, but also raises the question of whether they measure one identical concept with different methods or whether they measure different understandings of resilience. This paper provides a review of concepts, methodological approaches and empirical evidence on resilience from a food security perspective, focusing on socio-economic research. We perform a systematic literature search to identify recent publications that analyze resilience from the perspective of household food security. We examine the historical evolution of concepts and methods used for measuring resilience and synthesize the evidence. We find that conceptual and analytical models have evolved over time, with important technical adjustments. Studies initially focused on measuring resilience as an end in itself, but more recently resilience is understood as a means to an ultimate end, hence resilience capacity is measured instead. Also, resilience was initially measured as an indicator of food security. Currently it is measured distinctly from food security. Multivariate techniques are found to be frequently used to quantify resilience. The empirical evidence suggests that households with higher resilience capacity tend to have less child malnutrition and better food security. We find that causal pathways through which resilience capacity affects food security in a microeconomic framework are barely explicitly considered in empirical analyses. Therefore, we suggest a model which explicitly addresses these pathways.</p

Determinants of Yam Postharvest Management in the Zabzugu District of Northern Ghana

Postharvest loss reduction has received attention in many policy documents across nations to ensure global food security, particularly in developing countries. Many researchers have examined various options for reducing postharvest losses. We contribute our quota to this scientific discourse by using a different approach. We argue that the human element of managing postharvest loss is central and therefore poses the question of what are the characteristics of the farmer who manages postharvest losses better. We examine this question by using a cross section of yam farmers in the Zabzugu district in Northern Ghana and generate a proportional variable called postharvest management, which measures how effective a farmer works to reduce storage losses. We then use a fractional logistic regression model to examine the determinants of postharvest management. A significant result is that subsistence farmers manage postharvest losses better than commercial farmers. Characteristically, the farmer who effectively manages postharvest losses is a young, subsistence farmer, living in or close to a district capital with fewer household members, has attained formal education, and produces more yam. Efforts to reduce postharvest losses require the provision of access roads to remote towns or providing effective storage techniques and training on postharvest management practices

Effect of postharvest management practices on welfare of farmers and traders in Tamale metropolis and Zabzugu District, Ghana

Postharvest losses are a significant threat to the actors in the yam value chain. In this article, we examined the key postharvest management practices and its effect on the welfare of yam farmers and traders in selected towns of Northern region. We randomly sampled a cross section of farmers and traders for data collection, and analyzed the data with beta regression and linear regression models. Results show that farmers lose an average of 9.6% of stored yam in 2-month period, while traders lose 3.3% of yam stored in a month. The main postharvest storage-management practices used by farmers and traders include heat-control measures, sorting-management practices, and cleaning-management practices. Our regression results verify that good storage-management practices improves postharvest management, thereby reducing storage losses and enhancing the welfare outcomes for traders. However, no statistically significant effect was detected for farmers. Therefore, we suggest that information on and availability of improved postharvest storage-management practices should be delivered and fostered among farmers and traders in the study areas to maximize efforts aimed at reducing postharvest losses and improve welfare outcomes

Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs Programme: A Look at the Role of Capability in Farmers’ Participation

An objective interpersonal comparison of wellbeing requires that people’s capabilities are considered. This paper operationalizes Sen’s capability concept in maize-based farming systems and assess how it influences farmers’ participation in the Planting for Food and Jobs programme in the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District of the Northern region, Ghana. We used data from 314 households through multi-stage sampling procedure. Capability was quantified using factor analysis, while its determinants were identified through multiple linear regression analysis. Afterwards, an instrumental variable probit model was used to examine the effect of capability on programme participation. The factor analysis results reveal two attributes of capability, which were labeled as human capability and institutional capability. These capability attributes are significantly enhanced by availability of markets and good roads. The probit model results provide substantial evidence that both attributes of capability influence farmers’ participation in the Planting for Food and Jobs programme. Specifically, a one standardized unit increase in institutional capability increases the probability of participation by 10.45%. The findings indicate that, for effective participation in agricultural interventions, farmers’ capabilities need to be enhanced. This could be achieved through the provision of, and/or improvement in infrastructure, including roads and markets in remote production centers

Managing Seasonality in West African Informal Urban Vegetable Markets: The Role of Household Relations

Seasonality influences African informal agricultural markets, but existing literature inadequately explores its interactions with market actors' social relations and livelihood outcomes. Thus, agricultural commercialisation policy ineffectively supports such actors to manage seasonality. Across Bamako, Ouagadougou and Tamale, we conducted interviews, focus group discussions, and a survey of farmer and marketer profits across seasons. Hot, dry season lettuce transactions performed by marketers are more likely to make profit. Farmers and marketers rely on household and community relations and reproduce gendered skills to optimise profit and secure future income streams. Policies supporting household reproduction, and infrastructure, may best support their marketing activity