Trade liberalisation, globalisation and the cocoa industry in Ghana: the case of the smallholder cocoa farmers

The aim of this thesis is to analyse the impact of the “meso model” on Ghana’s cocoa sector in general and the practices and opportunities for smallholder cocoa farmers in particular. Additionally, Ghana’s efforts to embrace globalisation are examined. The theoretical framework of this thesis is the neo-structuralism paradigm out of which an analytical framework was distilled to assess the impact of the 1993 reforms. The qualitative methodology was mainly used to collect data but some quantitative techniques were also used to enhance the collection and analysis of the data. Ghana was adjudged the “Star Pupil” of Africa by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank after implementing bold economic reforms in 1983 and the cocoa sector reforms in 1993. But ironically Ghana stood up to the IMF and the Bank by refusing to dismantle its cocoa marketing board (COCOBOD) as was recommended by them under the Washington Consensus and rather adopted a” meso model” of partial liberalisation of the cocoa sector after skilful negotiations. The thesis makes a significant, original contribution to knowledge in the field of economic development through the following key findings: Firstly, the output of cocoa farmers in general is a function of not only the price paid to them but also the overall environment created for production. Secondly, the” meso model” Ghana adopted challenges the “One Size Fits All” Washington Consensus development model because it enhanced cocoa farmers’ output and income, and Ghana’s cocoa export and foreign revenue enabling it to attain economic growth and development. Thirdly, the use of mobile phones by cocoa farmers contributes to the reduction in their transport cost and transforms their mode of operations. Finally, Ghana’s efforts to embrace globalisation and to integrate into the global economy have been impressive albeit urban bias

Chiefs’ endorsements and voter behavior

Traditional leaders can influence electoral outcomes. We designed an experiment to investigate why public endorsements by chiefs affect voters – and which types of voters they influence. Chiefs have incentives to prefer politicians who will promote local development, and can use endorsements to sway elections accordingly. We argue that voters often interpret chiefs’ endorsements as a signal of candidate quality. To assess this argument, we exposed voters to real endorsements made by chiefs during Ghana’s 2020 presidential election. We show that endorsements impact the vote choice of undecided voters. Consistent with a signaling mechanism, respondents exposed to chiefs’ rationale for endorsing a candidate were no more likely to vote for the endorsed candidate than those who only heard chiefs’ approval of a candidate. Further, treated respondents hold higher evaluations of the endorsed candidate on multiple dimensions of candidate quality. Our results suggest that chiefs influence voters through a non-coercive mechanism, which has positive implications for accountability

The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae): Trapping and culturing of wild colonies in Ghana

The larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), are promising candidates to be utilized in alternative organic waste management and for fish and livestock feed production. The scalability of this technology in Ghana will depend on a steady source of large numbers of BSF larvae. The objectives of this study were to identify the most attractive organic manure dumps or heaps in the study area for trapping wild BSF egg clutches and assess the effect of local environmental conditions on the trapping and laboratory rearing of BSF. The study compared the number of egg clutch trapped at different microhabitats including piggery, chicken and sheep waste dumps and on a compost heap. The piggery dump waste was the most suitable site for trapping BSF egg clutches. No egg clutch was deposited nearby poultry and sheep waste microhabitats. Results showed no differences in temperature between microhabitats during egg trapping but relative humidity differed between poultry, sheep and compost, however this did not have any effect on egg clutch trapping. No significant differences in temperature and humidity were observed during larval rearing. Significant differences in weight and length of larvae from both piggery and compost sites were observed on days 5 and 10 after egg hatch. A small scale laboratory colony rearing has been successfully established in Ghana. The design of the larval breeding system appears to be suitable for respective up-scaling that could provide sufficient larval quantities for composting organic waste and producing feed components for livestock and fish

Effect of phospho-compost on growth and yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

The effect of phospho-compost on the growth and yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) was studied at Juaboso in the Western Region of Ghana. It was a factorial experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Phospho-compost, prepared from phosphate rock, cocoa pod husk, sawdust and poultry manure, was applied at the rate of 560 g plot-1 (875 kg ha-1) and worked into soil before planting. Phosphate rock was applied at the rate of 195 g plot-1 (300 kg ha-1) 1 week before planting. The triple superphosphate was applied as band placement of 90 g plot-1 (130 kg ha-1), 7 days after sowing. These application rates were equal to 60 kg P205 ha-1. Phospho-compost significantly (P < 0.05) increased number of leaves, number of nodules, plant biomass, number of pods per plant, and grain yield more than the control. Grain yield on the phospho-compost-treated plot was 25.8 per cent higher than the control. Phospho-compost treatment had a profit margin of ¢3,295,000.00 ($387.65). This figure compared favourably with the treatment using conventional triple superphosphate fertilizer, which recorded ¢3,422,000.00 ($402.59) profit. The controls had a profit margin of ¢2,515,000.00 ($295.88). The results of the study indicate that the use of phosphocompost (which is locally prepared) can significantly increase the yield of cowpea. Resource-poor farmers can use phospho-compost to improve the fertility of soil for higher productivity of cowpea.Une étude était entreprise à Juaboso dans la région de l'Ouest du Ghana pour faire des recherches de l'effet de phosphocompost sur la croissance et le rendement de dolique. C'était une expérience factorielle arrangée dans un dessin de bloc complet choisi au hasard avec quatre réplications. Phospho-compost, préparé de roche du phosphate, de l'écale de cosse de cacao, de sciure de bois et de fumier de volaille, étaient appliqués à raison de 560 g/lot (875 kg/ ha) et mélangés avec le sol avant la plantation. La roche du phosphate était appliquée à raison de 195 g/lot (300 kg/ha) une semaine avant la plantation. La triple superphosphate était appliquée comme un placement en bande de 90 g/lot (130 kg/ha), sept jours après les semailles. Ces taux d'application étaient équivalent à 60 kg P2 O5/ ha. Phospho-compost augmentait considérablement (P < 0.05) le nombre de feuilles, nombre de nodules, biomasse de plante, nombre de cosse par plante et le rendement de graine plus que le contrôle. Le rendement de graine sur le lot traité de phospho-compost était 25.8$387.65) et ce chiffre se comparait favorablement avec le traitement appliquant l'engrais conventionnel la triple superphosphate, qui donnait un bénéfice de ¢3,422,000.00 ($402.59). Les lots de contrôle avaient une marge bénéficiaire de ¢2,515,000.00 ($295.88). Les résultats de l'étude indiquent que l'application de phospho-compost (qui est préparé localement) peut augmenter considérablement le rendement de dolique. Les pauvres agriculteurs ingénieux peuvent appliquer phospho-compost pour améliorer la fertilité du sol pour une productivité plus élevée de dolique. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 40 (2) 2008: pp. 169-17

Performance of rice under different water regimes and plant nutrient sources

Field experiment was carried out at the Soil and Irrigation Research Centre, University of Ghana, Kpong in 2015 and 2016 cropping seasons to evaluate the effect of different soil water condition and plant nutrient sources on the growth and yield of rice. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications. Water regime and nutrient source were the main and sub-plot factors, respectively. Water regimes included; continuous flooding (CS), alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and moist soil condition between field capacity and permanent wilting point (MC) while the nutrient fertilizer treatments included no fertilizer (N0), 90 kg N/ha mainly from urea fertilizer (N1), 90 kg N/ha from 12.8 tons of compost (N2) and 45 kg N/ha from urea fertilizer + 45 kg N/ha from 6.4 tons of compost (N3). Results from the study revealed that keeping the soil periodically in aerobic and anaerobic condition through AWD method of water management recorded similar growth and grain yield of rice as with complete submergence of paddy field. Combination of inorganic fertilizer and compost for each to supply 45 kg N/ha under AWD produced the highest rice growth and grain yield. There was a positive and significant correlation between grain yield and growth parameters (plant height, chlorophyll content and above ground biomass accumulation).

Characterization of fine particulate sources at Ashaiman in Greater Accra, Ghana

AbstractThe sources of airborne fine particles in PM2.5 range influencing air quality at Ashaiman, a semi–urban town north of Tema in Ghana had been investigated. Nuclepore and quartz fiber filters were used for the air particulate loadings and analyzed for elemental and carbonaceous compound (EC and OC) concentrations in the 8 carbon fractions using X–Ray spectrometry system and IMPROVE/Thermal Optical Reflectance method respectively. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was utilized to identify the following eight sources; industrial emissions (11.4%), fresh sea salt (15.5%), diesel emissions (18.4%), biomass burning (9.5%), two stroke engines (5.1%), gasoline emissions (15.8%), aged sea salt (6.2%), and soil dust (17.7%). Source locations were verified by means of Conditional Probability Function (CPF) plots that utilize wind directions. The source contributions revealed the high influence of fossil fuel and biomass combustion on the air quality in Ashaiman. The presence of the harbor and the industries located at Tema were seen to have substantial impacts on respirable air particulate matter (APM) concentrations in Ashaiman

Dietary acrylamide-linked burden of cancers in four sub-sahara African countries:A review and data synthesis

Acrylamide (AA) is a food processing byproduct that forms at high temperatures and is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Previous studies have linked AA to kidney, uterus, and ovary cancer burdens, but its study in African countries remains underexplored. This study systematically used six recent articles on dietary AA concentration data from scholarly databases using specific search terms. We also collected health metrics secondary data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation and other sources for the period 2015-2019. We used a Monte-Carlo simulation to integrate the dietary AA exposure, risks, and health metrics to estimate the cancer burdens. The results showed that the modal healthy life years lost ranged from 0.00488 (Ghana) to 0.218 (Ethiopia) per 100,000 population. The median statistic indicated 1.2 and 26.10 healthy life years lost for Ghana and Ethiopia, respectively, due to the three cancer types. The four-country study areas' total disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were 63.7 healthy life-year losses. Despite the limitations of the non-standardized age-related food consumption data and the few inclusive articles, the probabilistic approach may account for the uncertainties and provide valid conclusions

Dietary acrylamide-linked burden of cancers in four sub-sahara African countries:A review and data synthesis

Acrylamide (AA) is a food processing byproduct that forms at high temperatures and is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Previous studies have linked AA to kidney, uterus, and ovary cancer burdens, but its study in African countries remains underexplored. This study systematically used six recent articles on dietary AA concentration data from scholarly databases using specific search terms. We also collected health metrics secondary data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation and other sources for the period 2015-2019. We used a Monte-Carlo simulation to integrate the dietary AA exposure, risks, and health metrics to estimate the cancer burdens. The results showed that the modal healthy life years lost ranged from 0.00488 (Ghana) to 0.218 (Ethiopia) per 100,000 population. The median statistic indicated 1.2 and 26.10 healthy life years lost for Ghana and Ethiopia, respectively, due to the three cancer types. The four-country study areas' total disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were 63.7 healthy life-year losses. Despite the limitations of the non-standardized age-related food consumption data and the few inclusive articles, the probabilistic approach may account for the uncertainties and provide valid conclusions