Gender specific determinants of inorganic fertilizer adoption in the semi-arid region of Ghana

Poor soil fertility is a major challenge in food production in Ghana especially in the upper east region. Fertilizer which is known to increase soil fertility is not widely adopted especially by female headed households. This research is aimed at investigating the influence of gender on inorganic fertilizer adoption in the Upper East Region of Ghana. A total of 300 households comprising 150 male and 150 female headed households were interviewed. A separate model was used to determine if the factors of adoption of fertilizer differ by gender. Results show that household size, area of land allocated for maize production and area for rice production were common factors that influence fertilizer adoption by both gender groups. However additional factors such as marital status and perception about soil fertility status positively and significantly influenced fertilizer adoption by male headed households while farming experience, dependency ratio, and family remittance were additional factors that significantly influenced fertilizer adoption by female headed households. Similarly factors such as age of farmers, access to extension services, access to credit, access to market, livestock holdings, slope of the land and group membership were not statistically significant to fertilizer adoption for both gender groups. Male headed households had additional factors such as education, farming experience, dependency ratio, slope of the land and remittance that were not statistically significant. Factors such as, marital status, non-farm income, soil fertility status, and access to climate information were not statistically significant for female headed households. Policies which target large scale maize and rice farmers will be relevant in increasing fertilizer adoption among male and female headed households. In addition government policies should target farmers with long farming experience and female headed households with large family sizes

Impacts of climate change and climate variability on maize yield under rainfed conditions in the sub-humid zone of Ghana: A scenario analysis using APSIM

Climate change and variability pose a serious threat to food production in sub-Saharan Africa. The projected changes in local spatio-temporal patterns of rainfall and temperature will likely affect the availability of water and nutrients, crop growth, and yield formation. This paper presents the simulated effects of climate change on maize (Zea mays L.) in Ejura in the Sekyedumase district of Ghana, one of the important food baskets of the country. Experimental data from maize grown under various nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) conditions in the 2008 major and minor rainy seasons at two sites in Ejura were used to parameterize and evaluate the cropping systems model APSIM. Daily climatic data for the period 2030-2050 under the scenarios A1B and B1 were obtained from the regional climate projections obtained by the mesoscale model MM5. The assessment of climate change impact on grain yield suggested a likely 6-week shift in the planting dates of the rainy season from the current (1980-2000) 3rd week of March to the 2nd week of May for the simulated period. Climate change also resulted in projected yield reduction of, on average, 19% and 14% for the Obatanpa maize variety under A1B and B1, respectively, for maize-maize continuous cropping. Likewise, the Dorke maize yield is expected to reduce by 20% and 18% for A1B and B1, respectively, with increased yield variability under both scenarios. Potential adaptation measures to climate change in the area include cropping of cowpea during the minor season or fallow rotation with other crops

Evaluation of soil properties of the Sudan Savannah ecological zone of Ghana for crop production

Low soil fertility and limited ability of farmers to purchase fertilizers in the Sudan savannah zone of Ghana has resulted in the decline in the yield of cereals over the years. There is, therefore, the need to identify soil parameters that are critical to crop production, to manage them effectively and improve fertilizer use efficiency to increase crop yield. To achieve this, an area of about 1.5 km2 was divided into grid cells (100m2) and characterised for their soil properties (organic carbon, pH, and soil texture). Data collected was used in a pedo-transfer function to estimate additional soil parameters that were not measured (i.e. wilting point, field capacity, available water and saturation). These were used as input to the crop simulation model (APSIM- Agriculture Productions Systems sIMulator) to simulate sorghum grain yield for each grid cell. Linear regression and factor analysis were also employed in explaining the data. Grain yield ranged from 402 to 1092 kg ha-1 with a mean of 673 kg ha-1 using 2005 weather data and 228 to 907 kg ha-1 with a mean of 427 kg ha-1 using 2000 weather data without fertilizer application. The model was sensitive to all input parameters. Soil texture and organic carbon were identified to have significant effect on crop yield. Soil organic carbon is, therefore, to be managed for the development of a good tilth and hence sustainable yields of sorghum at the study site

Enriching fallow vegetation in the eastern Amazon of Brazil: towards improving land-use.

Editado por Reinhard Lieberei, Helmut Bianchi, Vera Boehm, Christoph Reisdorff

Enriching fallow vegetation in the eastern amazon of Brazil towards improving land-use.

Editado por Reinhard Lieberei, Helmut Bianchi, Vera Boehm, Christoph Reisdorff