Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Researchhttp://ugspace.ug.edu.gh:8080/handle/123456789/230252024-03-27T15:57:15Z2024-03-27T15:57:15ZBenefts of farmer managed natural regeneration to food security in semi‑arid GhanaMensah, S.O.Ibrahim, S.K.Jacobs, B.et al.http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh:8080/handle/123456789/414232024-03-13T18:28:57Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZBenefts of farmer managed natural regeneration to food security in semi‑arid Ghana
Mensah, S.O.; Ibrahim, S.K.; Jacobs, B.; et al.
Promoting Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) aims to increase the productive capacities of farmer households. Under
FMNR, farmers select and manage natural regeneration on farmlands and keep them under production. While FMNR contributes
to the wealth of farming communities, its contribution to household food security has rarely been researched. We, therefore, used a
mixed-methods approach to address the research gap by measuring FMNR’s contribution to food security among farmer households
in the Talensi district of Ghana. We adopted the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Food Consumption Score (FCS) to
estimate food security status among 243 FMNR farmer households and 243 non-FMNR farmer households. Also, we performed a
Chi-square test of independence to compare the frequency of each food group (present vs not present) between FMNR adopters and
non-FMNR adopters to establish the relationship between adopting FMNR and consuming the FCS and HDDS food groups. Our
results reveal that FMNR farmer households are more food secure than non-FMNR farmer households. The HHDS of the FMNR
farmer households was 9.6, which is higher than the target value of 9.1. Conversely, the HHDS of the non-FMNR farmer households
was 4.3, which is lower than the target value of 9.1. Up to 86% and 37% of the FMNR farmer households and non-FMNR farmer
households fell within acceptable FCS; 15% and 17% of FMNR farmer households and non-FMNR farmer households fell within
borderline FCS. While none of the FMNR farmer households fell within poor FCS, 46% of non-FMNR farmer households fell within
poor FCS. Adopting FMNR is signifcantly related to consuming all food groups promoted and benefting from FMNR practices. The
paper recommends enabling farmers in semi-arid environments to practice and invest in FMNR for long-term returns to food security.
Research Article
2024-01-01T00:00:00ZAssociations do not survive here’: Inequality, Mistrust and Obstacles to Collective Action in Oil Palm Growing Communities in GhanaTakyiakwaa, D.Tetteh, P.S.K.Asante, K.T.http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh:8080/handle/123456789/414222024-03-13T18:28:25Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZAssociations do not survive here’: Inequality, Mistrust and Obstacles to Collective Action in Oil Palm Growing Communities in Ghana
Takyiakwaa, D.; Tetteh, P.S.K.; Asante, K.T.
Collective action through farmer-based organisations (FBOs) could potentially improve the livelihoods of
smallholder farmers by opening up access to credit and inputs, overcoming market constraints, and reducing
transaction costs. However, in the absence of strong or well-functioning farmer associations, the cost of
market participation is likely to exacerbate economic hardships and inequalities among smallholders. Based
on qualitative data from five oil palm growing communities in southwestern Ghana, we observe a general
decline in associational life, driven by a breakdown of trust among farmers. The inability of poorer farmers
to meet their collective obligations over time has weakened attempts at collective action and encouraged
the emergence of highly individualised economic relations in the local agrarian economy. Under these
circumstances, cooperation tends to be limited to small groups of better-off farmers who can afford the cost
of cooperation. The result is a vicious cycle in which wealth disparities widen because the cost of participating
in livelihood-enhancing collective schemes ends up excluding exactly those who need such schemes the most.
Research Article
2024-01-01T00:00:00ZThe Importance And Determinants Of Purchases In Rural Food Consumption In Africa: Implications For Food Security StrategiesDzanku, F.M.Liverpool-Tasie, L.S.O.Reardon, T.http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh:8080/handle/123456789/412252024-02-12T15:37:23Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZThe Importance And Determinants Of Purchases In Rural Food Consumption In Africa: Implications For Food Security Strategies
Dzanku, F.M.; Liverpool-Tasie, L.S.O.; Reardon, T.
We analyze rural households’ purchases of food (cereals and non-cereals) in Sub-Saharan Africa using nationally
representative data with 65,000 observations covering 7 countries over a decade. We distinguish between three
strata of countries: lower stratum in income and urbanization, middle stratum, and upper stratum. The paper
breaks ground by the breadth and time length of the sample. We find that purchases form the majority of rural
food consumption, whether in favorable or unfavorable agroecological zones and over country and income strata
and for most food products. Rural nonfarm employment (as a cash source) plays an important role in household
food purchases across all study countries and food products. Policy implications include the importance of food
purchase markets and supply chains to and in rural areas as well as nonfarm employment.
Research Article
2024-01-01T00:00:00ZUrbanization Effects On Urban Vegetable Farmers Adaptation: Evidence From GhanaTuffour, M.Owusu, G.Sarpong, D.B.http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh:8080/handle/123456789/412112024-02-12T15:31:31Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZUrbanization Effects On Urban Vegetable Farmers Adaptation: Evidence From Ghana
Tuffour, M.; Owusu, G.; Sarpong, D.B.
This study argues that urban change and urban agriculture are linked, and this relationship affects urban farmers. This causes urban farmers to adapt to urban change
and, in this study, within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA). This is
because urban agriculture serves as a source of livelihood for urban dwellers and
a source of vital food ingredients which helps address food security concerns in
the city. This study employs an exploratory sequential mixed method to investigate
this phenomenon, which first uses a qualitative methodology and then quantitative
methodology to investigate the changes that have occurred within the GAMA and
how the farmers are adapting to these changes. A heterogeneous sampling approach
was used to select a total of 29 farmers from 10 farm sites for the qualitative data,
while a multistage sampling approach was used to select 251 farmers from 16 farm
sites for the quantitative data. The changes within the urban space realized by farmers include climate, land scarcity, increased population, and lifestyle dynamics. The
population increase and lifestyle change; for instance, increased demand for vegetables and land scarcity caused farmers to move to secured lands, which led to farmers
enjoying security on those lands. However, increased population, for instance, led to
more unplanned settlements, which negatively resulted in polluted streams for farming. It also led to land scarcity, that has resulted in the eviction of farmers from their
farmlands. In adapting to some of the effects of these changes, farmers used several
water sources to reduce their dependence on polluted streams and embarked on
intensification and relocated to cheap and cost-free lands to be able to manage the
land scarcity challenge. All these adaptation strategies prove farmers’ resilience to
the intense urban changes, which affect their farming activities. This calls for specialized and focused support for urban agriculture by stakeholders responsible for the
promotion of urban agriculture.
Research Article
2023-01-01T00:00:00Z