Research Articleshttp://ugspace.ug.edu.gh:8080/handle/123456789/220102024-03-27T15:42:46Z2024-03-27T15:42:46ZBenefts 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
2024-01-01T00:00:00ZAssessing Forest Species Diversity in Ghana’s Tropical Forest Using PlanetScope DataNjomaba, E.Ofori, J.N.Aikins, B.E.et al.http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh:8080/handle/123456789/414212024-03-13T18:28:07Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZAssessing Forest Species Diversity in Ghana’s Tropical Forest Using PlanetScope Data
Njomaba, E.; Ofori, J.N.; Aikins, B.E.; et al.
This study utilized a remotely sensed dataset with a high spatial resolution of 3 m to
predict species diversity in the Bobiri Forest Reserve (BFR), a moist semi-deciduous tropical forest
in Ghana. We conducted a field campaign of tree species measurements to achieve this objective
for species diversity estimation. Thirty-five field plots of 50 m × 20 m were established, and the
most dominant tree species within the forest were identified. Other measurements, such as diameter
at breast height (DBH ≥ 5 cm), tree height, and each plot’s GPS coordinates, were recorded. The
following species diversity indices were estimated from the field measurements: Shannon–Wiener
(H′
), Simpson diversity index (D2
), species richness (S), and species evenness (J
′
). The PlanetScope
surface reflectance data at 3 m spatial resolution was acquired and preprocessed for species diversity
prediction. The spectral/pixel information of all bands, except the coastal band, was extracted
for further processing. Vegetation indices (VIs) (NDVI—normalized difference vegetation index,
EVI—enhanced vegetation index, SRI—simple ratio index, SAVI—soil adjusted vegetation index,
and NDRE—normalized difference red edge index) were also calculated from the spectral bands
and their pixel value extracted. A correlation analysis was then performed between the spectral
bands and VIs with the species diversity index. The results showed that spectral bands 6 (red) and
2 (blue) significantly correlated with the two main species diversity indices (S and H′
) due to their
influence on vegetation properties, such as canopy biomass and leaf chlorophyll content. Furthermore,
we conducted a stepwise regression analysis to investigate the most important spectral bands to
consider when estimating species diversity from the PlanetScope satellite data. Like the correlation
results, bands 6 (red) and 2 (blue) were the most important bands to be considered for predicting
species diversity. The model equations from the stepwise regression were used to predict tree species
diversity. Overall, the study’s findings emphasize the relevance of remotely sensed data in assessing
the ecological condition of protected areas, a tool for decision-making in biodiversity conservation.
Research Article
2024-01-01T00:00:00ZA structural analysis of personal names in KusaalAbubakari, H.Sandow, L.Asitanga, S.A.http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh:8080/handle/123456789/414202024-03-08T18:56:46Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZA structural analysis of personal names in Kusaal
Abubakari, H.; Sandow, L.; Asitanga, S.A.
New names are created on daily bases but old names never change in form. Thus, names
offer a window where the archaic linguistics structure of a language can be traced. This
study explores the grammatical structure of personal names in Kusaal by focusing on their
phonology, morphonology and syntax. Phonologically, the paper explores the phonotactics
of personal names; morphologically, it discusses the various morphemes that constitute
this category of names, and syntactically, it analyses the rules that underlie the con struction of personal names that are phrases, clauses and sentences. The meaning of
personal names in Kusaal have been discussed extensively in previous studies for which
reason minimal attention is dedicated to it in the current work. The findings show that
personal names in Kusaal conform to almost all the structural rules of the language. They
occupy specific positions in the noun phrase and in the sentence; they are neutral to
syntactic features such as definiteness and plurality. Personal names also take prefixes and
affixes and can be compound words. There are instances where insertions and deletions
are observed in the compound formation of personal names in the language. The study
uses the Basic Linguistics Theory for its descriptive analysis of personal names. Both pri mary and secondary data are used in this study
Research Article
2024-01-01T00:00:00Z