Browsing by Author "Struik, P.C."
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Item Assessing production constraints, management and use of sorghum diversity in north-east Ghana: A diagnostic study(NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 2004-12) Kudadjie, C.Y.; Struik, P.C.; Richards, P.; Offel, S.K.This paper reports on the results of a diagnostic study conducted to assess the problems and needs of sorghum farmers in north-east Ghana with the aim of determining the type of research that would be useful for them in their own context. The importance of the crop and its position within the cropping system are identified. Sorghum is still an integral part of the livelihoods of farmers. The crop is very versatile and not only contributes to food security but also plays a part in the socio-culrural, socio-economic, and religious aspects of the lives of farmers. Farmers have different uses for the varieties they grow, which depends on the morphological, agronomic and gastronomic traits of the crop. Sorghum varieties introduced from the research institutions have several problems including lodging, poor grain quality, bird damage and precocious germination. Farmers have developed management strategies for dealing with some of these problems. Nevertheless, further work is required by breeders to make the varieties more acceptable to users. Sorghum production constraints identified include poor soils, erratic rainfall and pest infestation of the grain during storage. The diagnostic study suggests that because farmers produce their own seed, enhancing their ability to improve the quality of their seed would be of benefit to them. The study further underscores the importance and value of diversity for farmers. It also highlights their understanding of diversity, and management and use of variation in their agronomic practices. Areas identified for further research together with farmers aim at enhancing farmers' knowledge towards strengthening their practices in diversity management and improving seed storage practices.Item Can convergence of agricultural sciences support innovation by resource-poor farmers in Africa? The cases of Benin and Ghana(International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2007-01) Van Huis, A.; Jiggins, J.; Kossou, D.; Leeuwis, C.; Röling, N.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Struik, P.C.; Tossou, R.C.The article introduces the IJAS special issue on the Convergence of Sciences (CoS) research programme that took place in Benin and Ghana between 2002 and 2006. CoS sought to develop pro-poor pathways of science. Starting initially from the assumption that science impact could be improved by developing farm technologies that are appropriate for the circumstances of resource-poor farmers, the nine researchers soon ran into the very limited windows of opportunity that the farmers face. Improving productivity at the farm level is thwarted by limited access to markets, infrastructure, inputs, credit and services, and by cheap imports. Farmers have no political clout, and agriculture is a source of rent for a host of actors including local and national governments. In these conditions, poverty reduction requires institutional change rather than participatory technology development. All nine researchers tried in their own way to deal with the institutional dimension. This special issue reports on these attempts. The introductory article provides background and context for understanding the institutional issues involved. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Institutional change and the quality of palm oil: an analysis of the artisanal processing sector in Ghana(International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2014-06) Osei-Amponsah, C.; Stomph, T.-J.; Visser, L.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Struik, P.C.In Ghana, most oil palm fruits are produced by smallholders and processed by female artisanal processors. However, the ensuing crude palm oil (CPO) is high in free fatty acids and therefore cannot be sold in remunerative local or export markets. An earlier diagnostic study indicated that two main factors cause the poor quality: the processing practice of leaving harvested fruits unprocessed for up to 21 days and the use of lorry tyres as fuel to cook the fruits. Furthermore, the tyre-burning practice affects the health of people working and living around the processing facilities. This study describes the effect of action research undertaken with processors and the creation of a stakeholder platform in which Chiefs, the District Assembly, and a Concertation and Innovation Group collaborated to address the issues. The emerging institutional changes are assessed against baseline information. Awareness was raised about the dangers of tyre-burning, and CPO quality was improved by establishing the optimal time to leave fruits before processing. However, the prevailing market circumstances led producers to opt to produce greater quantities of oil rather than better-quality oil. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis.Item Processing practices of small-scale palm oil producers in the Kwaebibirem District, Ghana: A diagnostic study(NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 2012-12) Osei-Amponsah, C.; Visser, L.; Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Struik, P.C.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Stomph, T.J.Ghana produces about 2,000,000 metric tons of oil palm fruits annually, and small-scale processors contribute about 60% of crude palm oil production. The country is not self-sufficient in the fats and oils needed for industrial use and home consumption. A large percentage of the palm oil produced by small-scale processors cannot be utilized by the larger scale industries in Ghana or abroad because of its poor quality. There is an urgent need to explore the causes and to identify ways to address the situation. We carried out a diagnostic study in the Kwaebibirem District using key informant interviews, focus group discussions and surveys based on a semi-structured questionnaire to assess the processing practices of small-scale oil palm fruit processors, and to analyse the rationale behind these practices and their effects on the quality of palm oil produced. The processing practices identified included storage of loosened fruits for long periods before boiling, disposal of effluent into drains, use of spent tyres for boiling fruits and no clarification of the oil. About 54% of the processors store oil palm fruits for 1-3 weeks before processing, possibly allowing some fermentation, to increase extractability and reduce labour costs. This practice may reduce the quality of palm oil by increasing the levels of free fatty acids. The effects of the storage period on the quality and quantity of palm oil, the seasonal oil content of oil palm fruits, and the types of linkages and interactions amongst actors in the oil palm industry were identified together with stakeholders as issues for further research. Innovation in small-scale oil palm fruit processing is revealed as a multi-stakeholder, multiple-scale, and interdisciplinary process. © 2012 Royal Netherlands Society for Agricultural Sciences.Item Seed systems for African food security: linking molecular genetics and cultivator knowledge in West Africa(International Journal of Technology Management, 2009) Richards, P.; DeBruin, H.M.; Hughes, S.G.; Kudadjie-Freeman, C.; Offei, S.K.; Struik, P.C.A challenge for African countries is how to integrate new sources of knowledge on plant genetics with knowledge from farmer practice to help improve food security. This paper considers the knowledge content of farmer seed systems in the light of a distinction drawn in artificial intelligence research between supervised and unsupervised learning. Supervised learning applied to seed systems performance has a poor record in Africa. The paper discusses an alternative – unsupervised learning supported by functional genomic analysis. Recent work in West Africa on sorghum, African rice and white yam is described. Requirements for laboratory-based analytical support are outlined. A science-backed ‘farmer first’ approach – while feasible – will require a shift in policy and funding by major investors.Item Understanding variation in sorghum through with farmers experimentation(International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 5(2-3): 124-139, 2007) Kudadjie, C.Y.; Struik, P.C.; Richards, P.; Offei, S.K.; Atengdem, P.B.The need for an appropriate research strategy to build upon the knowledge of sorghum farmers in north-east Ghana in terms of diversity management and variety maintenance was identified in a previous diagnostic study. A joint experimental framework was established to encourage interaction between the knowledge systems of farmers and scientists. The paper focuses on outlining the process and outcome of the joint learning approach adopted. Researchers and farmers used scientific experimentation both to investigate inter-varietal, intra-varietal and random variation in sorghum. For better understanding and exchange of ideas, researchers sought to understand farmers' concepts of a variety and how they perceive diversity (i.e. researchers sought to enter into and interrogate the farmer knowledge system). Results provide evidence that farmers' management practices are shaped by local perceptions of diversity, and that systematic exploration of both scientific and local ideas, aimed at points of convergence might help farmers better to link their management practices to variation revealed through experimentation. It has been widely reported that African farmers are willing experimenters, but the present study offers specific evidence on the advantages of using a joint experimental approach to enhance farmers' capacity to understand complex phenomena associated with plant variation.Item Understanding variation in sorghum through with-farmer experimentation(International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2007-01) Kudadjie, C.Y.; Struik, P.C.; Richards, P.; Offei, S.K.; Atengdem, P.The need for an appropriate research strategy to build upon the knowledge of sorghum farmers in north-east Ghana in terms of diversity management and variety maintenance was identified in a previous diagnostic study. A joint experimental framework was established to encourage interaction between the knowledge systems of farmers and scientists. The paper focuses on outlining the process and outcome of the joint learning approach adopted. Researchers and farmers used scientific experimentation both to investigate inter-varietal, intra-varietal and random variation in sorghum. For better understanding and exchange of ideas, researchers sought to understand farmers' concepts of a variety and how they perceive diversity (i.e. researchers sought to enter into and interrogate the farmer knowledge system). Results provide evidence that farmers' management practices are shaped by local perceptions of diversity, and that systematic exploration of both scientific and local ideas, aimed at points of convergence might help farmers better to link their management practices to variation revealed through experimentation. It has been widely reported that African farmers are willing experimenters, but the present study offers specific evidence on the advantages of using a joint experimental approach to enhance farmers' capacity to understand complex phenomena associated with plant variation. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Unlocking the Potential of Contract Farming: Lessons from Ghana(The Gatekeeper Series, IIED 139 (3): 2-14, 2008) Kudadjie-Freeman, C.; DeBruin; Hockzona, M.; Hughes, S.G.; Richards, P.; Offei, S.K.; Struik, P.C.There has been many reviews and evaluation of contract farming and its usefulness for the small farmer in Africa. Some see contractual arrangements as disadvantageous to farmers, while others see them as beneficial- Despite these debates, contract farming is to likely to continue as a means of keeping small farmers involved in markets. It is therefore important to learn from past experiences in order to improve the working of the system as a whole. This paper analyses sorghum contract farming in north-east Ghana in order to explore ways of making such arrangements viable for small farmers. The analysis draws on the convergence of sciences approach, which sees both science and social relation interactions among the relevant stakeholders as important for developing small farmer-related agricultural innovations (technology, procedures, new forms of organization). The study reveals that the failure and problem encountered in this particular contracting scheme were both technical and institutional. The technical issues were a combination of pest problems, the environment and the sorghum variety chosen. The institutional issues involved the contractual arrangements and relations between the contracting parties. The authors argue that if contracts are to be fair, they must allow for compensation, contingencies and production risks. But scientific knowledge is required in order to adequately incorporate these elements. The authors suggest technological and institutional changes to improve contract farming. Science is needed to tackle specific technical problems likely to be faced by farmers, these should then become a basis for negotiating beneficial contract terms for all parties. They also suggest that while farmers could improve their negotiation power by forming organisations, governments should also strengthen the institutional and legal framework process for small farmers, who are often the weaker of the contracting parties.