Browsing by Subject "Agricultural"
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Item Agricultural Risk Management Options, Willingness to Adopt Agricultural Insurance and Pricing Of Rainfall-Indexed Insurance(University of Ghana, 2017-07) Amankwah, R.O.This study examines the risks facing crop farmers and the strategies they employ to mitigate those risks. It further sets out to determine whether crop farmers are willing to adopt agricultural insurance as a means of mitigating farm income variability, formulate a derivative measure to determine pure premium of a rainfall-indexed insurance contract and to investigate how much farmers are willing to pay for such a contract. Using a questionnaire, data on farmers’ demographics and farm characteristics were collected from 300 randomly selected farmers and used to examine the risks they face, the strategies they employ, and to determine farmers’ willingness to adopt agricultural insurance using a binary logistic regression model. Annual rainfall and yield data for the period of 2000 to 2015 were also used to formulate a derivative pricing measure for rainfall-indexed insurance. The study found drought, storm and pests as the most pervasive risks that affect farmers’ yield and farm income stability. Also, mixed cropping, use of improved seeds, timing planting, mixed farming, farmer cooperatives, engagement in other off-farm economic activities and seasonal migration were found as the means by which farmers mitigate the agricultural risks they face. Again, the study found that coefficient of variation of farm income positively and significantly affects willingness to adopt agricultural insurance. Female farmers and married farmers were also found more willing to adopt agricultural insurance. Farm size, land occupancy status, off-farm engagement and level of education positively impact on willingness whereas years of farming experience also negatively impact on willingness but were all statistically significant. Furthermore, 90% of the farmers are willing to adopt agricultural insurance and savour premium rate of 10% or below. The findings suggest that there is an available market for Ghanaian insurers to utilize and should therefore take advantage of the opportunity. Also, variation in farm incomes, gender and marital status of farmers be considered in designing insurance contracts and in targeting clients for their uptake. Moreover, the premium rate should also be considered since a rate higher than 10% could affect farmers’ willingness to adopt agricultural insurance.Item Characterisation of seasonal rainfall for cropping schedules(Ecological Laboratory, University of Ghana, 2011) Mawunya, F.D.; Adiku, S.G.K.; Laryea, K.B.; Yangyuoru, M.; Atika, E.El Nino-South Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon occurs in the Equatorial Eastern Pacific Ocean and has been noted to account significantly for rainfall variability in many parts of the world, particularly tropical regions. This variability is very important in rainfed crop production and needs to be well understood. Thirty years of daily rainfall data (1976–2006 excluding 1991) from the Akatsi District in the Volta Region of Ghana were analysed to observe the variation of rainfall characteristics such as onset and cessation dates, seasonal rainfall amount and their temporal distribution with ENSO phase, namely El Nino, La Nina and Neutral. Using rainfall reference evapotranspiration relationships, the onset of rainfall during La Nina and Neutral seasons occurred within the same period, March 11–20, but about a month late (April 11–20) during El Nino. Without regards to ENSO phase, the long-term mean onset date of the rainy season occurred from March 11–20. Annual and major season (March–July) rainfall amounts decreased in the order of these ENSO phases; La Nina, Neutral and El Nino but showed an opposite decreasing order of El Nino, Neutral and La Nina during the minor seasons (September-November). The trend of variability of rainfall distribution during the major season was observed to be highest during El Nino years and least during Neutral years. The study also showed that the optimum planting periods on 10-day time scales during La Nina, Neutral and El Nino years were found to be March 13–22; March, 17–26 and April 20–29, with March 16–25 for the long-term situation. These observations seem to reveal that long-term or climatological observations alone are no longer sufficient for seasonal rainfall prediction to aid cropping schedules.Item Decentralization And Agricultural Development In The Ho West District Of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2022-04) Dzakaklo, T.K.Most governments across the globe resorted to decentralisation of public services to the local government authorities as a solution to central government failures, and as a means to ensure popular participation in the development planning of their localities. The government of Ghana operationalized the decentralisation of the agriculture department as part of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in 2012 as a way of ensuring participation of the local stakeholders including farmers in its development. Against this backdrop, this study was pursued to analyse the extent, and the dynamics of the agricultural sector decentralisation and its contributions to food security in the Ho West District of Ghana. This research was conducted using a mixed research method with an exploratory design. A sample size of 377 consisting of food crop farmers, some core staff of the Ho West District Assembly and some technical staff of the Department of Agriculture in the Ho West District. The study revealed a poor implementation of decentralisation of the agriculture department which resulted in the lack of financial autonomy, delays in the allocation of statutory funding, and failure of the transfer of the needed resources to accompany the policy. In addition, the study showed that, even though decentralisation of the agriculture department in Ho West has contributed to the participation of local stakeholders in the decision-making, it has not translated into ensuring food security in the District. Additionally, the study found an incomplete fiscal decentralisation of the department resulting in lack of the fiscal autonomy necessary for effective operations of the department. The study recommends a complete fiscal decentralisation, adequate and timely allocation of financial resources to the department, and the need for the deployment of qualified and adequate number of agricultural extension agents to the District.Item A framework for analysing the role of ICT on agricultural commercialisation and household food security(International Journal of ICT Research and Development in Africa, 2010) Okello, J.J.; Al-Hassan, R.M.; Okello, R.M.Lack of agricultural information has been attributed to the inability of smallholder farmers to transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture. Recent efforts to improve smallholder access to agricultural information have seen increased application of ICT technologies in developing agriculture. These efforts use ICT-based market information to reduce transaction costs of smallholder participation in markets, promote commercialization, and improve household food security. Emerging studies document the benefits of such ICT-based applications in agriculture, including increased incomes and improved performance of agricultural markets. Unfortunately these studies have been context specific and the link between provision of ICT-based market information, smallholder commercialization and household security remains unclear. This paper develops a framework that can be used to analyze the link between ICT application in smallholder agriculture, household commercialization, and food security. The paper generates testable hypotheses relating ICT application in agriculture and reduction in transactions costs, smallholder farmer commercialization, and household food security. It then provides illustrative cases where ICT application in agriculture has benefited smallholder production and improved market performance. However, more research must be done to test the generated hypotheses. The paper discusses the implications of the framework for practitioners.Item Managing Heat in Agricultural Work: Increasing Worker Safety and Productivity by Controlling Heat Exposure(United Nations, 2018) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsItem Official Development Assistance And Agricultural Fixed Capital Formation In Africa: Evidence From A Panel Of Countries(University of Ghana, 2017-07) Sadekla, S.S.Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has attracted substantial amounts of Official Development Assistance (ODA) over the years. General ODA flows to the continent currently stands at around $80 billion per annum and the figure is projected to be well above $125 billion due to the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the last five decades, SSA has received about $1 trillion in foreign aid for sector-specific (agriculture, health, etc.) development. Even though the impact of aid on economic growth is inconclusive, the question is whether sector-specific aid has led to sector-specific growth. Little is known about the relationship between ODA and agricultural fixed capital formation. In this study we examine how agricultural ODA impacts agricultural fixed capital formation in the short and long-terms in Africa. ODA has the potential of augmenting scarce domestic resources to form fixed capital in developing countries. Nonetheless, ODA can also be a disincentive to wealth building by depressing governments’ motivation for revenue generation; thereby impeding capital formation for economic growth and poverty reduction. For these reasons, this study tests the hypotheses that total ODA and its decomposed forms: bilateral and multilateral, enhances the formation of agricultural fixed capital needed for agricultural growth and employment. Using data on 40 SSA countries over the period 1996 to 2014 and exploiting the instrumental variable two stage least squares (IV-2SLS) in a fixed-effects setting and the generalized method of moment (GMM) estimators, the study finds that in the short-term, total and bilateral ODA have a strong positive and statistically significant impact on fixed capital formation. However, we do not find short-term impacts of multilateral ODA on fixed capital formation. In terms of the growth impacts of total ODA on fixed capital formation, the study finds marginal impact of bilateral ODA on growth in fixed capital formation in Sub-Saharan Africa at the 10% level of significance. Total and multilateral aid do not have longer-term impact on agricultural fixed capital formation. For this reason, bilateral ODA seem to be more suitable for sustainable rural and agricultural development. The insignificant impact of multilateral ODA at level (short-term) and growth (long-term) could be as a result of free-riding in monitoring. With many donors providing aid in a multilateral arrangement, monitoring could be seem as a public good where individual donors expect others to monitor, and that can result in non-monitoring or under-provision of monitoring. Thus, for policy directions, it is recommended that in the design of multilateral ODA, monitoring by donors should be invigorated to enhance aid effectiveness. Generally, the study finds limited impact of overall aid on agricultural fixed capital. Therefore, governments of African countries should reconsider their over-reliance on official development assistance and strengthen private sector channels that encourage internally generated revenue.Item Willingness to pay for improved water for farming in the Upper East Region of Ghana(Greener Journals, 2013) Baidoo, I; Al-Hassan, R.A; Asuming-Brempong, S; Osei-Akoto, I; Asante, F.AThis study examined the irrigation systems practiced in the Upper East Region of Ghana. It also estimated the farmers’ willingness to pay for improved access to water for irrigation. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the expenditure incurred in the irrigation systems. Logistic regression approach was used to estimate willingness to pay for improvement in these systems of irrigation. Gravity motorized pumps was used to distribute water and hand-watering with bucket. Were the systems of irrigation practised in the rainy season? Hand watering was also done in the dry season. About 80% expressed willingness to pay for an improvement in their system of irrigation. For recommendation, government should subsidize the price of fertilizer in the study area since the respondents used the input alongside irrigation. Also other bodies and agencies should help improve the system of irrigation in the area by upgrading the existing ones and gradually deducting as part of the cost of water since the respondents were willing to pay for such an improvement.