Factors influencing rice production in the south-eastern belt of Ghana
Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Heliyon
Abstract
Ghana has great potential to produce rice for local consumption, however, the average rice produced barely meets
half of the country's consumption needs. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and surveys were held within the coastal
lowland rice production belt in Ghana. The FGDs were held at Okyereko and Afife followed by surveys in the two
communities in addition to Dawenya and Ashaiman. The objectives were to assess the production challenges faced
by farmers in the four communities and determine the rice traits preferred by the farmers. Twenty farmers were
involved in each of the FGDs while 227 respondents were selected through convenient sampling for the interviews. Sixty-nine percent of respondent farmers were male, 53% were above 50 years while 44% had varied
levels of education. Farmers preferences mainly related to marketable traits such as aroma (87%), taste (83%) and
yield potential (78%). There was special preference for Jasmine 85 (62.8%) and Togo Marshal l (25%), an
indication of the high adoption of aromatic rice varieties in the study areas. Challenges such as securing credit,
input supplies, soil salinity and ageing work force were matters of grave concern to respondent farmers. Given the
importance of rice cultivation in the study areas to Ghana’s quest to achieve self-sufficiency in rice, targeted and
coordinated support from relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations is needed to sustain a
higher level of production in the study areas.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Convenient sampling, Jasmine 85, Marketable traits, Soil salinity