Rural Farmers’ Access to Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) Information in Ghana: Evidence from Pru District in the Bono East

Abstract

Despite the important role information plays in ensuring that farmers are abreast with innovative farming practices, access to Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) information is low in rural areas in Ghana. However, in the Pru District, an essential area of concern that has not been given due exploration is a comparison of rural female and male farmers’ access to information in order to ascertain whether they have equal access to CSA information or there is a gender differential in this regard. Using a mixed method approach, the study sought to analyse rural farmers’ access to CSA information in the Pru District of Ghana and ascertain whether there are gender differences in access to CSA information and the factors accounting for that. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 133 male and 139 female farmers for the study. Using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, both inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data while the qualitative data was analysed by employing Dey’s (1993) three steps processes of qualitative data analysis. The study revealed that the major source of CSA information for both male and female farmers is government extension officers. The major channel through which the extension officers transfer CSA information to female farmers is farm visit by the extension officers. The major channel for male farmers is farmers’ visit to the extension officers’ office. However, both male and female farmers preferred extension officers to transfer CSA information to them through farm visit by extension officers. The study also revealed that there is a poor level of CSA information dissemination in the Pru District. However, there is a gender differential in access to CSA information among farmers in the Pru District, which is biased towards men. Male farmers have more access to CSA information than female farmers because female farmers are not involved in deciding meeting schedules with extension officers, female farmers miss extension programs because of their numerous farm and off-farm duties, cultural norms that limit female farmers from interacting with strangers for information, and female farmers could not afford to regularly visit extension officers’ office for CSA information. The study therefore recommends that extension officers should involve female farmers in deciding meeting schedules, there should be social and economic empowerment programs to help female farmers access CSA information through diverse means such as radio and television, and there should be campaigns by the government and NGOs to eradicate cultural norms that limit women’s mobility as they make efforts to access CSA information. The study again recommends that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) must strengthen its extension department by increasing the number of extension officers and logistics so that the officers can regularly and easily visit farmers on their farms to deliver information on CSA practices.