Determinants of Rural Farming Household Sustainability: Evidence from Ghana

Abstract

Sustainability has become essential in all aspects of our modern world. With unbiased consideration of social, economic and environmental components of sustainability, the concept has become important in finding long term solutions to global problems. Sustainability of policies is critical in ensuring that policies have their desired long-term goals. In Ghana, rural farming households make a significant portion of the total population. It is therefore important to have accurate knowledge of the factors that mostly affect the sustainability of rural farming households to ensure that policies targeted at improving living conditions for this group produce positive long-term effects. The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors that are important in determining the sustainability of rural farming households in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional analysis, this research analyzed data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey published in 2018 to create indices for sustainability and identify the factors that contributes to sustainability. This research found that, involvement in trade and ownership of farmland are key determinants of rural household sustainability in Ghana. Thus, in making policies concerning rural farming households, there should be focus on enabling rural household to acquire farmlands. Creation of facilities to ensure that farmers are able to trade farm produce is also an important factor to consider in policy making. Further studies are needed to use panel analysis of data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey to determine how sustainability of rural farming households in Ghana have changed in recent times.