DSpace Angular :: Browsing by Author "Wongnaa, C. A."

Browsing by Author "Wongnaa, C. A."

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Achieving sustainable development goals on no poverty and zero hunger: Does technical efficiency of Ghana’s maize farmers matter
(Agriculture & Food Security, 2018) Wongnaa, C. A.; Awunyo‑Vitor, Dadson
Background: Whether or not maize farmers are technically efficient determines their choice of productivity improvement strategy and very important for achieving the sustainable development goals on no poverty and zero hunger. This study examined technical efficiency and its determinants of Ghana’s maize farmers. Analysis of the determinants is crucial to devising strategies aimed at improving technical efficiencies of the farmers as well as ensuring no poverty and zero hunger. Methods: The study used cross-sectional data collected from 576 maize farmers in the four main agro-ecological zones of Ghana with the aid of structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and the stochastic frontier production function were the methods of analysis used. Results: The results showed that the mean technical efficiency estimate for maize farmers in Ghana was 58.1%. They also revealed that an increase in educational level, maize farming experience, extension contact as well as uses of fertilizer and improved seeds would increase the technical efficiency of maize producers in Ghana. Similarly, male Ghanaian maize farmers were more technically efficient than female farmers. Furthermore, membership of a farmer association will increase their technical efficiencies. Finally, an increase in farm size and land fragmentation will decrease technical efficiency of the maize farmers. Conclusion: Efficiency improvement programmes by stakeholders in the maize industry could target literate maize farmers since education enhances the managerial and technical skills of farmers and also increase farmers’ ability to utilize existing technologies. Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) could also liaise with Ministry of Education to provide maize farmers with no formal education with special training prior to introducing new efficiency enhancing programmes to them. MOFA should analyse the problems extension officers face in the discharge of their duties to pave the way for the provision of appropriate incentives to extension officers by stakeholders in the maize industry
Achieving sustainable development goals on no poverty and zero hunger: Does technical efficiency of Ghana’s maize farmers matter?
(Agriculture & Food Security, 2018) Wongnaa, C. A.; Awunyo‑Vitor, Dadson
Background: Whether or not maize farmers are technically efficient determines their choice of productivity improvement strategy and very important for achieving the sustainable development goals on no poverty and zero hunger. This study examined technical efficiency and its determinants of Ghana’s maize farmers. Analysis of the determinants is crucial to devising strategies aimed at improving technical efficiencies of the farmers as well as ensuring no poverty and zero hunger. Methods: The study used cross-sectional data collected from 576 maize farmers in the four main agro-ecological zones of Ghana with the aid of structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and the stochastic frontier production function were the methods of analysis used. Results: The results showed that the mean technical efficiency estimate for maize farmers in Ghana was 58.1%. They also revealed that an increase in educational level, maize farming experience, extension contact as well as uses of fertilizer and improved seeds would increase the technical efficiency of maize producers in Ghana. Similarly, male Ghanaian maize farmers were more technically efficient than female farmers. Furthermore, membership of a farmer association will increase their technical efficiencies. Finally, an increase in farm size and land fragmentation will decrease technical efficiency of the maize farmers. Conclusion: Efficiency improvement programmes by stakeholders in the maize industry could target literate maize farmers since education enhances the managerial and technical skills of farmers and also increase farmers’ ability to utilize existing technologies. Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) could also liaise with Ministry of Education to provide maize farmers with no formal education with special training prior to introducing new efficiency enhancing programmes to them. MOFA should analyse the problems extension officers face in the discharge of their duties to pave the way for the provision of appropriate incentives to extension officers by stakeholders in the maize industry.
Are non‑market benefits of soybean production significant? An extended economic analysis of smallholder soybean farming in Upper West region of northern Ghana
(Agriculture & Food Security, 2020) Asodina, Francis Akabo; Adams, Faizal; Nimoh, Fred; Weyori, Emmanuel A.; Wongnaa, C. A.; Bakang, John Edudes‑Andvi
Background: Traditional cost–benefit analysis of soybean production tends to largely focus on financial benefits to farmers, and less so on non-market co-benefits in sustaining smallholder farming systems. Relying solely on the standard financial analysis undermines the actual benefit of soybean production, which often results in ineffectual policy designs. An economic analysis that incorporates key non-pecuniary co-benefits of soybean production provide vital insight that contributes to improving productivity and overall economic well-being of farmers. Cross-sectional data were collected from 271 farmers to estimate the overall economic benefit of soybean that captures both market and non-market attributes in three major producing districts (Sissala-West, Wa-East, and Dafiama-Busie-Issa (DBI)) of Ghana. Results: When non-market co-benefits were omitted, soybean production was not profitable (−Gh¢103.10/ha or −US$22.91) in DBI while Sissala-West and Wa-East had modest profit margins. However, the financial analysis changed dramatically when an average non-market value of Gh¢345.69 (US$76.82) was incorporated in the analysis. The soybean system was, therefore, financially viable for all the districts when the non-market attributes of the crop were considered. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the importance of the non-pecuniary benefits of soybean in smallholder farming systems for policy decision-making. For instance, farmers’ motivation for soybean production is closely linked to those ancillary benefits like the biological nitrogen fixed in the soil for cultivation of other crops. Similarly, crop administrators and policy makers’ support for conservation agriculture and green environment is tied to these nonmarket co-benefits.
Assessment of the sustainability of community‑managed water supply services in Ghana
(Environment, Development and Sustainability, 2019) Nti, Emmanuel Kwame; Wongnaa, C. A.; Edusah, Nana Sampson E.; Andivi Bakang, John‑Eudes
The study assessed the sustainability of community-managed water supply services drawing empirical evidence from a small town water supply system in Ghana. The study followed a fully quantitative research approach. Data were collected from 387 respondents who were almost all public standpipe users (98.45%) using a structured survey questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were reported, and MACBETH was the method of analysis. The study revealed that quality drinking water and reliability are the most important criteria in the opinion of survey respondents for small town water supply system. Building on this empirical understanding, the differences in importance that respondents attributed to each of these criteria were measured, and, for example, implementation of policies and public disclosure was their lowest priority. The results revealed that survey respondents believe that all criteria are currently within a range that indicates a sustainable water supply system. The paper recommend among other things that management of communitymanaged water supply system should be well positioned to ensure continuous water quality testing while designing drinking water quality improvement plans.
Building resilience to shocks of climate change in Ghana’s cocoa production and its effect on productivity and incomes
(Elsevier, 2020) Wongnaa, C. A.; Babu, Suresh
Climate change is happening and cocoa producers are aware of its causes as well as its effects on their farms. However empirical evidence has revealed that a small number of farmers adopt climate change adaptation technologies to build resilience to the shocks meted out to them by climate change. In this paper, using data from Ghana, we employ propensity score matching to control for selection bias and to analyse adoption of adaptation technologies, its determinants as well as impact on cocoa productivity and incomes. The results showed that most cocoa farmers do not adopt climate change adaptation technologies and for those who adopt some technologies, diversification of income sources was the major innovation. Also, eight factors including gender, age of respondent, involvement in other economic activities, farm size, membership of a farmer association, access to extension service, access to credit as well as annual income from cocoa production were found to significantly influence adoption of climate change adaptation technologies. Finally, cocoa farmers who adopted climate change adaptation technologies recorded significantly higher farm productivities and incomes vis-�a-vis nonadopters. To build resilience, cocoa farmers are encouraged to join farmer based organizations and extension officers should be supported to be able to reach out to farmers to educate them on climate change resilience technologies.
Profitability and constraints to urban exotic vegetable production systems in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana: a recipe for job creation
(Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 2019) Wongnaa, C. A.; Akuriba, Margaret Atosina; Ebenezer, Amissah; Danquah, Karen Sakyibea; Ofosu, Danso Anthony
Some vegetable producers perceive their venture to be unprofitable owing to cheating at the farm gate. This study sought to determine profitability of production of exotic vegetables which are not native of Ghana. The study used data collected from 80 urban exotic vegetable farmers. Descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis, multiple linear regression, and the Garrett ranking scale were the methods of analysis. The most profitable system from the results of the net margin ratio was the production of lettuce as a sole crop with net margin ratio of 71% which explains the popularity of lettuce among exotic vegetable producers in the metropolis. Household size, experience, and access to credit positively affected profitability while farm size as well as costs of labor and fertilizer had negative effects. Farmers ranked high input cost, land tenure insecurity, and high cost of irrigation as challenges to urban exotic vegetable production. We recommend that urban exotic vegetable production should be considered as a source of employment. Government and financial institutions should improve farmer access to credit to enable them to hire adequate labor and acquire technologies and production inputs.
Resource use efficiency among maize farmers in Ghana
(Agriculture & Food Security, 2016) Awunyo‑Vitor, Dadson; Wongnaa, C. A.; Aidoo, Robert
Background: Despite the enormous importance of maize in Ghana, maize farmers in the country continue to experience low yields, making Ghana self-insufficient in the production of the crop. For maize farmers to be helped to increase productivity, the focus should not only be on whether or not they have adopted productivity-enhancing technologies, but it is necessary to carefully examine whether they are even making maximum use of the technologies or inputs available to them. This study analysed resource use efficiency for Ghana’s maize farms. Methods: The data used were obtained through a cross-sectional survey of 576 maize farmers in the Northern Savannah, Transitional, Forest and Coastal Savannah zones of Ghana using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, stochastic frontier analysis and the ratio of marginal value product to marginal factor cost were the methods of analysis employed. Results: The results showed that generally, maize farmers in Ghana were inefficient in their use of resources available to them. Fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, seed, manure and land were underutilized, while labour and capital were overutilized by the farmers. The results further showed that maize farmers in Ghana exhibit increasing returns to scale, indicating that the famers can increase their output by increasing the use of some of the key resources. Conclusion: Incentives and strategies aimed at encouraging farmers to optimize the use of fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, seed, manure and land are recommended to ensure improved maize productivity in Ghana. Currently, incentives and strategies could take the form of better management by government of the current fertilizer subsidy programme and efficient input distribution through farmer-based organizations to ensure easy access by farmers.
Resource-use Efficiency in Cashew Production in Wenchi Municipality, Ghana
(Agris on-line Papers in Economics and Informatics, 2012) Wongnaa, C. A.; Ofori, D.
The study considered the determinants of cashew production with special reference to cashew production in Wenchi Municipality of Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana. Data collection was through well structured questionnaire administered on 140 respondents selected through random sampling technique. The methods of analysis used were descriptive statistics and production function analysis using the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) criterion. Results showed that majority of the farmers were ageing and there was high level of illiteracy as about 61.4% of total respondents had no formal education. Results further showed that farm size, capital, fertilizer and pesticides are positively related to cashew output while labour is inversely related. Also, the farmers were inefficient in the use of resources. Land, fertilizer and pesticide were underutilized while labour and capital were over utilized. Farmers should be encouraged to increase the use of land, fertilizers and pesticides so as to increase productivity.
Scale efficiency of maize farmers in four agro ecological zones of Ghana: A parametric approach
(Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 2019) Wongnaa, C. A.; Awunyo-Vitor, Dadson
The study analyzed scale efficiency parametrically for Ghana’s smallholder maize farms. The data used was obtained through a cross-sectional survey of 576 maize farmers in the Guinea Savannah, Transition, Forest and Coastal Savannah zones of Ghana using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Ray’s (1998) proposed stochastic frontier analysis approach were the methods of analysis employed. The results showed that the mean scale efficiencies were 86%, 91%, 89% and 86% for the Guinea Savannah, Transition, Forest and Coastal Savannah zones respectively, indicating that generally, scale inefficiencies existed in maize farms in the four agro ecological zones. The results further showed that most maize farmers in each zone exhibit increasing returns to scale, indicating that their outputs fall below efficient levels and therefore their output could be increased for optimal scales to be reached. Finally, the results revealed that scale efficiency is explained by educational level, maize farming experience, access to good roads and ready markets, group membership, extension contact, household size, land fragmentation as well as uses of fertilizer, pesticides and improved seeds. For scale efficiency to be improved, maize farmers in the various agro ecological zones of Ghana are encouraged to employ more of the production inputs available to them. For the farmers to be able to employ more of these inputs, cost of production inputs could be subsidized and credit could be given to them by government.
Vegetable Handling, Distribution, and Wholesale Profitability in “Abinchi” Night Market, Kumasi-Ghana
(Journal of Postharvest Technology, 2014) A. Zu, K. S.; Wongnaa, C. A.; Appiah, F.
The study was conducted on vegetable handling practices, distribution and wholesale haulage profitability in Abinchi night market Kumasi, Ghana. Focus group discussions were held for middlemen, market queens and men, and 150 market queens and men were randomly selected and interviewed to elicit prevailing handling practices. SPSS was used to analyze data obtained and financial analytical tools; profit margin, return on investment and benefit cost ratio were used to assess the profitability of the vegetable wholesale haulage. Open and closed trucks, mini vans and taxis were identified to be regular modes of transport of vegetables. Vegetables are packed and stored in jute sacks with shelf life ranging from 3 to 7 days with visible deterioration over days. The wholesale haulage of vegetable was viable in the months of July, August and September. In mid September 2013, a 150 Kg sack full of cabbage in Tepa, a major hub of vegetable production in the Ashanti region was selling for an average of GH¢15 on farm. This constitutes 39% of the total cost of a sack full of cabbage with about 61% constituting the cost of overheads and transportation at the wholesale centre. The sales price of an average sack of cabbage to middlemen was GH¢40, with a net revenue of GH¢ 1.20 on each sack of cabbage sold. A 40Kg jute sack full of carrot sold at GH¢20 on farm, representing 77% of the total cost per sack.

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