scholarly journals Agriculture and Food Security in Northern Ghana

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Alhassan Bawa
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Food Utilization ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Subsistence Level ◽  
Agricultural Growth ◽  
Agriculture Sector

In the northern part of Ghana, about 97.9 percent of households are engaged in crop farming such as maize, rice, sorghum, soy beans, cowpea, cassava, yam, cotton and vegetables, with few households engaging in poultry, livestock and pig rearing. Agricultural production is therefore the main activity in the northern sector of Ghana and is practiced mainly on seasonal and subsistence level. The Gross Domestic Product of the country has recorded an annual growth rate of about 4 to 8 percent within the past decade. Agricultural growth has been the major driver of poverty reduction. The agriculture sector is the largest source of employment for the people of northern Ghana, and is dominated by smallholder farmers. The challenges in the agriculture sector include human resource and managerial skills, natural resource management, technology development and food insecurity. Food security is a phenomenon resulting from multiple causes which are food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food stability. About 5% of Ghanaian populace are food insecure. Additionally, about 2 million Ghanaian people are vulnerable to become food insecure. Growth in the agricultural sector has been more rapid as compared to that of the non-agricultural sectors in recent years, expanding by an average annual rate of 5.5%, compared to 5.2% for the economy as a whole. Agricultural growth however, depends mainly on rainfall patterns and land expansion. The objective of this paper was to review literature on food security in Ghana, agricultural contribution to food security in northern Ghana and some policy measures put in place by successive governments to reduce food insecurity in northern Ghana.

scholarly journals Utilization of Post-Harvest Technologies for Improved Food Security: Case of Maize and Mangoes among Smallholder Farmers in Kerio Valley Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

2021 ◽  
pp. 17-27
Author(s):  
L. Chepwambok ◽  
W. Adede ◽  
D. Bunyatta ◽  
V. K. Mugalavai ◽  
A. O. Onkware
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Processing Technologies ◽  
Post Harvest ◽  
Inappropriate Use

Limited availability of improved post-harvest technologies or inappropriate use of available technologies leads to spoilage of food resulting to post-harvest losses. The losses contribute to food insecurity in the sense that availability and accessibility of food will be limited. Adoption of post-harvest harvest technologies boosts the agricultural sector, and has been seen as a pathway out of poverty and food insecurity. The study assessed the utilization of post-harvest technologies among smallholder farmers in Kerio Valley Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya and their correlation to food security. The main objective of the study was to determine factors that influenced adoption of post-harvest technologies for both maize and mango among the farmers. A cross sectional survey was used to collect data using self-administered questionnaire and interview schedules on 217 respondents. There was a significant relationship between gender (r- .264, P<0.001), age(r=.350, P<.05), education level(r=.956, P<.001), income(r=656, P<.001) and extension services(r=.907, P<.001) and adoption of post-harvest technologies. Adoption and use of improved post-harvest and processing technologies need to be promoted to curb post-harvest losses thus improving food security. In addition, there is need for intense extension services on post-harvest technologies to enhance awareness and adoption.

scholarly journals Agricultural dynamics and food security in Senegal

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malick TOURE
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
National Level ◽  
Security Analysis ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Dietary Energy ◽  
Agricultural Growth ◽  
Linear Decline

The objective of this paper is to analyze the dynamics of the Senegalese agricultural economy and the food security. Analysis of secondary data shows that agricultural growth is low over the period 1961-2014. The average annual growth rate is 6.3% and conceals large disparities between periods. This evolution leads to low production and agricultural productivity. Hence the contribution of agriculture in value creation at the national level to a downward trend. From more than 24% in 1987, it rose to 18% in 2016, when other sectors are becoming more productive. The food security is analyzed largely through the environment of the agricultural sector from the point of view of the production of its various parameters. According to the prevalence of undernourishment measured from the minimum dietary energy requirements and the global hunger index, food security is improving more and more from 1992 to 2016. The IFM increases from 19.7 points in 1996 to 13.8 in 2016, but does not yet allow Senegal to leave the zone of insecurity "serious". There is also a linear decline in the prevalence of undernourishment over the period 1992-2016.

scholarly journals PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE ON THE SOCIAL STATUS AND CAREER PROSPECTS IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18
Author(s):  
Yasinta Zulaikha ◽  
Edhi Martono ◽  
Fathul Himam
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Young Workers ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Market Competitiveness ◽  
The Social ◽  
Perceptions Of Students ◽  
Regression Test ◽  
Older Farmers

The phenomenon of the declining interest of young workers working in the agricultural sector has consequences for the sustainability of the agricultural sector going forward. In the future, the burden on the agriculture sector will be heavier with the inc reasing population and increasing food demand. The reasons for the decline in the interest of young workers works at agricultural sector are mainly caused by the image of the agricultural sector which is less prestigious and can not provide adequate rewards. The crisis of young farmers in the agricultural sector and the predominance of older farmers has consequences for the agriculture sector development, particularly on agricultural productivity, market competitiveness, ruraleconomic capacity, and further it will threaten food security and agricultural sector sustainability. The objective of the research is to know the effect of social to career prospects on agricultural career empirically. The research involves 110 respondents with a questionnaire as a research instrument. The type of research in this study is survey research, the type of research which the way to collect data obtained or collected from the sample or population under study. Testing is done with a regression test to determine the effect of social status on career prospects in agriculture. The results of this study indicate that social status has an influence on perceptions of career prospects in the agricultural sector. 

scholarly journals Linking Household Food Security and Food Value Chains in North West Mt. Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 4999
Author(s):  
Veronica Mwangi ◽  
Samuel Owuor ◽  
Boniface Kiteme ◽  
Markus Giger ◽  
Johanna Jacobi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Household Food Security ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
North West ◽  
Household Food ◽  
Food Value

Smallholder farmers and pastoralists produce the largest proportion of food consumed in sub-Saharan Africa. However, they remain among the food insecure populations. This paper explores the food (in)security among smallholder farmers and pastoralists using a sample of 175 households in three agro-food value chains of wheat, dairy, and beef in the north-west Mt. Kenya region. The study seeks to answer if a farmer’s participation in a particular agro-food value chain determines his/her food security situation. We use the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and two Poisson regression models, parsimonious and full, to assess the household food security status and determinants of food security among the smallholder farmers and pastoralists. The results show that 61% of the households were either mildly, moderately, or severely food insecure. Households in the beef value chain experienced relatively higher incidences of food insecurity compared to households in the wheat and dairy value chains. The HFIAS scores revealed a wide gap between households with minimum and maximum score. Household size, income and income-related variables (ability to save and borrow to meet family needs), transport assets, membership in farmers’ associations, and household energy were significant in determining household food security, while access to credit and to extension services was not. Strategies that focus on boosting smallholder farmers’ incomes, building strong and resilient farmers associations to improve inclusive and equitable value chains have the potential to get smallholder farmers out of recurrent food insecurity.

scholarly journals Do Smallholder Farmers Need Nutrition Education? A Case Study from KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Sarahi Moralles ◽  
Abdukladir Egal ◽  
Wilna Oldewage-Theron
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Nutritional Knowledge ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Balanced Diet ◽  
Kwazulu Natal

South Africa (SA) is considered as the second largest economies in Africa with well-developed agricultural food production system. But food security is still a challenge at household level. Currently, in Africa, smallholder agriculture is recognized to contribute food security at household level. This study investigates the prevalence of food insecurity and nutritional knowledge of 78 local smallholder farmers in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) province of South Africa. The results from this study indicated that nutrition knowledge was poor and food insecurity was prevalent at >40% at the household level. It is therefore recommended that future agricultural training should include nutrition education based on FBDG (Food Based Dietary Guidelines) in their respective programs so as to attain a balanced diet for healthy and productive smallholder farmer communities

scholarly journals The Comparative Study of Youth-Related Agriculture Initiatives: Optimizing the Role of Indonesian Youth in Improving Food Security

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. 06002
Author(s):  
I. Zahara Qurani ◽  
A. Noyara Rahmasary ◽  
N. Fajri Usman
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Urban Youth ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The State ◽  
Land Access ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Local Product

In the near future, the food insecurity risk is escalating if the surging population is not followed by increasing youth farmers while arable land is on a declining trend. Only 4 per cent (less than 3.5 million) youth aged 15-35 work as a farmer in Indonesia since the current general perspective of working in agriculture sector seems unpromising for most youth. This worsens the state of food insecurity unless there is a breakthrough to ignite youth interest. While the proportion of youth population both in rural and urban Indonesia are relatively similar (23 per cent and 25 per cent respectively in 2018), different approaches might be needed. Fortunately, many initiatives have been commenced to appeal to more youth. These approaches allow youth to acquire agriculture skills, from enabling land access to exposing the sector to the digital world. Using the available information acquired from secondary data and interviews, this study aims to identify, compare, and define the most viable approach amongst the existing initiatives, including land access, crop insurance, and incentive for youth farmers in rural area; and mainstreaming digital platform such as peer-to-peer lending, local product promotion, and vertical farming to engage urban youth. Eventually, the recommendation from this study will optimize youth role in improving the state of food security

scholarly journals Fertilizer Subsidy and Rice Productivity in Ghana: A Microeconomic Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Shaibu Baanni Azumah ◽  
Abraham Zakaria
Keyword(s):  
Sex Education ◽  
Treatment Effect ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Switching Regression ◽  
Rice Productivity ◽  
Subsidy Programs

Across Africa, agricultural productivity continues to decline due to poor soil fertility. Smallholder farmers have less access to fertilizers to improve yields. Past and present governments in Ghana have made some efforts to raise productivity and to deepen the economic and social potentials of the agricultural sector by implementing fertilizer subsidy programs. Using data from 543 smallholder rice farmers in northern Ghana, we estimated both endogenous switching regression and treatment effect models to examine the factors that influenced participation in fertilizer subsidy programs, and rice productivity differences among beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers. This was to address heterogeneity and biases stemming from unobservable characteristics at farm and farmer levels. Farmers’ participation in fertilizer subsidy programs was influenced by age, sex, education, farm size, membership of Farmer-Based Organization (FBO), access to media, knowledge of integrated soil and water conservation (SWC) practices, farm to market distance and herbicides application. Productivity of rice was mainly influenced by age, knowledge of integrated SWC, seed and herbicides usage. The outcomes from the treatment effect model revealed a negatively and significant effect of fertilizer subsidy on rice productivity. It is recommended that ways to improve the effectiveness of the fertilizer subsidy policy and distributional mechanisms to farmers should be given much attention to unlock the agricultural potential of Ghana.

Determinants of Crop Diversification and Its Effects on Household Food Security in Northern Ghana

2020 ◽  
pp. 097674792093681
Author(s):  
Abdul Razak Baba ◽  
Abdul-Malik Abdulai
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Household Food Security ◽  
Crop Diversification ◽  
Household Food ◽  
Food Security Status ◽  
Northern Regions

This study analyses factors that determine smallholder farmers’ crop diversification decisions and their effects on household food security in Northern Ghana. A total of 1,284 households were sampled across the five northern regions of Ghana. Herfindahl Index for measuring crop diversification was used. The study found average crop diversity to be 0.55 and about 61 per cent of the sampled farmers had values above the average which indicated high crop diversification in the study area. The study also estimated the determinants of crop diversification and their effects on household dietary food security using the conditional mixed process model. Upon examining the determinants of crop diversification, occupation, technology adoption, labour, extension contact and farm size were identified as significant determinants. The study also computed the Household Food Consumption Score as a proxy for measuring food security. The result indicated that crop diversification contributes significantly to improving household food security status in Northern Ghana.

scholarly journals What drives smallholder farmers’ crop production choices in Central Zambia? Lessons from the 2012/2013 agricultural season

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kabwe Harnadih Mubanga ◽  
Bridget Bwalya Umar ◽  
Jane Muchabi ◽  
Chishimba Mubanga
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
State Agency ◽  
Household Food Security ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Household Food

The study, conducted in central Zambia was aimed at determining the major drivers of crop production choices among smallholder farmers. It utilized recent national crop production and utilization data; 200 semi-structured interview schedules, and key informant interviews conducted with smallholder farmers and experts from the agricultural sector in Zambia respectively. Results showed that despite being confronted by late on-set of rains and post germination crop attacks by army worms which made maize (Zea mays) production extremely precarious, 61.5% of the affected smallholder farmers replanted their cultivated land with maize. The farmers had a choice of whether to replant maize which had a ready market from the state agency, the Food Reserve Agency, or to plant a drought tolerant crop such as sorghum or millet which would have guaranteed them with household food security from own production. They mainly chose the former option. They increased production of other crops such as soya beans (Glycine max), sun flower(Helianthus annuus) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) when contract farming with private business entities became available. Markets determined smallholder farmers’ crop production choices more than household food security from own production or availability of climate information forecasting poor rainfall distribution. The study concludes that (i) prior knowledge of climate information does not necessarily result in a change of smallholder farmers’ crop production choices in response to a predicted climate anomaly, (ii) markets are a major determinant of crops cultivated by smallholder farmers, and hence adaptation measures involving crop diversification should be designed with market availability in mind. 

scholarly journals Measurement of the dimensions of food insecurity in developed countries: a systematic literature review

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (16) ◽  
pp. 2887-2896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Ashby ◽  
Suzanne Kleve ◽  
Rebecca McKechnie ◽  
Claire Palermo
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Food Access ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Food Utilization ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Over Time

AbstractObjectiveFood insecurity is a salient health issue comprised of four dimensions – food access, availability, utilization and stability over time. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic literature review to identify all multi-item tools that measure food insecurity and explore which of the dimensions they assess.DesignFive databases were searched (CENTRAL, CINAHL plus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, TRIP) for studies published in English since 1999. Inclusion criteria included human studies using multi-item tools to measure food security and studies conducted in developed countries. Manuscripts describing the US Department of Agriculture Food Security Survey Module, that measures ‘food access’, were excluded due to wide acceptance of the validity and reliability of this instrument. Two authors extracted data and assessed the quality of the included studies. Data were summarized against the dimensions of food insecurity.SettingA systematic review of the literature.SubjectsThe majority of tools were developed in the USA and had been used in different age groups and cultures.ResultsEight multi-item tools were identified. All of the tools assessed the ‘food access’ dimension and two partially assessed the dimensions ‘food utilization’ and ‘stability over time’, respectively. ‘Food availability’ was not assessed by existing tools.ConclusionsCurrent tools available for measuring food insecurity are subjective, limited in scope, with a majority assessing only one dimension of food insecurity (access). To more accurately assess the true burden of food insecurity, tools should be adapted or developed to assess all four dimensions of food insecurity.

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