Characterization of maize producing households in the Northern Region of Ghana

Abstract

The characterization of households for the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project in the Northern Region of Ghana was implemented to provide a profile of maize producing households in the project area, and assess the rate of adoption of existing maize varieties and their impact on the welfare of maize producing farm households. Maize is indeed an important food and cash crop, therefore, improving the production and productivity of the crop will enhance food self-sufficiency among the households. About two thirds of the of the sampled households are less endowed, as indicated by the wealth indices computed using principal component analysis (PCA) which gives an indication of the incidence of poverty. The few well endowed farm households have access to large areas of land resources. Despite the numerous constraints associated with maize production in the study area, the estimated rate of adoption of existing improved maize varieties is about 95%. However, low level of farmer participation in field demonstrations is a source of concern for the newly improved DT maize varieties that are yet to be released. High rates of adoption of the DT maize varieties are assured if proper targeting is undertaken. For this project to be successful there is a need to foster strong linkages between the DTMA working group in the country and the associated development agencies to identify synergies to ensure the effective dissemination of the DT maize varieties through intensive field demonstrations. Farmers from Tolon-Kumbungu, by virtue of their proximity to research and development agencies, are more likely to adopt newly improved maize varieties. From the Probit adoption regression model, the area allocated to improved maize, the cost of fertilizer, and household income all have significant effects on the adoption of improved maize varieties. The results also suggest that farmers with high incomes tend to invest in off-farm activities. Moreover, the high cost of fertilizer is a disincentive for the adoption of improved maize varieties. The technology development process must therefore consider the cost implications in terms of the fertilizer and labor requirements to enable the farmers with a lower income to adopt the technologies. Finally, since the technology development process and dissemination occur simultaneously, it is also necessary to progressively track the rate of diffusion and the potential impact.