This Community features research findings from postgraduate students. These findings are submitted as theses or dissertations http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/5 2026-06-12T12:52:54Z 2026-06-12T12:52:54Z ABDULAI, H. http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/4656 2026-06-09T14:51:47Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: ENHANCING FARM PERFORMANCE AND WELFARE OF GROUNDNUT PRODUCING HOUSEHOLDS: THE ROLE OF BIOCHAR ADOPTION IN UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA Authors: ABDULAI, H. Abstract: Agricultural sector has a formidable twofold challenge of producing twice the world food by 2050 to sustain the world population and at the same time fight the impacts of climate change and reduce emission of its greenhouse gases by adopting sustainable agricultural methods. This study examines the determinants and impacts of biochar adoption on farm performance, commercialization, and welfare of smallholder groundnut farmers in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The used a survey data from 564 groundnut farmers through a multistage sampling method. The recursive bivariate probit, endogenous switching regression (ESR), and stochastic production frontier (SPF) models were employed to analyze the impact of biochar adoption on farm performance, commercialization, and welfare. The results show that access to credit, agricultural extension services, training programs, farm size, and farmer-based organizations significantly enhance biochar adoption. Adoption of biochar increased commercialization by 2.5-5%, implying a positive relationship. Also, biochar adoption was found to enhance farm household welfare with adopters gaining extra GH₵0.94 in per capita income per month and GH₵0.97 in per capita expenditure per month. The study also found biochar adoption to improve groundnut output and technical efficiency with adopters achieving 42-46% higher predicted yields. Based on the findings, the study recommends that policymakers should institute community-based biochar production systems that will ensure quality control, reduce production costs, and expand access to biochar. Local governments, research institutions, and development agencies should strengthen farmers policies and programs to expand sensitization and logistics that can help farmers enhance their adoption of biochar. For instance, improved access to agricultural extension services from government, NGOs or private institutions could provide farmers with insights to adopt biochar, since extension access significantly and positively affect biochar adoption. Provision of tailored credit schemes to meet the financial needs of smallholder farmers facilities through group loans and other credit alternatives with flexible payment modes for farmers could enhance farmers’ adoption of biochar. Description: DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z ABDUL-RAZAK, I. http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/4645 2026-05-21T11:14:30Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: CIVIC CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN GHANA: IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Authors: ABDUL-RAZAK, I. Abstract: Ghana's three decades of competitive democracy present a paradox where high political participation coexists with persistent developmental failures. More than half the population remains in or near poverty despite peaceful electoral transitions. This study investigated the relationship between political communication practices and citizens' civic cultural competence in Ghana. Using Tamale Metropolitan Area as the primary data collection site, the research examined why democratic participation fails to generate accountability in human development outcomes. These outcomes include infrastructure provision, service delivery, poverty reduction, and equitable resource distribution. The research employed an integrated conceptual framework combining Political Communication Culture Theory, civic cultural competence dimensions (knowledge, awareness, understanding, and resistance), and Sen's human development approach. Qualitative methods included 4 focus group discussions (6-8 participants each), 16 in-depth interviews with citizens (45-60 minutes), and 10 key informant interviews with media personnel and political actors (60-90 minutes). The findings reveal a sophistication-constraint paradox. Political elites employ sophisticated communication tactics—emotional appeals, symbolic gestures, recycled promises, and strategic ambiguity—to mobilize votes without delivering tangible development. Hierarchical digital networks and partisan media amplify these tactics. Citizens demonstrate remarkably high civic cultural competence across knowledge, awareness, and understanding dimensions. They accurately identify manipulation patterns and comprehend underlying political motives. However, structural barriers prevent citizens from translating sophisticated individual message-decoding capacity into collective resistance and counter-messaging. These barriers include fragmented organizing infrastructure, partisan divisions, meeting access constraints, patronage targeting potential organizers, and captured media. The study makes three interconnected contributions. Theoretically, it develops the civic cultural competence framework and introduces the K-A-U-R (Knowledge-Awareness-Understanding Resistance) analytical model for assessing democratic citizenship. Empirically, it provides first systematic evidence of the sophistication-constraint paradox in Ghanaian democracy, demonstrating that institutional barriers—not citizen ignorance—cause the democracy-development disconnect. Practically, it recommends structural reforms including campaign finance regulation, cross-partisan coalition-building, independent media support, and alternative communication platforms that enable sustained citizen counter-messaging to impose accountability costs on political elites. Description: MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN SOCIAL CHANGE COMMUNICATION

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z MOHAMMED, K. http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/4632 2026-05-07T14:22:56Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: INFLUENCE OF “ACCESSION” TYPE AND CONSEQUENT “TOPPING” ON PRODUCTIVITY AND PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF OKRA (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) FRUIT IN A GHANAIAN OXISOL Authors: MOHAMMED, K. Abstract: Studies on the influence of “accession” type and consequent “topping” on productivity and proximate composition of okra was conducted at the orchard and Spanish Laboratory Complex, University for Development Studies (UDS), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences, Department of Horticulture, Tamale, Ghana. There is a significant knowledge gap regarding the impact of “topping” on the proximate composition of okra fruits. Lack of standardized “topping” practice among farmers, coupled with limited data on proximate composition hinders the optimization of okra productivity, hence the study. The study was a two-factor experiment in a Randomized Complete Block Design with five replications. The two factors considered were “accession” type {“Choochoo (C)”; “Jengbunjira” (J); “Maanpielli” (M); “Sheinmana” (S); and “Wuunmana” (W)} and “topping” stages {control, no “topping” (T0); “topping” at apical flower bud emergence (Ta); “topping” at one week after apical flower bud emergence (T1); and “topping” at two weeks after apical flower bud emergence (T2)}. These two factors were combined to make twenty treatment combinations {“Choochoo” not “topped” (CT0), “Choochoo” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (CTa), “Choochoo” “topped” at one week after apical flower bud emergence (CT1), “Choochoo” “topped” at two weeks after apical flower bud emergence (CT2), “Jangbunjira” not “topped” (JT0), “Jangbunjira” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (JTa), “Jangbunjira” “topped” at one week after apical flower bud emergence (JT1), “Jangbunjira” “topped” at two weeks after apical flower bud emergence (JT2), “Maanpielli” not “topped” (MT0), “Maanpielli” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (MTa), “Maanpielli” “topped” at one week after apical flower bud emergence (MT1), “Maanpielli” “topped” at two weeks after apical flower bud emergence (MT2), “Sheinmana” not “topped” (ST0), “Sheinmana” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (STa), “Sheinmana” “topped” at one week after apical flower bud emergence (ST1), “Sheinmana” “topped” at two weeks after apical flower bud emergence (ST2), “Wuunmana” not “topped” (WT0), “Wuunmana” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (WTa), “Wuunmana” “topped” at one week after apical flower bud emergence (WT1), “Wuunmana” “topped” at two weeks after apical flower bud emergence (WT2)}. Five healthy plants per treatment were randomly selected and tagged for the study. Choochoo” plants with “topping” at apical flower bud emergence (CTa) recorded a significantly higher number of flower buds and number of flowers. “Choochoo” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (CTa) plants recorded the highest fresh fruit weight (414.7 g) produced per plant. Fresh fruit girth recorded significant interaction effects, where JTa plants recorded significantly higher fruit girth (36.47 mm). “Sheinmana” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (STa) plants recorded the highest fruit length (9.12 cm) per plant. There were no interaction effects among the treatment combinations for the percentage moisture content of okra but “Choochoo” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (CTa) plants recorded the highest (71.88 %) percentage moisture content, the highest percentage crude fat content (0.88 %), and the highest (70.6 %) percentage carbohydrate content. “Jangbunjira” not “topped” (JT0) plants recorded significantly higher percentage dry matter content (26.42 %). The highest (25.93 %) percentage crude protein was recorded by “Maanpielli” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (MTa), and the highest (9.364 %) percentage crude ash content by “Wuunmana” “topped” at two weeks after apical flower bud emergence (WT2). “Choochoo” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (CTa) was highly recommended for optimizing productivity with particular reference to the number of fruits and fruit weight critical to the fresh market. For processing goals, “Jangbunjira” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (JTa) was recommended for optimum fruit girth, and “Sheinmana” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (STa) for optimizing fruit length. For the determination of proximate composition,“Choochoo” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (CTa) was prioritised for bulk consumption and enhanced digestion due to its high moisture, fat, and carbohydrate levels. “Jangbunjira” not topped, “Maanpielli” “topped” at apical flower bud emergence (MTa), “Choochoo” “topped” at two weeks after apical flower bud emergence (CT2), and “Wuunmana” “topped” at two weeks after apical flower bud emergence (WT2) enhanced: optimum dry matter content, protein content, and ash content respectively. The study found “topping” at apical flower bud emergence (Ta) a worthy technical agronomic practice for improved productivity and proximate composition in each case of the five “accessions” evaluated. Description: REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN HORTICULTURE

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z SESAY, M. J http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/4631 2026-05-07T14:21:00Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: MODELLING THE EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION DEPTHS AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS ON RICE PERFORMANCE IN THE GUINEA SAVANNAH AGRO ECOLOGICAL ZONE OF GHANA Authors: SESAY, M. J Abstract: The study modelled the effects of irrigation depths and drainage systems on the performance of rice in the Guinea Savannah agro-ecological zone of Ghana. The study specifically evaluated the effect of different irrigation application depths and drainage systems on growth and yield of rice, assessed the effects of irrigation application depths and drainage systems on changes in soil electrical conductivity, soil temperature and nitrogen balance in irrigated ecology, estimated Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) for rice culture in an irrigated ecology and modelled the effects of irrigation application depths and drainage systems on LAI and yield of rice. The irrigation application depths were continuous flooding at 5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm and alternate wetting and drying (AWD) at – 5 cm, - 10 cm and – 15 cm while the drainage systems were no drainage as control, surface drainage and sub-surface drainage systems. Micro plots with concrete blocks were constructed measuring 1 m × 1 m × 1 m and laid in a Randomized Complete Block Design in a 6 × 3 factorial treatment arrangement replicated three (3) times in 2023 and 2024 growing seasons. Soil electrical conductivity (EC) was used to determine the salinity index of the soil. Monitoring of temperature within the root zone of the crop was done throughout the crop growth cycle depicting each of the six stages in the paddy rice. To compute the baselines, the air temperature, leaf canopy temperature and the vapour pressure deficit (VPD) were used. Results indicated that sub-surface drainage with 5 cm irrigation depth produced the tallest plants (80 – 94 cm), high LAI (2.39 – 3.89), high leaf chlorophyll content (16.24 – 19.93 CCI) and a high yield (6.77 – 9.55 t/ha). No drainage under AWD 15 recorded the shortest plant (65 – 79 cm), lower LAI (0.85 – 2.16), lower Leaf Chlorophyll Content (LCC) (5.37 – 9.50) and lower yield (0.41 – 1.27 t/ha) in both seasons. The salinity level of the soil was high (347.8 µS/cm) in treatments with no drainage and low (186 µS/cm) in sub-surface drainage. Soil temperature results indicated that surface drainage under AWD 15 recorded the highest (37 – 43 oC) while the lowest (20 – 26 0C) was recorded in treatments with no drainage under continuous flooding. AWD with sub-surface drainage resulted in higher nitrogen content (0.064 – 0.095 %) while the lowest was recorded in continuous flooding with no drainage (0.038 %) and continuous flooding with surface drainage (0.031 %). Results indicated that CWSI was lower (0.075) in CF 5-10 in 2023 and 0.143 in 2024 due to temperature differences while the highest CWSI (0.831 and 0.857) were recorded in AWD – 15. In 2023, CWSI gave a regression model of y = - 0.1191x + 0.7587 and a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.987 while in 2024, a regression model of y = - 0.0969x + 0.8673 where (x) represents the irrigation application depths. Observed simulation showed more accurate results for CF 5 with no drainage (d-stat = 0.92 and R2 = 0.93). The regression analysis of the yield produced a regression equation y = - 0.242x + 6182.2 with a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.654. During the evaluation, R2 for no-drainage condition ranged from 0.81 – 0.97, RMSE ranged from 0.11 – 1.72 and D-index ranged from 0.31 – 0.98. The continuous flooding at irrigation water depth of 5 cm (CF 5) gave the highest Willmot’s d-index of agreement of 0.98 while the lowest d-index was recorded on treatment AWD -15. In conclusion, sub-surface drainage system under 5 cm irrigation depth proved to be more efficient in terms improving the growth and yield parameters of rice while at the same time conserving water. The values derived for CWSI in this study can be used to understand the stress dynamics of rice in various stages of growth under different irrigation depths and drainage systems. The performance of rice can be increased greatly by adopting irrigation application depth of 5 cm with drainage management being put in place. CWSI estimation offers a practical tool for drought mitigation and irrigation scheduling in both irrigated and rainfed rice systems. Description: REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE ENGINEERING

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z