FARMERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND ADOPTION OF IMPROVED FARMING TECHNIQUES IN LOW-LAND RICE PRODUCTION IN NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

At the Fourth Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD IV) in 2008, Japan made a plan to double African rice production during the next ten years to help African countries to overcome their food insecurity problems, so-called Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD). Against this backdrop, the Japan International Research Centre for Agric science JIRCAS has started and commissioned research from Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) entitled “Improvement of soil fertility with use of indigenous resources in rice systems of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)”. This study is part of a broader research project aimed at understanding the present situation of local practices by rice farmers in northern Ghana for soil fertility management, among others. The main objective was to find out the factors that influenced the adoption of improved farming techniques by rice farmers in the Northern and Upper East regions of Ghana in the 2009/10 farming season. Other objectives were to find out farmers perceptions about the use of local farm techniques and the qualities of a good soil. The method of analysis involved the estimation of a probit model (using proportions data) and some descriptive statistics. The sample size was 300 rice farmers who were also into the cultivation of food crops. The proportion of farm techniques adopted was greater for: experienced farmers; tenants, as opposed to those who owned the lands on which they farmed; those who received extension services and motivation; and those whose farms were closer to input stores. However household labour negatively influenced adoption. We also found that farmers had in-depth knowledge, not only about the qualities of a good soil, but also the importance of local farm techniques. With such an important pre-requisite to technology adoption, what is needed is the support to increase the quantity and quality of these techniques to make significant increases in the levels of output and income. There is the need for more extension work and motivation as well education on the misconception the farmers had about the fact that if they used organic manure in their rice fields they would turn upland.