AN EVALUATION OF JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY TRAINING ON SUSTAINABLE RAIN-FED LOWLAND RICE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY ON FARMERS’ LIVELIHOOD IN NORTHERN REGION, GHANA

Abstract

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture through its Human Resource Management programme and training initiative has been conducting training for rice farmers for many years in the selected areas: Tamale Metro, West Mamprusi Municipality and East Gonja Municipality for sustainable rain-fed lowland rice production to help double rice yield. The study, therefore evaluated the worthiness and the robustness of this training with a view to ascertain the effect on rice yield, socio-economic benefits and the livelihood of farmers. Descriptive survey was used, 257 farmers out of 880 were sampled purposively and proportionately with a 5- point rating scale questionnaire for data collection. This was complemented with oral interviews on some AEAs. Land development, rice cultivation, acquisition of knowledge and skill and farmers’ livelihood were the key thematic variables. The results showed that training on land development and rice cultivation all recorded positive significant correlation with increase in rice yield. There is a significant difference between rice yield before and the yield after the training with a t-value of -34.208 and p-value of .000. The increase in rice yield after the training positively affected farmers’ socio-economic benefits and their livelihood assets acquisition. Farming being labour intensive and acquiring tractors and their services were major constraints. JICA’s interventions and initiatives are in the right direction and a good means of promoting rice production in Ghana and should be adopted and regularised as rice production method in similar rice production environments in Ghana. Governments and other development partners should provide tractors and other incentives to rice farmers in order that Ghana becomes a net exporter of rice in the sub-region and beyond for revenue mobilisation.