ADOPTION INTENSITY OF SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND WELFARE OUTCOMES OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

The study investigated the impact of adoption intensity of sustainable land management practices on the welfare outcomes of smallholder farmers in northern Ghana using secondary survey data from the JIRCASUDS/SARI, TERRA Africa research project. The study first estimated the determinants of the intensity of SLM adoption among farm households, followed by estimating the effect of SLM adoption intensity on the welfares of smallholder farmers and lastly, identifying the constraints farmers face in adopting SLM practices. Results from the Standard Poisson Model revealed that, agricultural subsidies, number of household workforce, and household head income all had significant impacts on farmers’ ability to intensify the adoption of SLMs. Also, the control function results indicated that farmers basic educational levels, household head workforce, household head income, household head savings amount, household head farm size, Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) group, distance to cooperative center were all significant in both adoption intensity levels and subsequently on the general welfare outcomes of smallholder farmers in the two regions. Meanwhile, the Kendall’s coefficient revealed that, farmer awareness and understanding of SLMs, land tenure security, and extension services was ranked as the most consistent constraints of SLM adoption in the northern and savannah regions of Ghana. The study thus recommended that, government and NGOs need to expand their subsidy programmes, as well as build farmer field schools and mobile-based advisory services to intensify the dissemination of SLMs and the need to intensify their adoption levels. Secondly, the non-linear relationship between SLM adoption and welfare outcomes suggest that, policies should encourage comprehensive adoption of multiple complementary practices rather than piecemeal implementation in order to fully maximize the benefits of SLM practices. Finally, government should introduce and implement sustained educational initiatives that will engage farmers in SLM training to deepen their understanding of SLM adoption intensities whiles charging extension agents to intensify its extension services during farming and non-farming seasons.