FARMER FIELD FORA AND ADOPTION OF YAM INTEGRATED PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES IN NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

Justification for the use of public funds on programmes and the determination of their effectiveness among other factors call for their evaluation. This study was therefore conducted to investigate the effectiveness of Farmer Field Fora (FFF) and adoption of yam Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) Technologies in the Nanumba North and Kpandai Districts of the Northern region of Ghana. A multi-stage sampling technique was carried out to select 240 participants and non-participants from the study area. Primary data collection was done in 2012 through individual questionnaire administration and focus group discussions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis and budgetary techniques. From the findings, the farmers' perceptions of the effectiveness of the FFF were favorable and the FFF led to a close in knowledge gap and the adoption of IPDM technologies. Factors that positively affected adoption were training such as the FFF, farm size, and research contacts. Variables that had negative effects on adoption were age and house hold size. Also, while the benefit cost ratio for project participants was 2.5 that of non-participants in project community and non¬participants outside project community were 1.9 and 2.1 respectively. FFF is therefore an appropriate mechanism to transfer IPDM technologies and the process could be adopted for extension activities. However, for a rapid adoption of the technologies, farmers should be supported with credit and more contacts with researchers. Also, younger farmers and large-scale farmers should be targeted for extra support without neglecting older farmers and small-scale farmers.