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Adoption of Conservation Agricultural Practices among Maize Farmers: An Alternative Livelihood to Mitigate Climate Change Impact in Bawku Municipality, Ghana Bawa, Alhassan; T. Jamedu, Abu
Asia Pacific Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Vol. 9 No. 2 (2021): December 2021
Publisher : Asia Pacific Network for Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Network (SAFE Network)

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.36782/apjsafe.v9i2.107

The plight of farmers are worsening by the impact of climate change. This is evident in all agro-ecological zones in Ghana. Warming and variability in rainfall pattern is causing floods and long dry spells of drought with resultant effects of reduced food crop and livestock production. Conservation Agricultural (CA) practices was therefore introduced to address the challeges of conventional tillage. CA has therefore been identified as a substitute to conventional agriculture for sustainable agricultural productivity. The objective of the study was to assess the rate of adoption of CA practices in the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East region of Ghana. The study was conducted in the Bawku Municipal area of Ghana. The research design used for the study was the mixed methods. The purposive sampling technique was used Ito select the Bawku Municipality as the major area where agricultural conservation practices occurs in the Upper East region. The simple random sampling technique was used to select ten (10) communities in the Municipality, whilst the systematic random sampling was used to select forty (40) respondents from each community for the study. The target population for the study was maize farmers in the Bawku Municipality. In all, a total of 358 respondents were interviewed for the study. Data was taken on socio-cultural and socio-economic characteristics of respondents. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, percentages, and means were computed. Cross tabulations of variables were also computed and the chi-square tests used to establish relationships. The study revealed that age, sex, level of education, religion, household size, government policy, access to credit, source of income, farm size, and access to extension services were found to have significantly influenced adoption of CA practices. The results of the study indicated that majority of farmers were aware and had knowledge about CA practices. “No-tillage with cover crops, minimum tillage with cover crops, and crop rotation with cover crops” were the main practices of conservation agriculture in the study area. The study further revealed that majority of the farmers indicated that the practices of conservation agriculture reduces soil erosion, increases soil fertility, increases soil organic matter and improves agricultural productivity. The survey also reveals that 81% of farmers adopted CA practices in full. It is recommended that the Ghanaian government should boost CA practices by instituting an annual nation award scheme to award hardworking CA practioners in Ghana.

Impact of clip project on the livelihood outcomes of Sheabutter processing women in Karaga District of Northern Region, Ghana Bawa, Alhassan
Asia Pacific Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Vol. 9 No. 2 (2021): December 2021
Publisher : Asia Pacific Network for Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Network (SAFE Network)

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.36782/apjsafe.v9i2.115

The poverty situation in northern Ghana is a major challenge to sustainable development. As a result of socio-cultural factors, women are vulnerable and their poverty situation is even more overwhelming. Development agencies, Governmental and Non- Governmental Organizations have adopted and implemented different strategies aimed at reducing poverty in these areas. Micro-credit delivery to the poor especially women is one of these strategies that seems to be making impact towards improving the livelihoods of the rural poor women. In recognition of the fact that the shea industry has a great potential and could help alleviate poverty in the five northern regions of Ghana, and most especially among the rural women, the Community Life Improvement Programme (CLIP) was established in 1997 to help boost the shea industry through the initiation of micro-credit scheme to help the northern women patronize, intensify and expand the sheabutter processing micro-business. This study was therefore conducted in 2015 to evaluate the impact of the CLIP project on the livelihood outcomes of women in the micro-scale sheabutter processing in Karaga district of Northern region. By means of purposive and snow ball sampling techniques, 110 respondents (consisting of 80 beneficiary and 30 non-beneficiary women) were interviewed for the study. An interview guide and focus group discussions were used to obtain information from the sheabutter processing women. Relevant literature documents of the CLIP project were also consulted. From the survey, the activities undertaken by the CLIP project to improve the livelihood of the beneficiary sheabutter processors were identified and the impact of the project on the beneficiary women assessed. The results of the study revealed that the livelihood outcomes of the beneficiary women have been improved. The study further revealed that the livelihood outcomes of the beneficiary women were far better off as compared to that of the non-beneficiary women of the CLIP project. The study recommended that, the CLIP project should expand its base to cover many more sheabutter processing women in the target communities, and intensify its training and monitoring activities.

Maize Production and Food Security in Garu District of Upper East Region, Ghana Bawa, Alhassan; Asampambila, Denis
Asia Pacific Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Vol. 10 No. 2 (2022): December 2022
Publisher : Asia Pacific Network for Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Network (SAFE Network)

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.36782/apjsafe.v10i2.116

Agriculture is the dominant occupation in the Garu district that employs over 95 percent of households. However, yields of maize in the district are perpetually low. This might be due to intermittent drought (erratic rainfall pattern), low soil fertility, invasion of diseases and pests, inadequate technical know-how, inadequate credit facilities to expand production and the use of inappropriate farming practices and techniques. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of maize production on food security in Garu district of the Upper East region of Ghana. Purposive sampling technique was used to select Garu district out of the thirteen districts in the Upper East region of Ghana. The purposive sampling technique was again used to select 10 predominantly maize farming communities within the Garu district. The stratified sampling technique was used to selects respondents from the ten communities, while simple random sampling was used to select Agricultural Extension Agents for the study. In all, 124 respondents were selected for the study. The study revealed that over 50% of household members had enough maize to feed on throughout the 12 months period of the year. The study further established that most household made good use of maize as their main diet and nutrition throughout the year. It is recommended that capacity building of farmers on agronomic practices and improved modern methods of farming should be intensified to further sharping the skills of farmers for increased productivity and hence, improved food security. It is also recommended that the Department of Agriculture should ensure effective extension services delivery to increase yields of maize from the average of 4-6 100kg bags per acre to 10 bags per acre.

Response of Fonio (Digitaria exilis) Accessions to Fertilizer Application Bawa, Alhassan; Kwahene Addai, Isaac; B. Bisuki, Konlan
Asia Pacific Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Vol. 10 No. 2 (2022): December 2022
Publisher : Asia Pacific Network for Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Network (SAFE Network)

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.36782/apjsafe.v10i2.146

Fonio is one of the lost crops of Africa, and part of the reasons it has been neglected is inadequate information on Fonio growth and yield potential across its growing areas, hence the need to assess the response of available germplasm to fertilizer application. The objectives of the study were to determine the growth and yield response of Fonio accessions to fertilizer application, and to evaluate the interactive effect of fertilizer and Fonio accession on growth and yield. The study was conducted in Northern Ghana, during the 2019 cropping season. The research used a 4 x 5 (four fertilizer levels and five accessions) factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The finding showed that growth and yield parameters were significantly (P< 0.05) affected by fertilizer application. The result also revealed that accession OUSAI recorded the highest grain yield of 1015.10 kg/ha and NFAS4 recorded the least grain yield of 713.23 kg/ha. Also, the most lodged accession was OUAS1 which recorded 65% lodging of its total plant population and the least lodged accessions (NFAS4 and EYAS5) recorded about 10% lodging each. There was significant (P ˂ 0.05) variations among accessions for most of the attributes measured. The interactive effect of fertilizer and accession was significant ((P˂0.05) for most of the traits studied.

Assessing the climate change and its impact on livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Karaga district of Ghana Bawa, Alhassan
Asia Pacific Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Vol. 13 No. 1 (2025): June 2025
Publisher : Asia Pacific Network for Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy Network (SAFE Network)

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.36782/apjsafe.v13i1.490

Agricultural production and food security among smallholder farmers has been threatened as a results of the effect of the changing climate. This study sought to analyse the changing climate and its impact on livelihoods among smallholder rural farmers in the Karaga district of Ghana. The research adopted a mixed-method approach where both quantitative and qualitative data were used. Primary data was obtained from 272 households through interviews, focus group discussions, field observation, and key informant interviews. The findings show that majority of farmers recognize the negative effects of climate change on their livelihoods. Farmers also perceive potential benefits from new technologies such as high-yielding varieties and irrigation that can enhance their well-being. Smallholders also confirmed that the adaptation and mitigation strategies were through indigenous weather forecasting, and bio-insecticides innovations. In the years of crop failure because of climate hazards, smallholder farmers resort to trading, firewood harvesting for sale and charcoal burning as a coping livelihood strategy. The research also reveals that there is no significant differences between gender and adaptation response to the changing climate. The study further reveals that women and children are the most vulnerable during climate-related displacements. In conclusion, the ancient traditional practices of smallholder farmers, such as the use of ‘rain callers’, the use of forest reserves as shrines, indigenous weather forecasting, and the use of bio-insecticide innovation, are still very relevant in adapting to climate variability. The research recommends the promotion of indigenous weather information systems and sustainable agricultural practices to build rural smallholders' capacity to adapt.

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