Modelling Farmers Investment in Agrochemicals: The Experience of Smallholder Cocoa Farmers in Ghana
TL;DR: In this article, the Tobit regression model was used to identify and quantify the effects of the determinants of farmer's investment in agrochemicals, and the results indicated that the sex of the farmer, age of the farmers, household size, educational attainment, mean age of cocoa farms, farm size and farmers previous output are all important variables in explaining farmers decision to invest in agricultural products.
Abstract: The study analyzes the effects of the determinants of farmer’s adoption of and investment in agrochemicals by collecting primary data from 156 sampled cocoa farmers in the Sefwi-Wiawso Municipality of Ghana. Descriptive statistical technique was employed to analyze demographic and farm-specific characteristics as well as the adoption rate and expenditure on agrochemicals. The findings highlighted the fact that, though a large proportion of farmers in the study area use agrochemicals, the intensity and amount spent to purchase these inputs are quite low. The Tobit regression model was used to identify and quantify the effects of the determinants of farmer’s investment in agrochemicals. The results generally indicate that the sex of the farmer, age of the farmer, household size, educational attainment, mean age of cocoa farms, farm size and farmers previous output are all important variables in explaining farmers decision to invest in agrochemicals. The paper concludes by recommending that strategic policies orienting towards improving the adoption rate as well as targeting farmers who are less likely to invest in agrochemicals is a pressing issue.
Citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed cocoa farmers' perception on climate change and adaptation strategies in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana and found that these perceptions would help identify knowledge knowledge.
Abstract: This study analyses cocoa farmers’ perception on climate change and adaptation strategies in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana. Better understanding of these perceptions would help identify knowledge...
39 citations
Cites background or result from "Modelling Farmers Investment in Agr..."
...Danso-Abbeam, Setsoafia, and Ansah (2014) noted that farmers who are married consider the survival of their family in case of any uncertainty and are more likely to adopt any innovation....
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...This result is in line with the findings of Danso-Abbeam et al. (2014)....
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TL;DR: The results suggest that agroforestry systems with around 50% shade cover may be an optimal coping strategy to balance CSSVD symptom severity versus reduced cocoa yield until diseased cocoa is replaced with more resistant varieties.
37 citations
TL;DR: The enhancement of agrarian productivity through the use of improved technologies such as fertilizer application is a critical avenue for increasing farm income, minimizing poverty, and tackling so....
Abstract: The enhancement of agrarian productivity through the use of improved technologies such as fertilizer application is a critical avenue for increasing farm income, minimizing poverty, and tackling so...
37 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors employ propensity score matching to control for selection bias and to analyse adoption of adaptation technologies, its determinants as well as impact on cocoa productivity and incomes, and found that most cocoa farmers do not adopt climate change adaptation technologies and for those who adopt some technologies, diversification of income sources was the major innovation.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the concentrations of pesticide residues in fermented dried cocoa beans were assessed from sixteen (16) selected cocoa farms in the Dormaa West District in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana.
21 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a review of comparative statistics and the Paradigm of economics and compare it with the traditional methodology of the classical methodology, including the Envelope Theorem and duality.
Abstract: 1. Comparative Statics and the Paradigm of Economics 2. Review of Calculus (One Variable) 3. Functions of Several Variables 4. Profit Maximization 5. Matrices and Determinants 6. Comparative Statics: The Traditional Methodology 7. The Envelope Theorem and Duality 8. The Derivation of Cost functions 9. Cost and Production Functions: Special Topics 10. The Derivation of Consumer Demand Functions 11. Special topics in Consumer Theory 12. Intertemporal Choice 13. Behavior under Uncertainty 14. Maximization with Inequality and Nonnegativity Constraints 15. Contracts and Incentives* 16. Markets with Imperfect Information* 17. General Equilibrium I: Linear Models 18. General Equilibrium II: Nonlinear Models 19. Welfare Economics 20. Resource Allocation over Time: Optimal Control theory *New Chapter
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30 Jan 1994
TL;DR: The relationship between land holding rights and agricultural production in Sub-Saharan Africa is examined in this paper, based on case studies in seven countries, and relies on new data to examine the relationship.
Abstract: The report is based on case studies in seven countries, and relies on new data to examine the relationship between land holding rights, and agricultural production. Land remains the most important source of economic livelihood, security, and social status in Sub-Saharan Africa. But the extent to which existing tenure rules, and practices influence agriculture, is unclear. The report further questions whether indigenous African land tenure systems, accord farmers sufficient security for long-term investment in agricultural production, and, examines as well the major effects of land registration and titling, on agricultural production. The study represent the first rigorous quantitative analysis of the relationship between land tenure security, and agricultural production in the context of contemporary political economies of African countries.
495 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the spillover effect of intra-household education on the adoption process and about the impact of education on adoption decisions under different socioeconomic conditions using a discrete choice model and showed that the decision making process is a decentralised one in which educated adult members of the household actively participate in the decision-making process.
404 citations
"Modelling Farmers Investment in Agr..." refers result in this paper
...This also confirms the previous studies by Nkamleu & Adesina (2000) and Asfaw & Admassie (2004)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the effect of socio-economic factors on the likelihood of using chemical fertilizer and pesticide in peri-urban lowland agricultural systems in Cameroon was examined and the bivariate probit model was employed to take account of the correlation between the disturbances.
157 citations
"Modelling Farmers Investment in Agr..." refers background or result in this paper
...Farmers Education (FEDU) is found to correspond positively with agrochemical adoption (Nkamleu and Adesina 2000, Asfaw and Admasie 2004)....
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...Previous studies in Africa by Malton (1994); Nkamleu & Adesina (2000) reported that men are generally more likely to adopt new agricultural technologies than women....
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...This also confirms the previous studies by Nkamleu & Adesina (2000) and Asfaw & Admassie (2004)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the economic performance of a large number of African countries using an international comparable data set and the latest technique for analysis, focusing on growth in total factor productivity and its decomposition into technical change and efficiency change components.
Abstract: The paper examines the economic performance of a large
number of African countries using an international comparable data set and the latest technique for analysis. The paper focuses on growth in total factor productivity and its decomposition into technical change and efficiency change components. The analysis is undertaken using the data envelopment analysis (DEA). The present study uses data of 16 countries over the period 1970–2001. It was found that, globally, during that period, total factor productivity has experienced a positive evolution in sampled countries. This good performance of the agricultural sector was due to good progress in technical efficiency rather than technical progress. The region suffered a regression in productivity in the 1970s, and made some progress during the 1980s and 1990s. The study also highlights the fact that technical change has been the main constraint of achievement of high levels of total factor productivity during the reference period in sub-Saharan Africa. Contrariwise, in Maghreb countries, technological change has been the main driving force of productivity growth. Finally, the results indicate that institutional factors as well as agro-ecological factors are important determinants of agricultural productivity growth.
153 citations
"Modelling Farmers Investment in Agr..." refers methods or result in this paper
...This also confirms the previous studies by Nkamleu & Adesina (2000) and Asfaw & Admassie (2004)....
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...Many studies (Nkamleuet al., 2007, Nkamleu & Tsafack 2007; Nkamleu, 2004; Holloway et al., 2004; Oladade, 2005; Degu et al., 2000)have used this procedure to study farmer’s decision to adopt technology packages....
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...This is quite not different from the results obtained by Nkamleuet al., (2007) who reported that Ivorian farmers are less likely to use agrochemicals on their older cocoa farms....
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...This supports the previous studies by Polson & Spencer (1991) and recent study by Nkamleuet al., (2007) who documented positive correlation between total area cultivated and adoption of agrochemicals....
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...A few recent examples include Silberberg and Suen (2001) and Nkamleuet al., (2007) and therefore the theoretical framework for modeling farmer’s investment in agrochemicals is similar to the one outlined....
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