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The pursuit to achieve zero hunger and food security of the Sustainable Development Goal-2 (SDG-2) is leading to a massive transformation of conventional food production systems into innovative systems of agriculture, such as greenhouse farming across the globe. However, empirical studies on consumers' opinions and choices of greenhouse products are scanty, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study, therefore, bridges this knowledge gap by assessing consumer perception and purchasing behavior of greenhouse vegetables in Ghana. Data on 400 greenhouse vegetable consumers was solicited and analyzed using the perception index and multivariate ordered probit (MOP) model. The perception analyses show positive consumer perceptions of the environment and health attributes but negative on the affordability attribute of greenhouse farming. The MOP shows that consumer's personal features and attributes of greenhouse technology are the key drivers of the consumption intensity of greenhouse vegetables. The findings have implications for government interventions to spur investment in greenhouse technology for affordable vegetable products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of 200 migrant labourers was conducted to explore whether labour migration for cocoa production in Ghana translates into greater social benefits using the net social benefit criterion. Majority of migrant labourers on cocoa farms were better off in terms of accommodation, food, medication, respect gained, social and economic impacts, and working conditions after migration. There were external benefits and costs associated with labour migration. Migrant labourers who experienced social benefits from labour migration were more than those who had social costs. Thus, social benefits associated with labour migration for cocoa production in Ghana outweigh the social costs. To maximize social benefits from labour migration, cocoa farmers should assist migrant labourers with accommodation, food and medical expenditure, and improve their working conditions on cocoa farms by giving them personal protective equipment to reduce occupational hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global demand for organic foods outstrips supply creating a gap that developing-country producers may be able to capitalize on to expand market shares. In many African countries, the domestic market for certified organic vegetables is not well-developed to service rising demand. Most farmers remain uncertain whether premiums for certified organic vegetables will be high enough to warrant a switch from conventional vegetable production. The study assessed consumer awareness, perception, and willingness to pay a premium (WTP) for certified organic vegetables. A total of 250 vegetable consumers were sampled for the study. Perceptions of consumers and determinants of WTP premiums were obtained using perception indices and multivariate Tobit regression, respectively. About 71% of vegetable consumers were aware of certified organic vegetables. Consumers, generally, had a positive perception of certified organic vegetables. Vegetable consumers were willing to pay between 31% and 50% premium for certified organic vegetables. The socio-economic and demographic characteristics of consumers (household size, income, sex, age, education), attributes of certified organic vegetables (better taste, freshness, and health benefits), and awareness/support for organic certification were key determinants of WTP premiums. There is a significant price premium for certified organic vegetables to support the possible transition from conventional to organic production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses perceptions, determinants, and constraints of 'Asaasenufosuo' organic fertilizer adoption by cocoa farmers in Ghana. Primary data were sourced from 200 cocoa farmers. Perception index, Cragg's double hurdle model, and Kendall's coefficient of concordance were employed. In addition to a high level of awareness among farmers, there is a general positive perception about 'Asaasenufosuo' organic fertilizer for cocoa production. However, less than half of the cocoa farmers had adopted 'Asaasenufosuo' organic fertilizer. Education, experience, farm size, income, secondary occupation, distance to agro-input shop, and extension contact are the factors that determine the incidence of adoption of organic fertilizer for cocoa production. However, intensity of adoption was found to be influenced by farmer location, nativity, income, source of information, and group membership. The major constraints to using 'Asaasenufosuo' organic fertilizer were found to include slow release of nutrients into the soil, high transportation cost, emission of offensive odour, high cost of product, and limited availability. To improve the uptake of organic fertilizers in cocoa production, manufacturers should take steps to reduce the offensive odour of the product. Also, sellers of the product should make it readily available to farmers by expanding the distribution network into cocoa growing communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main idea behind this study was to ascertain the extent and factors that influence the adoption of improved cassava varieties in Mampong Municipality, Ashanti Region of Ghana. This is because, many years after implementing the Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP) in Ghana, little evidence exist regarding the extent of adoption and the factors that influence the adoption of improved cassava varieties in Ghana. The study was carried out in the Mampong Municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The study employed a multistage sampling technique to select 250 cassava farmers. The Tobit and Multinomial Logistic Regression Models were used to analyse the dataset. Results show that the returns on the local varieties were higher than that of the improved cassava varieties. This might have accounted for the low adoption of the improved cassava varieties. The significant factors influencing the adoption of improved cassava varieties include access to extension services, access to credit, member of farmer associations and educational level. It is recommended that access to extension services should be enhanced, and credit opportunities should be made affordable to farmers. These are likely to increase the extent of adoption of the improved cassava varieties to enhance food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that adhering to cocoa quality management practices (QMPs) is crucial to satisfy consumer food safety standards and receive premium cocoa pricing, evidence of cocoa farmers' compliance with these recommended QMPs is scanty in Ghana. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent and antecedents of farmers' compliance with six QMPs including pest and disease, harvesting and pod storage, pod breaking and bean removal, fermentation, drying, and bagging and storage practices in Ghana. Data from 200 farmers was solicited and analyzed using a compliance index as well as a seemingly unrelated regression (SURE) model to account for cross-correlation effects among six recommended QMPs. The results show an overall index of 2.46, implying that the cocoa farmers moderately comply with the six QMPs. Specifically, compliance levels for fermentation (index = 2.90) and drying (index = 2.92) practices are high, while farmers showed low compliance with bagging and storage practices (index = 1.33). The SURE model exhibits heterogeneous covariates that influence farmers' compliance across the six QMPs. However, extension access, sex of the farmer, and to some extent awareness of quality management practices, as well as education, are significant determinants of compliance across all six quality management practices. These findings have implications for strengthening the Extension Services Division of COCOBOD and gender mainstreaming of cocoa quality improvement training to address the challenges of women cocoa farmers., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:There is no conflict of interest to disclose If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)