Asamoah Larbi

Adoption and impacts of sustainable intensification practices in Ghana

ABSTRACT Sustainable agricultural intensification requires the use of multiple agricultural technologies in an integrated manner to enhance productivity while conserving the natural resource base. This study analyses the adoption and impacts of sustainable intensification practices (SIPs) using a dataset from Ghana. A multivariate probit (MVP) model was estimated to assess the adoption of multiple SIPs. Moreover, we used a multivalued semi-parametric treatment effect (MVTE) model to estimate the effects of adopting multiple SIPs on maize productivity. The MVP model results show, among others, that access to market, capital, and information/knowledge would enhance the adoption of SIPs. The MVTE model results show that a higher number of SIPs is associated with higher productivity which is more visible when commercial inputs are used in combination with cultural practices. These results have the following policy implications. First, they imply that good rural infrastructure and agricultural services such as rural road network, village-level input delivery system, input credit, and multiple information/knowledge sharing approach (instead of the conventional singular formal information/knowledge sharing approach) can enhance adoption. Second, the results suggest that promoting an integrated use of technologies, instead of a single technology, would have a positive impact on farm productivity and farm household income.

Looking back and moving forward: 50 years of soil and soil fertility management research in sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT Low and declining soil fertility has been recognized for a long time as a major impediment to intensifying agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Consequently, from the inception of international agricultural research, centres operating in SSA have had a research programme focusing on soil and soil fertility management, including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The scope, content, and approaches of soil and soil fertility management research have changed over the past decades in response to lessons learnt and internal and external drivers and this paper uses IITA as a case study to document and analyse the consequences of strategic decisions taken on technology development, validation, and ultimately uptake by smallholder farmers in SSA. After an initial section describing the external environment within which soil and soil fertility management research is operating, various dimensions of this research area are covered: (i) ‘strategic research’, ‘Research for Development’, partnerships, and balancing acts, (ii) changing role of characterization due to the expansion in geographical scope and shift from soils to farms and livelihoods, (iii) technology development: changes in vision, content, and scale of intervention, (iv) technology validation and delivery to farming communities, and (v) impact and feedback to the technology development and validation process. Each of the above sections follows a chronological approach, covering the last five decades (from the late 1960s till today). The paper ends with a number of lessons learnt which could be considered for future initiatives aiming at developing and delivering improved soil and soil fertility management practices to smallholder farming communities in SSA.

Corralling, planting density, and N fertilizer rate effect on soil properties, weed diversity, and maize yield

ABSTRACT The interaction effect of stocking density of sheep and goat corralling (SDSG), maize planting density (MPD), and N fertilizer rate (NFR) on soil properties, weed diversity, and maize yield were evaluated on-farm in a smallholder maize-livestock farming system of Northern Ghana during the 2014 and 2015 cropping seasons. A split-split plot design replicated on eight farms was used to study the effect of three SDSG (0, 70, and 140 head ha−1), three MPD (66 667, 100 000, and 133 333 plants ha−1), and three NFR (0–40-40, 60–40-40, and 90–40-40 NPK kg ha−1). The SDSG at 70 and 140 head ha−1 increased (P < 0.01) soil chemical and biological properties and weed diversity compared with the control in both cropping seasons. Maize growth, yield and yield components, and weed biomass were affected (P < 0.05) by the SDSG, MPD, and NFR interactions. Maize-livestock farmers with smaller flock size could use SDSG at 70 head ha−1 with NFR at 90 kg ha−1, whilst those with large flock size could stock at 140 head ha−1 with NFR at 60 kg ha−1 and MPD at 133 333 plants ha−1 for increased maize yield and weed management.

Dietary diversity is not associated with haematological status of pregnant women resident in rural areas of northern Ghana

Background. Information regarding how dietary diversity is related to haematological status of the pregnant women in rural areas of Northern Ghana is limited. This study therefore evaluated maternal dietary intake and how it relates to the nutritional status of pregnant women belonging to different socioeconomic conditions in Northern Ghana. Methods. This study was cross-sectional in design involving 400 pregnant women. Midupper arm circumference (MUAC) and anaemia status were used to assess the nutritional status of pregnant women. Results. The mean dietary diversity score (DDS) of the study population from ten food groups was 4.2 ± 1.5 (95% CI: 4.08 to 4.37). Of the 400 women, 46.1% (95% CI: 40.0 to 52.2) met the new minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W). The mean haemoglobin concentration among the pregnant women studied was 10.1 g/dl ± 1.40 (95% CI: 9.8 to 10.3). The independent predictors of haemoglobin concentration were maternal educational attainment, gestational age, frequency of antenatal care (ANC) attendance, number of under-five children in the household, size of MUAC, and maternal height. Conclusions. Irrespective of the socioeconomic status, women minimum dietary diversity (MDD-W) was not associated with anaemia among pregnant women resident in the rural areas of Northern Ghana.

Household food insecurity, coping strategies, and nutritional status of pregnant women in rural areas of Northern Ghana

Abstract There is limited information on the magnitude and determinants of household food insecurity (HFI) and how it relates to the nutritional status of pregnant women in Northern Ghana. The magnitude, determinants of HFI, and how it relates to the nutritional status of pregnant women were evaluated in the Africa RISING West Africa project intervention communities in Northern Ghana. The prevalence of moderate and severe household hunger was 25.9% (95% CI: 19.0, 34.3) and 6.8% (95% CI: 4.2, 10.9) respectively. The independent predictors of maternal thinness were region of residence, gestational age and maternal age. Compared to women in the first trimester, women in the third trimester were 2.2 times more likely of being underweight adjusted odds ratio (AOR = 2.19, CI: 1.02, 4.70). Women who were under 20 years of age were 11.9 times more likely of being thin compared to women aged more than 35 years (AOR = 11.97, CI: 2.55, 5. 67). Food insecurity was highly prevalent but it was not associated with maternal thinness of pregnant women. The risk of maternal thinness increased as the gestational age increased and this has a great potential of adversely influencing pregnancy outcomes and overall quality of life.