Demand for and intensity of use of extension services among  cocoa farmers in Ghana: the heckpoisson approach.

Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum; Fred Ankuyi; Prince Asiedu; Akua Yeboah Oduro-Owusu; Ernest Laryea Okorley; Stephen Prah; John-Eudes Andivi Bakang; Prince Amoako

doi:10.55227/ijhess.v3i3.767

Authors

Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, KNUST-Kumasi, Ghana
Fred Ankuyi Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, KNUST-Kumasi, Ghana
Prince Asiedu Development Studies, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, University of Passau, Germany
Akua Yeboah Oduro-Owusu Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, KNUST-Kumasi, Ghana
Ernest Laryea Okorley Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, UCC-Cape Coast, Ghana
Stephen Prah Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, KNUST-Kumasi, Ghana
John-Eudes Andivi Bakang Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, KNUST-Kumasi, Ghana
Prince Amoako Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, KNUST-Kumasi, Ghana

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55227/ijhess.v3i3.767

Abstract

In response to the evolving landscape of agricultural extension services, a paradigm shift is imperative, moving away from the traditional supply-centric approach to one that recognizes farmers as active participants influenced by socio-economic factors. This transformation is especially pertinent for cocoa farmers, whose livelihoods hinge on this crop. To elucidate this shift, our study employs a multistage sampling technique to select 400 cocoa farmers in the Tafo District, Eastern Region, Ghana to ensure representativeness and diversity. The Heckpoisson model analysis reveals that farmers' demand for and intensity of use of extension services are intricately linked to a spectrum of socio-economic factors; farming experience, cooperative membership, farm size, sex, number of farms, religion, land tenure, marital status, household size, access to credit, distance to the farm, age, and years of formal education. Building upon our insights, we recommend that extension service providers tailor their services to align with the socio-economic characteristics of farmers

References

Abdallah, A. H., & Awal, A. (2016). Determinants of access to agricultural extension services: evidence from smallholder rural women in Northern Ghana. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 9(3), 1-8.

Abugu, R. O., Chah, J. M., Nwobodo, C. A. A. N., Asadu, A. N., & Igbokwe, E. M. (2013). Agricultural extension needs of farmers in Telfairia production and marketing in Enugu State, Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Extension, 17(1), 49-60.

Amezah, K., & Hesse, J. (2002). Reforms in the Ghanaian extension system. Extension reforms for rural development: Decentralised systems, 1, 12-18. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTARD/8258261111129171182/20431831/Extension_Reform_V1_final.pdf

Anang, B. T., Sipiläinen, T., Bäckman, S., & Kola, J. (2015). Factors influencing smallholder farmers' access to agricultural microcredit in Northern Ghana. Afr. J. Agric. Res., 10 (24), pp. 2460-2469

Ankuyi, F., Tham-Agyekum, E. K., Ankrah, D., Oduro-Owusu, A. Y., Bakang, J-E. A., Boansi D., & Asirifi, S. (2023). Beyond certification: Investigating the nexus between compliance with sustainable agriculture standards and livelihood assets of certified smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 9:1, 2256556.

Bawa, A. (2019). Agriculture and Food Security in Northern Ghana. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 1-7.

Birner, R., Davis, K., Pender, J., Nkonya, E., Anandajayasekeram, P., Ekboir, J., & Cohen, M. (2009). From best practice to best fit: A framework for designing and analyzing pluralistic agricultural advisory services worldwide. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 15(4), 341-355.

Cameron, T. A., & Kolstoe, S. H. (2022). Using auxiliary population samples for sample-selection correction in models based on crowd-sourced volunteered geographic information. Land Economics, 98(1), 1-21.

Chen, Z., Sarkar, A., Hossain, M. S., Li, X., & Xia, X. (2021). Household Labour Migration and Farmers’ Access to Productive Agricultural Services: A Case Study from Chinese Provinces. Agriculture, 11(10), 976.

Churi, A. J., Mlozi, M. R., Tumbo, S. D., & Casmir, R. (2012). Understanding farmers' information communication strategies for managing climate risks in rural semi-arid areas, Tanzania.

Davis, K. E., & Terblanche, S. E. (2016). Challenges facing the agricultural extension landscape in South Africa, Quo Vadis? South African Journal of Agricultural Extension, 44(2), 231-247.

Gido, E. O., Sibiko, K. W., Ayuya, O. I., & Mwangi, J. K. (2015). Demand for agricultural extension services among small-scale maize farmers: Micro-level evidence from Kenya. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 21(2), 177-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/1389224X.2013.872045

Heckman, J. J. (1979). Sample selection bias as a specification error. Econometrica: Journal of the econometric society, 153-161.

Kilelu, C. W., Klerkx, L., & Leeuwis, C. (2014). How dynamics of learning are linked to innovation support services: insights from a smallholder commercialization project in Kenya. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 20(2), 213- 232.

Kingiri, A. (2021). Agricultural advisory and extension service approaches and inclusion in reaching out to Kenyan rural farmers. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 13(7), 797-806.

Masangano, C. M., Chiwasa, H., Kambewa, D. K., Kakwera, M., Chimombo, M., Matita, M., & Gausi, W. (2016). Making the demand-driven extensions services systems work through decentralised structures: Prospects for the future extension service delivery in Malawi. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, 8(12), 240-249.

Mutambara, J., Dube, I., Matangi, E., & Majeke, F. (2013). Factors influencing the demand for the service of community-based animal health care in Zimbabwe. Prev. Vet. Med., 112, p. 174

Nambiro, E., Omiti, J., & Mugunieri, L. (2006). Decentralization, community-based organizations and access to agricultural extension services in Eastern Kenya Association of Agricultural Economists Conference, Gold Coast, Australia.

Ofuoku, A. U., & Agbamu, J. U. (2012). Influence of farmers’ group cohesion on the adoption of climate change adaptation strategies in Delta State, Nigeria. Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Agriculture and Veterinary Science, 12.

Ragasa, C., Ulimwengu, J., Randriamamonjy, J., & Badibanga, T. (2016). Factors affecting the performance of agricultural extension: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 22(2), 113-143.

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: The Free Press.

Sumo, T. V., Ritho, C., & Irungu, P. (2022). Effect of farmer socio-economic characteristics on extension services demand and its intensity of use in post-conflict Liberia, Heliyon, 8(12): e12268.

Tadesse, A. (2017). Factors affecting the access of women to poultry extension services in North Western Tigray, Ethiopia. International Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Studies, 5(3), 22-28.

Waruingi, E., Mbeche, R., & Ateka, J. (2021). Determinants of forest-dependent household’s participation in payment for ecosystem services: evidence from plantation establishment livelihood improvement scheme (PELIS) in Kenya Global Ecol. Conserv., 26, pp. 1-14

Wossen, T., Abdoulaye, T., Alene, A., Haile, M. G., Feleke, S., Olanrewaju, A., & Manyong, V. (2017). Impacts of extension access and cooperative membership on technology adoption and household welfare. J. Rural Stud., 54, 223-233