ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Aging and Demographic Transition in Ghana: State of the Elderly and Emerging Issues

Although the population of Ghana is young and generally youthful, there is evidence of rapid increases in the size of the elderly cohort. Although demographic projections estimate that the proportion of the population younger than 15 years will experience continuous decline overtime due in part to decline in fertility, the rise in the elderly population is expected to also continue due to declining mortality rates resulting in longevity. Unfortunately, the growth in the elderly proportion of the population is occurring at the same time traditional systems of protection and care for the aged are breaking down on account of urbanization, socioeconomic development, and globalization. This has implications for public policy and the overall wellbeing of the elderly. This paper provides a snapshot overview of the demographic dynamics of Ghana focusing on the characteristics of aging, the challenges confronting the elderly, policy interventions, and gaps, as well as some pertinent issues including emerging research that are shaping deliberations about the elderly in the country. © The Author(s) 2018.

Source: UG
Agouti-related protein promoter variant associated with leanness and decreased risk for diabetes in West Africans

Objective: The role of the central melanocortin system in the development of obesity has been extensively studied. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within several candidate genes have been associated with food intake and obesity-related phenotypes; however, few of these associations have been replicated. SNPs in the agouti-related protein (AGRP) gene coding (Ala67Thr, 199G/A) and promoter (-38C/T) have been reported to be associated with body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM) and percent body fat, in populations of European and African descent. In this study, we evaluated the association between the functional AGRP -38C/T promoter SNP and weight-related traits, namely BMI, FM and fat-free mass (FFM), as well as diabetes status. Design: An association study of the AGRP -38C/T SNP and indices of obesity and diabetes status. Subjects: A well-characterized population of 538 West Africans from Ghana and Nigeria recruited in the AADM (Africa America Diabetes Mellitus) study (mean age 52 years, 41.3% males, 71% diabetic). Measurements: Genotyping of the AGRP -38C/T SNP, BMI, FM, FFM and fasting plasma glucose. Results: Women carrying two copies of the variant T allele had significantly lower BMI (OR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.25-0.87). Also, men with at least one copy of the variant T allele were over two times less likely to be diabetic than other men (OR = 0.44; 95% CI, 0.22-0.89). Conclusion: Our results replicate previous findings and implicate the AGRP -38C/T SNP in the regulation of body weight in West Africans.

Source: UG
Agreement among Four Prevalence Metrics for Urogenital Schistosomiasis in the Eastern Region of Ghana

The Department of Parasitology conducts research into parasitic diseases of public health importance with the overall goal of reducing their transmission and the heavy disease burden that they impose on affected populations. The Department maintains focus on parasitic diseases in general. These include major diseases such as malaria, and others listed under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) control initiative such as, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

Source: UG
Agricultural and land commercialization – feminist and rights perspectives

The article introduces the Forum on Commercializing Agriculture/ Reorganizing Gender, which reports findings from DEMETER project, a collaboration of scholars from Cambodia, Ghana and Switzerland. The project examines how agriculture and food security policies have advanced or hindered gender equality and the right to food; analyzes the role of human rights-based accountability mechanisms in this; and maps gendered changes in livelihoods in situated contexts. We offer a literature review on governance of the international food system from a gender and rights perspective, and on the gendered political economy of agrarian change. We relate the contributions of the Forum to existing literature and preview their findings

Source: UG
Agricultural commercialisation models, agrarian dynamics and local development in Ghana

The renewed commitment of African states to modernising agriculture has reignited longstanding debates about different models of agricultural commercialisation. Which forms of commercialisation models will reduce land dispossession and the impoverishment of smallholders, and transform smallholder agriculture and the wider economy? Of the three broad models of agriculture commercialisation in this debate–plantation, contract farming and medium-scale commercial farming–contract farming has been identified as central to the future of Africa’s commercial agriculture. This paper provides empirical evidence from Ghana on the impacts of these three models on land, labour/employment, livelihoods and local economic linkages. Our findings show that the plantation and the commercial farming areas have highly commercialised land relations, land scarcity and high land prices, compared to the outgrower area where traditional systems of accessing land still dominate, enabling families to produce their own food crops while also diversifying into wage labour and other activities. Food insecurity was highest in the plantation area followed by the commercial area, but lowest in the outgrower area. Here, semi-proletarianised seasonal workers combine self-provisioning from their own farms with wages, and this results in better livelihood outcomes than for permanent workers in plantations and commercial farms. Due to the processing units in the plantation and the outgrower models, they provided more employment. However, the casualisation of labour and gender discrimination in employment and access to land occur in all three cases. All three models generated strong economic linkages mainly because they combined attributes such as processing, provided markets for nearby farmers, induced state infrastructural development and diffused technology in competitive ways. The effects of the models on household and local development are coproduced by their interaction with pre-existing conditions and wider national economic structures. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Source: UG
Agricultural credit rationing in Ghana: What do formal lenders look for?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of agricultural credit rationing by formal lenders in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Heckman’s two-stage regression model to identify types of rationing faced by farmers and investigate factors that influence agricultural credit rationing by formal financial institutions. Data used in this study are gathered through a survey of 595 farmers in seven districts within Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Findings – The result reveals that farmers face three types of rationing. Evidence from the Heckman two-stage models shows that engagement in off farm income generating activities, increase in farm size, positive balances on accounts and commercial orientation of the farmers has the potential to reduce rationing of credit applicants by formal lenders. Practical implications – The results provide information on the factors that need to be considered as important in an attempt to reduce agricultural credit rationing by formal lenders. Originality/value – The value of this study is that farmers would use the results of this study to improve access to required amount of agricultural credit from formal financial institutions. The information would also benefit stakeholders in the agricultural sector, particularly youth in agriculture program organized by Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana as how to improve access to credit and reduce rationing of program participants by formal financial institutions. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Source: UG
Agricultural decisions after relaxing credit and risk constraints

The investment decisions of small-scale farmers in developing countries are conditioned by their financial environment. Binding credit market constraints and incomplete insurance can limit investment in activities with high expected profits. We conducted several experiments in northern Ghana in which farmers were randomly assigned to receive cash grants, grants of or opportunities to purchase rainfall index insurance, or a combination of the two. Demand for index insurance is strong, and insurance leads to significantly larger agricultural investment and riskier production choices in agriculture. The binding constraint to farmer investment is uninsured risk: when provided with insurance against the primary catastrophic risk they face, farmers are able to find resources to increase expenditure on their farms. Demand for insurance in subsequent years is strongly increasing with the farmer’s own receipt of insurance payouts, with the receipt of payouts by others in the farmer’s social network and with recent poor rain in the village. Both investment patterns and the demand for index insurance are consistent with the presence of important basis risk associated with the index insurance, imperfect trust that promised payouts will be delivered and overweighting recent events.

Source: UG
Agricultural diversification, food self-sufficiency and food security in ghana-the role of infrastructure and institutions

Review books or articles provide a critical and constructive analysis of existing published literature in a field, through summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. These are considered as secondary literature since they generally do not present new data from the author's experimental work. Review articles can be of three types, broadly speaking: literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. It also the researcher to stay abreast of new literature in the field.

Source: UG
Agricultural Export, Growth and the Poor in Africa: A Meta Analysis

Over the past decade, a growing number of studies have examined the role of agricultural export in economic growth in Africa. The literature, however, provides conflicting results about the agricultural export-led growth hypothesis. In this study, we aim to re-examine the impact of agricultural export on economic growth by performing a meta-analysis. There are two questions of interest, namely, (a) whether publication bias is present in the agricultural export-growth literature in Africa, and (b) if there is an overall effect of agricultural export on economic growth. Our meta-analysis finds significant negative publication bias in the literature. Moreover, after correction for publication bias, the results show that agricultural export leads to growth in low-income and lower middle-income African countries. These results are consistent with the agricultural export-led growth hypothesis. By this, we provide empirical basis that may enhance policy decisions on resource allocation to areas of comparative advantage. Additionally, the existence of an income differential effect on the agricultural export-led growth nexus implies that agricultural export-growth strategy has a pronounced effect on the poor in Africa. The result suggests that the poor in Africa could follow an agricultural growth strategy because it is a promising means to increase per capita wealth.

Source: UG
Agricultural information systems acceptance and continuance in rural communities: A consumption values perspective

This study unearths the different configurations of user motivations that foster success in Agricultural Information Systems (AIS) acceptance and continuance among small-holder farmers in rural communities in a developing economy. Anchored on the fact that significant proportions of the world’s poorest live in sub-Saharan In countries characterized by small-holder agriculture, the study explores the multiple pathways that result in AIS acceptance and continuance while revealing the necessary and sufficient conditions that are required to achieve a given outcome. Using the consumption values theory and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (FsQCA), the findings reveal three AIS user typologies namely extrinsic, intrinsic, and hybrid-motivated users. The results further reveal that AIS usability, farmer group and family support, together with the inspiration of joy, hope and trust is a motivating factors for the attainment of success in AIS acceptance and continuance. The study provides: foundational knowledge on how development actors can use AIS as interventions to improve Agri-food outcomes among rural dwellers in the global south

Source: UG
Agricultural innovation platforms in West Africa: How does strategic institutional entrepreneurship unfold in different value chain contexts?

Inspired by innovation system theory, donors promote innovation platforms (IPs) to enhance collaboration for development. However, IP practice and impact are diverse: hence the question arises of whether and how IP approaches are able to create institutional change for the benefit of smallholders. The authors present the experience of an action research programme in West Africa and analyse the cases from a dialectic perspective on institutional entrepreneurship. The results show that a researcher-initiated open IP approach with clear principles and in-depth analysis of the value chain context is able to create reasonably effective IP coalitions for smallholder development. In a mature value chain, it may be possible to mobilize high-level actors, but IPs often start at a lower level and apply a two-pronged approach. They focus primarily on research and communication to improve smallholder technical and entrepreneurial practices, while diligently mobilizing high-level actors to attain critical regulatory and/or market support. Mobilization success is limited in contentious environments.

Source: UG
Agricultural insurance access and acceptability: examining the case of smallholder farmers in Ghana

Background: Weather-related risks thwart agricultural productivity gains especially in the face of climate change. Agricultural insurance serves as a reliable risk mitigation instrument for coping with climate-related hazards. This notwithstanding, agricultural insurance penetration among smallholder farmers in the global south remains low. This study investigated the access and acceptability of agricultural insurance among smallholder food crop farmers in Ghana. Method: The study employed a mixed-methods approach involving both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study was carried out in the Northern, Volta and Western regions involving 7 communities in 5 districts. A total of 200 farmers were sampled through a multi-stage purposive sampling and interviewed. A cross-sectional survey involved 100 respondents under the quantitative approach whilst the qualitative study engaged additional 100 farmers. Results: The results show that smallholder farmers’ access and acceptability of agricultural insurance is low (14%) and scarce but ironically considered useful by many (90%) as an effective tool to deal with agricultural risks. Inadequate knowledge about agricultural insurance products constituted the most stated reason (64%) for the scarce adoption rate, followed (23%) by the unavailability of insurance products in areas needed but absent. A few (5%) reported insurance to be expensive. Acceptability and accessibility of agricultural insurance are further influenced by gender, educational level, low knowledge, information asymmetry and wrong perception concerning agricultural insurance products. Sense of security and reduced impact of climate variabilities constituted important benefits guaranteed by agricultural insurance. Conclusions: Agricultural insurance access and acceptability is constrained by limited knowledge of agricultural insurance products. It is recommended that more insurance companies be incentivized to augment already existing efforts by Ghana Agricultural Insurance Pool (GAIP) to enroll more smallholder farmers. The government can consider bundling existing insurance products with credit or inputs under the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme (PFJ) to improve uptake and accessibility of agricultural insurance.

Source: UG
Agricultural markets in West Africa: Frontiers, agribusiness and social differentiation

Agricultural development policies and analyses have sought to reduce direct state intervention in order to promote free markets, yet rarely investigate the nature of African agribusiness and commodity markets. West African history shows a pattern of forest rents, frontier colonisation, boom and bust cycles and limited scope for diversifying production. Food markets present some opportunities, but are also characterised by unequal power in production and exchange State decline has left farmers to obtain technical inputs from private agribusinesses, but often on poor terms that heighten inequality and insecurity. © Institute of Development Studies.

Source: UG
Agricultural mechanization strategy and Japan Ghana Co-operation

Experts discuss how Japan and Ghana are cooperating with each other to mechanize agricultural activities in Ghana. Agricultural mechanization entails the provision of mechanical power for undertaking the various agricultural productions. One of the most important aspects of agricultural mechanization is the level of expertise of the personnel available to aid in effective mechanization. Japan is helping the country in modernizing its universities, institutes, and establishing government and private centers to achieve these objectives. An example of government and private sector intervention in Ghana is the Agricultural Mechanization Centers (AMSEC). These centers provide specialized services to the farmers. There needs to be collaboration between the Ghanaian and Japanese Engineers along with the researchers so that there will be constant evaluation and improvement in the existing systems.

Source: UG
Agricultural Production, Renewable Energy Consumption, Foreign Direct Investment, and Carbon Emissions: New Evidence from Africa

This paper explores the nexus between agricultural production, renewable energy, foreign direct investment (FDI), and carbon emissions in Africa, where there is limited evidence on the topic. Relying on panel data covering thirty-one African countries obtained from the World Bank World Development Indicators and FAOSTAT databases, we answered the question of whether agricultural production (proxied by livestock production, fertilizer consumption, and land under cereal cultiva tion), the use of renewable energy, and FDI increase or reduce carbon emissions. Using the panel autoregressive distributed lag model for analysis, our results show that net FDI, fertilizer consump tion, livestock production significantly increased carbon emissions, both in the short run and long run. Meanwhile, renewable energy use consumption significantly decreased carbon emissions, both in the short run and long run. Specifically, a 1% increase in net FDI increased total carbon emissions by 0.003% in the short run and by 0.01% in the long run. Renewable energy consumption significantly decreased carbon emissions, both in the short run and long run. A 1% increase in renewable energy consumption decreased total carbon emissions by 0.16% in the short run and by 0.22% in the long run. Additionally, fertilizer consumption and livestock production significantly increased carbon emissions in the short run and long run. A 1% increase in fertilizer consumption increased total carbon emissions by 0.01% in the short run and by 0.04% in the long run, while a 1% increase in livestock production increased total carbon emissions by 0.20% in the short run and by 0.56% in the long run. The findings call for investment in renewable energy technologies and consumption while advocating for large-scale uptake of climate-smart agriculture, and environmentally friendly targeted foreign direct investments on the continent.

Source: UG
Agro-Diversity in the Forest-Savannah Transition Zone of Ghana: A Strategy for Food Security against Climatic and Socio-Economic Stressors

Food security is a major issue affecting about 239 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, local ecosystems-based adaptive strategies for reducing the impact of climate change and other stressors on food production systems are very relevant in the national food security agenda. This study assessed how farmers in communities of the environs of the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserves in the forest-savanna transition zone of Ghana exploit a range of options for food production that spread and reduce risks and ensure sustainability of the local environment. Through a cross-sectional survey involving focus group discussions, institutional data search and on-site observations, the study investigated different ways to which the natural diversity of the environment has been used by farmers to enhance farm productivity and farmer income. The study observed that climate variability, land expropriation for protected area establishment, inappropriate use of farm technology and low pricing for farm produce pose as major threats to sustainable agriculture in the area. These constraints have compelled farmers to adopt a range of agro-diversity practices for increased farm productivity and income. They include introduction of new crop varieties, adoption of innovative farm management practices, diversified farm fields and sequential cropping systems. The study noted that the diversified systems have boosted farmer productivity and incomes and contributed to their socio-cultural needs. The study recommends greater crop intensification through the use of appropriate technologies and improved access to markets to consolidate farmer gains and livelihoods as well as ensuring food and nutritional security.

Source: UG
Agro-ecological zone and farm diversity are factors associated with haemoglobin and anaemia among rural school-aged children and adolescents in Ghana

The Department of Parasitology conducts research into parasitic diseases of public health importance with the overall goal of reducing their transmission and the heavy disease burden that they impose on affected populations. The Department maintains focus on parasitic diseases in general. These include major diseases such as malaria, and others listed under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) control initiative such as, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

Source: UG