Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/103980 
Year of Publication: 
2014
Series/Report no.: 
Kiel Working Paper No. 1973
Publisher: 
Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Kiel
Abstract: 
Sustainable intensification of Ghana's smallholder farming is critical to mitigate rural poverty. Innovations for sustainable intensification include agro-ecological practices, which build up soil fertility, and mulching, which conserves soil moisture. To stimulate the adoption of these innovations, development organizations and business stakeholders provide training for farmers, to demonstrate proper usage and convince the farmers of their profitability. Using unique panel data, we analyze whether the provided training increases adoption-rates. We find effect of training is significant for the adoption of agro-ecological practices but not for mulching. The explanation is that agro-ecological practices are complex but inexpensive, so that information is the main constraint. Mulching in contrast is already a little more diffused, easier to understand but more expensive. Therefore, mulching is less constrained by lacking information and mostly by finance, which includes restricted credit access and uninsured risk.
Subjects: 
Agricultural Training
Sustainable Intensification
Development Organizations
Social Learning
Agro Ecological Practices
Mulching
Ghana
JEL: 
C3
C5
O2
O3
D8
Q1
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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