Contribution of Income Diversification Strategies to Smallholder Farmers’ Livelihoods in the Upper East Region of Ghana (Published)
Many past studies on remote areas of Sub-Saharan Africa regarded income diversification strategies as insurance against food insecurity and a better quality of life. However, it is not yet clear how regional income diversification factors contribute to smallholder farmers’ decision-making. For this reason, this paper examines the implication of localized income diversification strategies in the Upper East Region of Ghana. We conducted a questionnaire survey among 360 farm households in five rural districts of the Region. We found that smallholder farmers’ income diversification had contributed on average 38% of the total household income. In particular, small-scale mining, livestock rearing, remittance, and petty trade contributed most to their livelihoods. We also used the Simpson’s Diversity Index to quantify the diversity level of the respondents’ income sources. The result showed that the average income diversification strategy of the study region was 0.5 out of 1 with strong district variations in diversification levels. Our correlation analysis revealed that age, educational background, farm experience, and farm size significantly influenced respondents’ decision to choose specific income sources. More experienced farmers tended to rely more on on-farm income source diversification whereas young and inexperienced farmers tended to choose labor-intensive mining, firewood collection, and petty trading activities. Most of their household members had moved to urban areas either permanently or temporarily mainly in search of better social services.
Keywords: Climate change Adaptation, Ghana, Income Diversification, Smallholder Farmers, Upper East Region
Impact of Agroforestry Educational Program: A Case of Small-Scale Holders (Published)
Agroforestry is a sustainable land-use system that offers multiple benefits compared to sole operation of its components. Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension in collaboration with the 1890 Agroforestry Consortium developed a training handbook and educated 50 farmers, forestland owners, community educators, and professionals to implement and expand agroforestry practices in the Southeast. An impact assessment was carried out to measure the changes in people’s knowledge, attitude, behavior, and condition. An online SurveyMonkey, field visits, and follow-up communications were introduced to collect data. A descriptive and correlation analysis were carried out to assess impact of the program. Results showed that 100% of respondents greatly strengthened their knowledge concerning agroforestry practices, 60% of the respondents applied the acquired knowledge, 50% adopted agroforestry practices, 70% diversified the sources of income, and 537 people were benefitted through spillover effect. Agroforestry operation enhances land use efficiency, diversifies income sources, and increases socio-economic and environmental benefits.
Keywords: Financial Risk Reduction, Income Diversification, Knowledge and Skills, Socio-economic impacts, Training-of-Trainers