Question

Question

Productivity in the agriculture sector in Ghana has in recent years declined consistently, a situation which can be attributed to several factors. How does government’s intervention through the introduction of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) Programme help improve productivity in the agriculture sector? Support your answers with relevant examples as well as facts and figures.

Answer 1

            Ghana is facing one of its harsh realities of the decline in its agricultural production today. And this is in actual affecting its economic development on a greater ratio. Following are the major reasons for this decline;

- Inadequate finances,

- climate change,

- poor pricing and marketing incentives,

- inadequate agricultural extension agents,

- pest and diseases and

- A lack of access to fertilizers.

As these are the worst affecting reasons, let’s have a detail look into each one of the above stated factors.

- Inadequate Finances: Despite of having many micro financiers and others in the country, the small farmers in the country does not have the access into the same and they are also unaware with regard to what these groups can do for them and how they can help them.

- Lack of Access to Fertilizers: As they have been farming on the same piece of land since many a years, it has led to degradation of land and hence fertilizers have become vital. But most of these fertilizers are expensive and hence, makes it difficult for the farmers to reach or buy the same.

- Climate Change: As a part of the global warming and the change in the climate, Ghana is also undergoing this change and as the poor farmers are not able to take the adequate measures for coping with this as they tend to be expensive, this also have hit them.

- Poor Pricing and Marketing Incentives & Inadequate Agricultural Extension Agents: Despite of all these problems mentioned above which can be solved with adequate financial support, these farmers are not even able to fetch a reasonable price for their products and efforts from the customers due to many middle men involvement and the economic condition of the country.

- Pest and Diseases: This again can be connected with the fertilizers as the pest and diseases also require adequate treatment measures and medicines to use for plants which re again expensive.

Now coming to PFJ, which was the Governments intervention into the problems of the farmers was claimed to make a major impact on the economy of the country and designed to trigger the an increase in the production of the food, increase the income of farmers and also ensure the nation’s food security. And this included 5 major pillars;

1. ‘Supply of improved seeds to farmers at subsidized prices (50% subsidy)’,

2. ‘Supply of fertilizer at subsidized prices (50% price cut out)’,

3. ‘Free extension services to farmers’,

4. ‘Marketing opportunities for produce after harvest’,

5. ‘E-Agriculture (a technological platform to monitor and track activities and progress of farmers through a database system)’ (PFJ, 2017)

It was claimed that with the introduction of the PFJ, rice production increased in the Northern Part of Ghana and the overall country. And this was due to the access given to the fertilizers. And the average increase was 2.7MT to 4MT per hectare. But still it was claimed that the country has not become self-sufficient in the rice as the deficit has to be addressed with the import of the same. And this was also claimed to be a successful programme but here was only some vague data produced.