Determinants of Adoption of Ecosystem-Friendly Farming Practices for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Ghana

Abstract

Agriculture plays a key role in economic growth, enhancing food security, poverty reduction and rural development. Future food security and economic independence of developing countries would depend on resilient ecosystems for a sustainable agricultural development. Intensive agriculture with high inputs has resulted in rapid crop production in Ghana, accompanied by negative environmental effects. The adoption of ecosystem-friendly farming technologies, which do not destroy nature, would ensure these negative effects are addressed. However, the rate of adoption of these practices has remained low in Ghana. This paper explores the determinants of adoption of ecosystem-friendly farming practices (EFFPs) in Northern region of Ghana with a sample of 300 farmers. The results revealed that sex, age, educational level, household size, production system, credit access, previous income, market access, and expected benefits from the adoption influenced EFFPs adoption. The adoption of EFFPs should be made a precondition for farmers to gain access to desirable opportunities such as input subsidies, good pricing among others.