Effect of RTIMP's commercialisation of cassava on household food security in the Cape Coast Metropolis in the central region of Ghana

Abstract

Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme was instituted to enhance income and food security, and to build a market-based system to ensure profitability at all levels of the root and tuber value chain. The RTIMP provided incentives to farmers to commercialise production (transform from subsistence to commercial production) thereby improving their incomes and food security. However, scientific feedback on the impact of this commercialisation programme on farmer households' food security is inadequate. The study was conducted to examine the factors that influence farmers' degree of commercialisation and determine the relationship that exists between degree of commercialisation and food security status among the agricultural households in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Random and snowballing sampling methods were used to select 50 beneficiary and 50 non-beneficiary households respectively, and data were collected using questionnaire. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), multiple regression and probit models. Results of the study showed that majority of the beneficiary households (76%) were food secure compared to the nonbeneficiary households (42%); beneficiaries were more commercialized than non-beneficiaries, and there was a positive association between degree of commercialisation and food security status. It was concluded therefore that RTIMP's commercialisation of cassava was playing a significant role towards improving household food security in the Cape Coast Metropolis. It was recommended that the programme should be extended to cover more farming households in order to minimize food insecurity situation in the Metropolis.

Keywords: Household, food security, Commercialisation, RTIMP and Cassava