Understanding the smallholder farmers’ crop production choices in the forest-savanna transition zone of Ghana

Abstract

Crop production choices made by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa may enhance food security in the face of biophysical and socio-economic constraints. The forest savanna transition zone of Ghana is traditionally characterized by a multiplicity of uncertainties, to which farmers respond by cultivating a diversity of crops including cereals, root crops, tuber crops and leguminous crops. There is, however, little understanding of the driving forces that underpin individual farmers’ choices of the type of crops they cultivate. Using the environs of the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve as a case study, this paper investigates the array of crops available to the farmer, and what guides the farmer household in the choice of crops to cultivate. The study employed field-based techniques, namely focus group discussions and administration of questionnaires, for the data collection. The findings reveal that a combination of factors including knowledge of local conditions, length of the rainy period, market forces, dietary habits and crop maturity time dictate the choice of crops. The findings further indicate that local adaptation to climate variability has resulted in a shift of the farming calendar in the area from March/April to May/June since 2008; and in the intensification of the production of some lesser-known crops such as cowpeas and rice. Another important observation is that beyond what pertains at the community level, individual choices are based on relative risks posed and opportunities offered by each of the constraining elements. The study concludes that to a large extent, smallholder farmers, regardless of their experience, have to operate within constraints imposed by the biophysical environment and market forces, which potentially render crop production vulnerable to unexpected risks. Crop production choices are therefore an effective risk spreading strategy as a response to environmental vagaries and socio-economic uncertainties.