Small scale farmers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the fertilizer subsidy programme in the Sene West and Sene East districts of the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana

Abstract

While remaining the most important sector of Ghana’s economy, agriculture in Ghana faces the challenge of making substantial progress in maintaining food security because average yields remain stagnant. This is attributable to limited use of modern inputs, such as fertilizer and improved seed, and due also to the rapid decline in Africa’s soil fertility status. Since its inception in 2008, that is six years to date, Ghana’s fertilizer subsidy programme has undergone a number of evaluations including those of IFPRI (2012), Yawson et al (2010) and Banful (2008). These evaluations however, fell short of the views and perceptions of the beneficiaries, including those of the study area of this research. Consequently, this study was carried out employing a descriptivesurvey approach in which data were collected from 140 beneficiaries using a proportionate stratified random sampling method in the Sene-West and Sene-East districts in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The results of the study revealed that the respondents rated the overall level of participation in the programme’s decision making as 1.5 which is considered very low. Generally, the effectiveness was also considered low. It is thus recommended that policy makers and programme organizers should as a matter of urgency make a time-bound commitment to the programme, think critically about the funding, rigorous estimation of quantities as well as distribution mechanisms backed by actionable maps with timelines.