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Systematic review of the effects of agricultural interventions on food security in northern Ghana

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dc.contributor.author Adu, Michael Osei
dc.contributor.author Yawson, David Osca
dc.contributor.author Armah, Frederick Ato
dc.contributor.author Abano, Ernest Ekow
dc.contributor.author Quansah, Reginald
dc.date.accessioned 2021-03-16T11:42:55Z
dc.date.available 2021-03-16T11:42:55Z
dc.date.issued 2018-09-07
dc.identifier.issn 23105496
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/4926
dc.description 17p:, ill. en_US
dc.description.abstract Background Food insecurity and poverty rates in Ghana are highest in the districts from latitude 8˚ N upwards. These have motivated several interventions aimed at addressing the food insecurity via promoting agricultural growth. An assessment of the overall impact of these interventions on food security is necessary to guide policy design and future interventions. Methods and findings A systematic review was used to assess the cumulative evidence of the effect of development interventions, implemented from 2006 to 2016 on food security, especially in Northern Ghana. Information were retrieved from over 20 Government and non-Governmental organisations through online search and actual visits. The number of studies included in systematic review was 22. The study showed that a large number of interventions have been implemented in Northern Ghana over the study period. Access to quality extension services, training and capacity building was a major intervention strategy. About 82% of studies considered increasing production but only 14% of the studies reported on changes in yield. About 42% of the included studies used market access as a strategy but about 44% reported increase in incomes of beneficiaries (with only seven studies providing numerical evidence for this claim). The ranking of frequency of intervention strategies was in the order extension and capacity building>production>postharvest value addition>water and irrigation facilities>storage facilities>input supply. A substantial number of the studies had no counterfactuals, weakening confidence in attributing impacts on food security for even the beneficiaries. Conclusions It is concluded that evidence for impacts of the interventions on food security was weak, or largely assumed. A logical recommendation is the need for development partners to synchronise their measurement and indicators of food security outcomes. It is also recommended that some food security indicators are explicitly incorporated into intervention design while bearing in mind the potential need for counterfactuals en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher University of Cape Coast en_US
dc.title Systematic review of the effects of agricultural interventions on food security in northern Ghana en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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