IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/bdbjaf/348161.html

Effect of Fertilizer Subsidy on Maize Productivity of Peasant Farmers in Northern Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Anang, Benjamin Tetteh
  • Kandawin, Naomi Alareba
  • Fearon, James

Abstract

This study examined how fertilizer subsidy improves maize productivity in northern Ghana. The study, which involved 486 farmers, used an endogenous treatment effect model to measure the effect of subsidy participation on agricultural productivity. The results indicated that fertilizer subsidy increased the productivity of maize by 230.4 kg/acre. Farmers’ age, sex, access to extension services, farm size and farm income were the determinants of subsidy participation, while productivity was influenced by age, sex, household size, soil fertility status and farm income. The study calls for adopting pro-poor measures such as input subsidization, especially for smallholder farmers, to boost fertilizer use and farm productivity in low-income countries. The government of Ghana should, therefore, expand the subsidy programme to reach farmers who did not receive the subsidy. The study further recommends that farmers’ access to extension services should be enhanced since agricultural extension workers are pivotal to the implementation and success of the fertilizer subsidy programme. Also, subsidized fertilizer should be supplied to farmers on time to ensure effective utilization of the subsidy to increase productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Anang, Benjamin Tetteh & Kandawin, Naomi Alareba & Fearon, James, 2023. "Effect of Fertilizer Subsidy on Maize Productivity of Peasant Farmers in Northern Ghana," Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, vol. 43(2), December.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:bdbjaf:348161
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.348161
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/348161/files/2022-2-03-Anang.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.348161?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kwabena Nyarko Addai & Wencong Lu & Omphile Temoso, 2021. "Are Female Rice Farmers Less Productive than Male Farmers? Micro-evidence from Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(6), pages 1997-2039, December.
    2. Mohammed Tanko & Salifu Ismaila & Saeed Abu Sadiq, 2019. "Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ): A panacea for productivity and welfare of rice farmers in Northern Ghana," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 1693121-169, January.
    3. Jacob Ricker-Gilbert & Thomas Jayne & Gerald Shively, 2013. "Addressing the 'Wicked Problem' of Input Subsidy Programs in Africa," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 35(2), pages 322-340.
    4. T.S. Jayne & Shahidur Rashid, 2013. "Input subsidy programs in sub-Saharan Africa: a synthesis of recent evidence," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 44(6), pages 547-562, November.
    5. Stein Holden & Rodney Lunduka, 2012. "Do fertilizer subsidies crowd out organic manures? The case of Malawi," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 43(3), pages 303-314, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sylvester Amoako Agyemang & Tomáš Ratinger & Miroslava Bavorová, 2022. "The Impact of Agricultural Input Subsidy on Productivity: The Case of Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(3), pages 1460-1485, June.
    2. Adam M. Komarek & Siwa Msangi, 2019. "Effect of changes in population density and crop productivity on farm households in Malawi," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 50(5), pages 615-628, September.
    3. Anang, Benjamin Tetteh & Kandawini, Naomi Alareba & Fearon, James, 2022. "Effect of Fertilizer Study on Maize Productivity of Peasant Farmers in Northern Ghana," Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, vol. 43(2), January.
    4. Nicole M. Mason & Thomas S. Jayne & Nicolas van de Walle, 2017. "The Political Economy of Fertilizer Subsidy Programs in Africa: Evidence from Zambia," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 99(3), pages 705-731.
    5. David J. Hemming & Ephraim W. Chirwa & Andrew Dorward & Holly J. Ruffhead & Rachel Hill & Janice Osborn & Laurenz Langer & Luke Harman & Hiro Asaoka & Chris Coffey & Daniel Phillips, 2018. "Agricultural input subsidies for improving productivity, farm income, consumer welfare and wider growth in low‐ and lower‐middle‐income countries: a systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(1), pages 1-153.
    6. Wanjala, Bernadette, 2016. "Can the big push approach end rural poverty in Africa? : Insights from Sauri millennium village in Kenya," Other publications TiSEM 5a686b22-6749-4e9e-8bf4-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    7. Wossen, Tesfamicheal & Abdoulaye, Tahirou & Alene, Arega & Feleke, Shiferaw & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob & Manyong, Victor & Awotide, Bola Amoke, 2017. "Productivity and Welfare Effects of Nigeria's e-Voucher-Based Input Subsidy Program," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 251-265.
    8. Fujimoto, Takefumi & Suzuki, Aya, 2021. "Do Fertilizer and Seed Subsidies Strengthen Farmers' Market Participation? the Impact of Tanzania NAIVS on Farmers' Purchase of Agricultural Inputs and Their Maize-Selling Activities," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315044, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Jayne, Thomas S. & Mason, Nicole M. & Burke, William J. & Ariga, Joshua, 2018. "Review: Taking stock of Africa’s second-generation agricultural input subsidy programs," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1-14.
    10. Abay, Kibrom A. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Chivenge, Pauline & Spielman, David J., 2025. "Fertilizer, soil health, and economic shocks: A synthesis of recent evidence," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    11. Kenneth W. Sibiko & Matin Qaim, 2020. "Weather index insurance, agricultural input use, and crop productivity in Kenya," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(1), pages 151-167, February.
    12. Sheahan, Megan & Olwande, John & Kirimi, Lilian & Jayne, Thom S., 2014. "Targeting of Subsidized Fertilizer Under Kenya's National Accelerated Agricultural Input Access Program (NAAIAP)," Working Papers 202590, Egerton University, Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development.
    13. Sheahan, Megan & Barrett, Christopher B., 2017. "Ten striking facts about agricultural input use in Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 12-25.
    14. Megan Sheahan & Joshua Ariga & T. S. Jayne, 2016. "Modeling the Effects of Input Market Reforms on Fertiliser Demand and Maize Production: A Case Study from Kenya," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(2), pages 420-447, June.
    15. Averi Chakrabarti & Aurélie P. Harou & Jessica Fanzo & Cheryl A. Palm, 2024. "Exploring agriculture-child nutrition pathways: Evidence from Malawi’s Farm Input Subsidy Program," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 16(1), pages 201-221, February.
    16. Estelle Koussoubé & Céline Nauges, 2017. "Returns to fertiliser use: Does it pay enough? Some new evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 44(2), pages 183-210.
    17. Mason, Nicole M. & Jayne, Thomas S. & Walle, Nicolas van de, 2013. "Fertilizer Subsidies and Voting Patterns: Political Economy Dimensions of Input Subsidy Programs," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 149580, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    18. Olson, David W. & Mason, Nicole M., "undated". "Maize Marketing Boards and Sustainable Intensification: Panel Survey Evidence from Kenya," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258093, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    19. Komarek, Adam M. & Drogue, Sophie & Chenoune, Roza & Hawkins, James & Msangi, Siwa & Belhouchette, Hatem & Flichman, Guillermo, 2017. "Agricultural household effects of fertilizer price changes for smallholder farmers in central Malawi," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 168-178.
    20. Saenz, Mariana & Thompson, Eric, 2017. "Gender and Policy Roles in Farm Household Diversification in Zambia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 152-169.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:bdbjaf:348161. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/febaubd.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.