IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v59y2019ics0160791x18303403.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Zai technology on farmers’ welfare: Evidence from northern Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Ehiakpor, Dennis S.
  • Danso-Abbeam, Gideon
  • Dagunga, Gilbert
  • Ayambila, Sylvester N.

Abstract

Zai is a technology employed to rehabilitate degraded farmlands and to restore soil fertility to the benefit of farmers dwelling mostly on drylands. It serves as a water-harvesting mechanism and thus helps to reduce the amount of water that would have been lost through run-off. However, the potential roles of this technology in enhancing rural welfare has not been adequately explored. This study identified the determinants of farm households’ decision to adopt Zai technology as well as its impact on their welfare using randomly collected cross-sectional data from northern Ghana. Results from the probit model indicated that adoption of Zai technology was influenced by a different set of farmer-specific, farm-specific, and supply-side policy variables. Using different propensity score techniques, namely; propensity score matching, regression adjustment, and inverse probability weighting, the study revealed that adoption of Zai technology leads to significant gains in consumption expenditure, consumption expenditure per capita, and household income. The paper concludes that Zai technology could be a tool in promoting food security in the Ghanaian economy and, thus contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG I and II) on curbing hunger and poverty in developing countries like Ghana.

Suggested Citation

  • Ehiakpor, Dennis S. & Danso-Abbeam, Gideon & Dagunga, Gilbert & Ayambila, Sylvester N., 2019. "Impact of Zai technology on farmers’ welfare: Evidence from northern Ghana," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:59:y:2019:i:c:s0160791x18303403
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.101189
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X18303403
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.101189?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mulubrhan Amare & Solomon Asfaw & Bekele Shiferaw, 2012. "Welfare impacts of maize–pigeonpea intensification in Tanzania," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 43(1), pages 27-43, January.
    2. Sascha O. Becker & Marco Caliendo, 2007. "Sensitivity analysis for average treatment effects," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 7(1), pages 71-83, February.
    3. Marco Caliendo & Sabine Kopeinig, 2008. "Some Practical Guidance For The Implementation Of Propensity Score Matching," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 31-72, February.
    4. Mendola, Mariapia, 2007. "Agricultural technology adoption and poverty reduction: A propensity-score matching analysis for rural Bangladesh," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 372-393, June.
    5. Agyeman, Bernard Archibald Senyo & Asuming-Brempong, Samuel & Onumah, Edward Ebo, 2014. "Determinants of Income Diversification of Farm Households in the Western Region of Ghana," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 53(1), pages 1-18, February.
    6. Jeffrey Gillespie & Richard Nehring & Isaac Sitienei, 2014. "The adoption of technologies, management practices, and production systems in U.S. milk production," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-24, December.
    7. A. Smith, Jeffrey & E. Todd, Petra, 2005. "Does matching overcome LaLonde's critique of nonexperimental estimators?," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 125(1-2), pages 305-353.
    8. Stefan Dercon & Daniel O. Gilligan & John Hoddinott & Tassew Woldehanna, 2009. "The Impact of Agricultural Extension and Roads on Poverty and Consumption Growth in Fifteen Ethiopian Villages," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 91(4), pages 1007-1021.
    9. Bola Amoke Awotide & Aziz A. Karimov & Aliou Diagne, 2016. "Agricultural technology adoption, commercialization and smallholder rice farmers’ welfare in rural Nigeria," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-24, December.
    10. Danso-Abbeam, Gideon & Baiyegunhi, Lloyd J.S., 2018. "Welfare impact of pesticides management practices among smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 10-19.
    11. Jalan, Jyotsna & Ravallion, Martin, 2003. "Does piped water reduce diarrhea for children in rural India?," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 112(1), pages 153-173, January.
    12. Guido W. Imbens & Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, 2009. "Recent Developments in the Econometrics of Program Evaluation," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(1), pages 5-86, March.
    13. Kidanemariam Gebregziabher Gebrehiwot, 2015. "The impact of agricultural extension on households’ welfare in Ethiopia," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 42(8), pages 733-748, August.
    14. Kaboré, Daniel & Reij, Chris, 2004. "The emergence and spreading of an improved traditional soil and water conservation practice in Burkina Faso:," EPTD discussion papers 114, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    15. James J. Heckman & Vytlacil, Edward J., 2007. "Econometric Evaluation of Social Programs, Part I: Causal Models, Structural Models and Econometric Policy Evaluation," Handbook of Econometrics, in: J.J. Heckman & E.E. Leamer (ed.), Handbook of Econometrics, edition 1, volume 6, chapter 70, Elsevier.
    16. Daniel T. Slesnick, 1998. "Empirical Approaches to the Measurement of Welfare," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(4), pages 2108-2165, December.
    17. Akhter Ali & Awudu Abdulai, 2010. "The Adoption of Genetically Modified Cotton and Poverty Reduction in Pakistan," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(1), pages 175-192, February.
    18. Mwansakilwa, Chibamba & Tembo, Gelson & Zulu, Maureen Mwamba & Wamulume, Mukata, 2017. "Village savings and loan associations and household welfare: Evidence from Eastern and Western Zambia," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 12(1), March.
    19. DAGUNGA, Gilbert & SEDEM EHIAKPOR, Dennis & KWABENA PARRY, Isaac & DANSO-ABBEAM, Gideon, 2018. "Determinants Of Income Diversification Among Maize Farm Households In The Garu-Tempane District, Ghana," Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics (RAAE), Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra, vol. 21(1), March.
    20. Krishna, Vijesh V. & Veettil, Prakashan C., 2014. "Productivity and efficiency impacts of conservation tillage in northwest Indo-Gangetic Plains," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 126-138.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tanko, Mohammed, 2022. "Nexus of risk preference, culture and religion in the adoption of improved rice varieties: Evidence from Northern Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    2. Zakaria, Abraham & Azumah, Shaibu Baanni & Appiah-Twumasi, Mark & Dagunga, Gilbert, 2020. "Adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices among farm households in Ghana: The role of farmer participation in training programmes," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    3. Austin Tenthani Phiri & Miriam Charimbu & Sarah Edore Edewor & Elias Gaveta, 2022. "Sustainable Scaling of Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies and Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-19, November.
    4. Henry N. N. Bulley & Oludunsin T. Arodudu & Esther A. Obonyo & Aniko Polo-Akpisso & Esther Shupel Ibrahim & Yazidhi Bamutaze, 2023. "Perspectives on Applications of Geospatial Technology and Landscape Ecology for Conservation Planning in the Global South," International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research (IJAGR), IGI Global, vol. 14(1), pages 1-23, January.
    5. Agúndez, Dolores & Lawali, Sitou & Mahamane, Ali & Alía, Ricardo & Soliño, Mario, 2022. "Development of agroforestry food resources in Niger: Are farmers’ preferences context specific?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    6. Gideon Danso-Abbeam & Khama Mohammed Amin & Abiodun A. Ogundeji, 2022. "Enhancing Household Welfare through Perennial Crop Production in Northern Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.

    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. Ashimwe, Olive, 2016. "An Economic Analysis Of Impact Of Weather Index-Based Crop Insurance On Household Income In Huye District Of Rwanda," Research Theses 265675, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    2. Del Prete, Davide & Ghins, Léopold & Magrini, Emiliano & Pauw, Karl, 2019. "Land consolidation, specialization and household diets: Evidence from Rwanda," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 139-149.
    3. Ashok K. Mishra & Anjani Kumar & Pramod K. Joshi & Alwin D'Souza, 2018. "Cooperatives, contract farming, and farm size: The case of tomato producers in Nepal," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(4), pages 865-886, October.
    4. Paudel, G. & Krishna, V. & McDonald, A., 2018. "Why some inferior technologies succeed? Examining the diffusion and impacts of rotavator tillage in Nepal Terai," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277149, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Akhter Ali & Awudu Abdulai, 2010. "The Adoption of Genetically Modified Cotton and Poverty Reduction in Pakistan," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(1), pages 175-192, February.
    6. Abebaw, Degnet & Haile, Mekbib G., 2013. "The impact of cooperatives on agricultural technology adoption: Empirical evidence from Ethiopia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 82-91.
    7. Emiliano Magrini & Mauro Vigani, 2016. "Technology adoption and the multiple dimensions of food security: the case of maize in Tanzania," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(4), pages 707-726, August.
    8. Islam, Abu Hayat, 2015. "Can Integrated Rice-Fish System Increase Welfare of the Marginalized Extreme Poor in Bangladesh? A DID Matching Approach," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211792, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Kiiza, Barnabas & Pederson, Glenn, 2012. "ICT-based market information and adoption of agricultural seed technologies: Insights from Uganda," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 253-259.
    10. Doris Läpple & Thia Hennessy, 2015. "Assessing the Impact of Financial Incentives in Extension Programmes: Evidence From Ireland," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(3), pages 781-795, September.
    11. Abdoulaye Diagne Author-Name: Fran ois J. Cabral, 2017. "Agricultural Transformation in Senegal: Impacts of an integrated program," Working Papers PMMA 2017-09, PEP-PMMA.
    12. Jorge Leonardo Rueda Gil, 2017. "Cambio tecnológico y mejoras en el bienestar de los caficultores en Colombia: el caso de las variedades resistentes a la roya," Documentos CEDE 15665, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    13. Kassie, Menale & Shiferaw, Bekele & Muricho, Geoffrey, 2011. "Agricultural Technology, Crop Income, and Poverty Alleviation in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 1784-1795.
    14. Duong, Pham Bao & Thanh, Pham Tien, 2019. "Adoption and effects of modern rice varieties in Vietnam: Micro-econometric analysis of household surveys," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 282-292.
    15. Alexandra Peralta & Scott M. Swinton & Songqing Jin, 2018. "The Secret to Getting Ahead Is Getting Started: Early Impacts of a Rural Development Project," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-20, July.
    16. Ashimwe, Olive, 2016. "An Economic Analysis Of Impact Of Weather Index-Based Crop Insurance On Household Income In Huye District Of Rwanda," Research Theses 276460, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    17. Baiyegunhi, L.J.S. & Majokweni, Z.P. & Ferrer, S.R.D., 2019. "Impact of outsourced agricultural extension program on smallholder farmers’ net farm income in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 1-7.
    18. Abebaw, Degnet & Fentie, Yibeltal & Kassa, Belay, 2010. "The impact of a food security program on household food consumption in Northwestern Ethiopia: A matching estimator approach," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 286-293, August.
    19. Dan Pan, 2014. "The Impact of Agricultural Extension on Farmer Nutrient Management Behavior in Chinese Rice Production: A Household-Level Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(10), pages 1-22, September.
    20. Liane Faltermeier & Awudu Abdulai, 2009. "The impact of water conservation and intensification technologies: empirical evidence for rice farmers in Ghana," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 40(3), pages 365-379, May.

    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:eee:teinso:v:59:y:2019:i:c:s0160791x18303403. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technology-in-society .

    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.