IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/2411.15797.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Utilization and Profitability of Tractor Services for Maize Farming in Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality, Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Fred Nimoh
  • Innocent Yao Yevu
  • Attah-Nyame Essampong
  • Asante Emmanuel Addo
  • Addai Kevin

Abstract

Maize farming is a major livelihood activity for many farmers in Ghana. Unfortunately, farmers usually do not obtain the expected returns on their investment due to reliance on rudimentary, labor-intensive, and inefficient methods of production. Using cross-sectional data from 359 maize farmers, this study investigates the profitability and determinants of the use of tractor services for maize production in Ejura-Sekyedumase, Ashanti Region of Ghana. Results from descriptive and profitability analyses reveal that tractor services such as ploughing and shelling are widely used, but their profitability varies significantly among farmers. Key factors influencing profitability include farm size, fertilizer quantity applied, and farmer experience. Results from a multivariate probit analysis also showed that farming experience, fertilizer quantity, and profit per acre have a positive influence on tractor service use for shelling, while household size, farm size, and FBO have a negative influence. Farming experience, fertilizer quantity, and profit per acre positively influence tractor service use for ploughing, while farm size has a negative influence. A t-test result reveals a statistically significant difference in profit between farmers who use tractor services and those who do not. Specifically, farmers who utilize tractor services on their maize farm had a return to cost of 9 percent more than those who do not (p-value

Suggested Citation

  • Fred Nimoh & Innocent Yao Yevu & Attah-Nyame Essampong & Asante Emmanuel Addo & Addai Kevin, 2024. "Utilization and Profitability of Tractor Services for Maize Farming in Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality, Ghana," Papers 2411.15797, arXiv.org, revised May 2025.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2411.15797
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/2411.15797
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Akramov, Kamiljon T. & Malek, Mehrab, 2012. "Analyzing profitability of maize, rice, and soybean production in Ghana: Results of PAM and DEA analysis," GSSP working papers 28, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Amankwah, Akuffo, 2021. "Adoption of Multiple Agricultural Technologies and Impact on Productivity in Rural Nigeria – a Plot-Level Analysis," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315178, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    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. Martey, E., 2018. "Heterogeneous Demand for Quality Soybean in Northern Ghana," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277013, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Tanko, Mohammed & Amfo, Bismark & Shafiwu, Adinan Bahahudeen, 2023. "Social norms perspective of agriculture technology adoption and welfare in Ghana: Extending multinomial endogenous treatment effect model," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. Chapoto, Antony & Ragasa, Catherine, 2013. "Moving in the right direction? Maize productivity and fertilizer use and use intensity in Ghana," IFPRI discussion papers 1314, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Wilson Dogbe & Prince Etwire & Edward Martey & John Etwire & Inusah Baba & Aliyu Siise, 2013. "Economics of Soybean Production: Evidence from Saboba and Chereponi Districts of Northern Region of Ghana," Journal of Agricultural Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 5(12), pages 1-38, November.
    5. Hongmi Koo & Janina Kleemann & Christine Fürst, 2018. "Land Use Scenario Modeling Based on Local Knowledge for the Provision of Ecosystem Services in Northern Ghana," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-21, May.
    6. Grabowski, Philip & Jayne, Thom, 2016. "Analyzing Trends in Herbicide Use in Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Security International Development Working Papers 245909, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    7. Chapoto, Antony & Kolavalli, Shashi & Ragasa, Catherine & Takeshima, Hiroyuki, 2014. "Substituting for rice imports in Ghana:," GSSP working papers 6, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    8. Ragasa, Catherine & Chapoto, Antony & Kolavalli, Shashidhara, 2014. "Maize Productivity in Ghana," GSSP policy notes 5, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Richard Kofi Asravor & Daniel Bruce Sarpong, 2023. "Risk preferences and management strategies of farmers in Ghana: Does the type of crop grown matter?," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(6), pages 1080-1098, August.
    10. Lin, Yu-Pin & Hsu, Chia- Chuan & Wuryandani, Shafira & Yang, Feng-An, 2024. "A decision-making framework based on rain-fed crop suitability, water scarcity, and economic benefits for determination multiple-crop rotation strategy," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 306(C).
    11. Eric Owusu Danquah & Yacob Beletse & Richard Stirzaker & Christopher Smith & Stephen Yeboah & Patricia Oteng-Darko & Felix Frimpong & Stella Ama Ennin, 2020. "Monitoring and Modelling Analysis of Maize ( Zea mays L.) Yield Gap in Smallholder Farming in Ghana," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-21, September.
    12. Diao, Xinshen & Cossar, Frances & Houssou, Nazaire & Kolavalli, Shashidhara, 2014. "Mechanization in Ghana: Emerging demand, and the search for alternative supply models," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 168-181.
    13. Martey, Edward & Goldsmith, Peter, 2020. "Heterogeneous demand for soybean quality," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 15(01), March.
    14. Catherine Ragasa & Antony Chapoto, 2017. "Moving in the right direction? The role of price subsidies in fertilizer use and maize productivity in Ghana," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(2), pages 329-353, April.
    15. Ragasa, Catherine & Chapoto, Antony, 2016. "Limits to green revolution in rice in Africa: The case of Ghana," IFPRI discussion papers 1561, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    16. Mohammed, Kamaldeen & Batung, Evans & Saaka, Sulemana Ansumah & Kansanga, Moses Mosonsieyiri & Luginaah, Isaac, 2023. "Determinants of mechanized technology adoption in smallholder agriculture: Implications for agricultural policy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    17. Aniah Dominic Avea & Jing Zhu & Xu Tian & Tomas Baležentis & Tianxiang Li & Michael Rickaille & William Funsani, 2016. "Do NGOs and Development Agencies Contribute to Sustainability of Smallholder Soybean Farmers in Northern Ghana—A Stochastic Production Frontier Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-17, May.
    18. Ragasa, Catherine & Dankyi, Awere & Acheampong, Patricia & Wiredu, Alexander Nimo & Chapoto, Antony & Asamoah, Marian & Tripp, Robert, 2013. "Patterns of adoption of improved rice technologies in Ghana," GSSP working papers 35, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    19. Kansanga, Moses & Andersen, Peter & Atuoye, Kilian & Mason-Renton, Sarah, 2018. "Contested commons: Agricultural modernization, tenure ambiguities and intra-familial land grabbing in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 215-224.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:arx:papers:2411.15797. 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: arXiv administrators (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://arxiv.org/ .

    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.