Adoption of Sustainable Intensification Practices among Smallholder Rice Farmers in Northern Ghana: A Case Study of the Savelugu Municipality

Abstract

Sustainable agricultural intensification is essential for climate change adaptation among smallholder farmers. This study examined factors influencing the adoption of sustainable agricultural intensification practices (SIPs) among smallholder rainfed rice farmers in the Savelugu Municipality. The Municipality is a dominant rice production hub in northern Ghana under rain-fed rice production systems. A total of 241 farmers were interviewed in three rice-growing communities, and the Generalised Poisson Count Regression model was employed to analyse the data. The results revealed that mechanised ploughing, chemical fertilisers and herbicide application account for more than 90% of all SIPs in the study area. The point of sale of farm produce, access to extension services, accessibility of the farming community, and agricultural credit positively affected the number of SIPs adopted. In contrast, farming experiences, membership of farmer-based organization, distance to the nearest market, input subsidy, livestock ownership, seasonal migration, and rice farm income negatively affected the number of SIPs adopted by farmers. The study draws attention to the insightful contextual meaning of factors that influence the adoption of SIPs, including the role of social capital (FBO membership), policy (access to subsidy) and resource endowment (livestock ownership). Using a broad conceptualisation of SIP with an emphasis on social, economic, and institutional variables that are likely to result in trade-offs and synergies within the smallholder rice-growing farming production system, this study contributes to the growing literature on smallholder farmer adoption behaviour in a constrained environment and sheds light on farmers' understanding and conception of SIP practices in the context of climate variability.