Soil fertility management and economics of soybean in Ghana

Martey, Edward

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/104796 Copy

Description

Title

Soil fertility management and economics of soybean in Ghana

Author(s)

Martey, Edward

Issue Date

2019-04-10

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Goldsmith, Peter

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

• Winter-Nelson, Alex
• Michelson, Hope

Committee Member(s)

Kuwornu, John K.M.

Department of Study

Agr & Consumer Economics

Discipline

Agricultural & Applied Econ

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Soil fertility management
• climate perceptions
• soybeans
• information
• willingness to pay
• preferences
• Ghana

Abstract

An in-depth assessment of the factors influencing the dissemination of agricultural technology and commercialization is fundamental to the design of appropriate strategies to stimulate development, uptake, and scaling. This dissertation examines the economics of soybean with respect to soil fertility management, willingness to pay for improved varieties and demand-side preferences of soybean traders in Ghana. The study specifically tests the following research hypotheses: (1) there is heterogeneity in the adoption of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) packages for farmers who have experienced precipitation shocks and also experienced long-term changes in temperature and rainfall; (2) participation in on-farm research and access to production and market information lead to a higher willingness to pay (WTP) for improved soybean varieties; (3) significant differences exist in the level of discounts across key attributes of soybean; and (4) significant differences exist in the level of discounts across buyer types operating in the soybean commodity chain. The second chapter assesses how farmers combine different ISFM practices when they experience precipitation shocks and perceive a long-term change in temperature and precipitation. The results indicate that the number of ISFM practices adopted is significantly influenced by demographic, farm-level, spatial, and institutional characteristics; and by climate variability and shocks. The results further reveal that farmers who have experienced precipitation shocks and perceive a long-term change in temperature are more likely to complement crop residue with compost. Similarly, farmers exposed to a long-term change in temperature and rainfall complement manure with compost while a trade-off is observed between crop residue and mineral fertilizer for farmers who have experienced either drought or flood. The third chapter evaluates the impact of production and market information on farmers’ WTP for improved soybean varieties. The results show evidence of higher WTP for the improved varieties (“Jenguma,” followed by “Afayak,”) relative to the traditional variety (“Salintua”). Farmers who participated in on-farm research and were provided with production and market information have lower WTP for the improved varieties relative to the non-participant farmers. A higher WTP is observed when farmers have a combination of production and market information compared to when they have only production information. The results further reveal a consistent ordering of the soybean varieties irrespective of the preference elicitation methods employed and participation status of the farmers. The fourth chapter investigates stated preferences for quality soybean traits (color, size, oil content, debris, and price) among wholesalers, processors, and retailers. The results show evidence of heterogeneity in the definition of quality soybean across wholesalers, processors, and retailers. Generally, traders prefer deep brown, bigger size, high oil content soybean devoid of foreign materials. Traders have well-defined indicators for quality soybean and significantly discount the price for failure to meet the required base level of quality. Debris is the most discounted attribute for all the traders. However, significant variation exists in the valuations of the soybean attributes for wholesalers, retailers, and processors. Results of the study suggest that improved production and market information will improve farmers’ production decision and the performance of the soybean market in Ghana. Future study must conduct a comprehensive analysis that accounts for the time invariant in the adoption of ISFM practices and compare the stated traders’ choice results with the hedonic pricing method.

Graduation Semester

2019-05

Type of Resource

text

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Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2019 Edward Martey

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