| dc.description.abstract | The conservation agricultural practice of no-till is known to improve soil physical and chemical properties through enriching soil organic matter, improving soil moisture conservation, labor saving and the ability to sustain the productivity of land for a long period of time. No-till is considered one practice for sustainable food production in Sub- Saharan African and the rest of the world to meet the food demands of the growing population. Farmers are encouraged to adopt the no-till technology as scientific research has proven the comparative soil improvement potential of the system. However, there is little knowledge on the socio-economic aspects of no-till practice in terms of the profitability of the practice and the financial risks associated with no-till. This paper uses enterprise farm budgets to analyze the labor use, cost and profitability of no-till and conventional tillage in four agro-ecological zones in Ghana and uses these budgets as analytical tools to help farmers manage risk.
Two data sets were used in the study. The first data set was used in building budget models and was based on the daily farm activities of 24 farms located in the 4 agro-ecological zones. Three no-till farmers and three conventional farmers were selected at random from the ecological zones. The second data set is an economic-anthropological survey to track farmers’ farming histories and views on the sustainability of the small farm in Ghana giving the aging population and the lack of youth interest in agriculture as a profession.
The budgets show labor need and cost for no-till and conventional tillage varying in different ecological zones and with different farm activities. Yields of cereals were higher for no-till in all ecological zones. Profits realized from no-till farmers who practiced mono-cropping with maize were higher than conventional farmers. However, mixed cropping was more profitable under each system, particularly when tomatoes were grown. Farm produce prices were lower in the bumper seasons and higher in the lean seasons. The increase in energy prices and removal of subsidies on farm inputs reduced farm profits.
The budgets should be considered as policy and risk management tools in agricultural research institutions such as Ministry of Food and Agriculture Ghana (MOFA) and the No-till Center to help farmers make better decisions in managing risk to increase their profits. | en |
