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Adoption of Zai technology for soil fertility management: evidence from Upper East region, Ghana

Author

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  • Gideon Danso-Abbeam

    (University for Development Studies
    University of KwaZulu-Natal
    University of KwaZulu-Natal)

  • Gilbert Dagunga

    (University for Development Studies)

  • Dennis Sedem Ehiakpor

    (University for Development Studies)

Abstract

Zai is a conventional soil rehabilitation management practice where organic matter is buried in a small pit to help restore fertility and conserve water in the soil. However, adoption of this environmentally-friendly technology is low. This study makes two key contributions. First, it identifies the determinants of adoption and intensity of adoption of Zai technology for soil fertility management. Second, it performs diagnostic tests to show that Cragg’s double-hurdle as compared to the Heckman and the standard Tobit regression models is the best econometric approach to identify factors influencing farmers’ decision to adopt and the extent of adoption of the Zai in the Upper East region, Ghana. Results from the Cragg’s double-hurdle model revealed that different set of variables affect the probability and the intensity of adoption of Zai technology. The paper concludes that farm households should be encouraged to engage in non-farm economic activities to complement their farm income and enhance the purchase of productive farm inputs. Moreover, farm-level policies oriented towards increasing access to agricultural extension services, credit facilities, and the facilitation of farmer groups are essential to improving the adoption of farm innovations such as the Zai technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Gideon Danso-Abbeam & Gilbert Dagunga & Dennis Sedem Ehiakpor, 2019. "Adoption of Zai technology for soil fertility management: evidence from Upper East region, Ghana," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jecstr:v:8:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1186_s40008-019-0163-1
    DOI: 10.1186/s40008-019-0163-1
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    Cited by:

    1. Raissa Sorgho & Isabel Mank & Moubassira Kagoné & Aurélia Souares & Ina Danquah & Rainer Sauerborn, 2020. "“We Will Always Ask Ourselves the Question of How to Feed the Family”: Subsistence Farmers’ Perceptions on Adaptation to Climate Change in Burkina Faso," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-25, October.
    2. Md. Sadique Rahman & Monoj Kumar Majumder, 2021. "Drivers of adoption and impacts of an eco-friendly agricultural technology in Bangladesh," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(12), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Yatribi Taoufik, 2020. "Factors Affecting Precision Agriculture Adoption: A Systematic Litterature Review," Economics, Sciendo, vol. 8(2), pages 103-121, December.
    4. Nyantakyi-Frimpong, Hanson, 2020. "What lies beneath: Climate change, land expropriation, and zaï agroecological innovations by smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    5. Gideon Danso-Abbeam & Lloyd J. S. Baiyegunhi & Mark D. Laing & Hussein Shimelis, 2021. "Food security impacts of smallholder farmers’ adoption of dual-purpose sweetpotato varieties in Rwanda," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(3), pages 653-668, June.
    6. Masithembe Sigigaba & Lelethu Mdoda & Asanda Mditshwa, 2021. "Adoption Drivers of Improved Open-Pollinated (OPVs) Maize Varieties by Smallholder Farmers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-18, December.
    7. Valeria Ferreira & Miguel Ángel Almazán-Gómez & Victor Nechifor & Emanuele Ferrari, 2022. "The role of the agricultural sector in Ghanaian development: a multiregional SAM-based analysis," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 11(1), pages 1-27, December.
    8. DAGUNGA, Gilbert & ABUBAKARI, Kamaru & AGEBASE AWUNI, Joseph, 2021. "Conservation Agricultural Practices: Determinants And Effects On Soil Health For Sustainable Production In Northern Ghana," Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics (RAAE), Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra, vol. 24(1), March.

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