TY - JOUR
T1 - Smallholder maize farmers' food consumption expenditures in Ghana
T2 - The mediating role of commercialization
AU - Asante, S. B.
AU - Osei-Asare, Y. B.
AU - Kuwornu, John K.M.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - This paper examines the effect of smallholder maize farmers' commercialization on their household food consumption expenditures in Ghana using data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey Round Five (GLSS5). The results indicate that the intensity of smallholder maize commercialization is generally low and that better output price, quantity of maize produced, farm size, type of market or point of sale, access to mobile phone network coverage, proportion of crops given to landlord, instant payment for maize sold, are inter alia key incentive variables that influence the intensity of maize commercialization. The study also revealed that intensity of maize commercialization positively influenced food consumption expenditures. Increases in the sale of maize results in increases in purchases of food items needed to address household food security needs. These findings demonstrate the urgent need to strengthen smallholder market integration initiatives, encourage market information delivery systems, and establish more retail outlets with improved market facilities in order to promote production and trade in high value cereals such as maize in Ghana.
AB - This paper examines the effect of smallholder maize farmers' commercialization on their household food consumption expenditures in Ghana using data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey Round Five (GLSS5). The results indicate that the intensity of smallholder maize commercialization is generally low and that better output price, quantity of maize produced, farm size, type of market or point of sale, access to mobile phone network coverage, proportion of crops given to landlord, instant payment for maize sold, are inter alia key incentive variables that influence the intensity of maize commercialization. The study also revealed that intensity of maize commercialization positively influenced food consumption expenditures. Increases in the sale of maize results in increases in purchases of food items needed to address household food security needs. These findings demonstrate the urgent need to strengthen smallholder market integration initiatives, encourage market information delivery systems, and establish more retail outlets with improved market facilities in order to promote production and trade in high value cereals such as maize in Ghana.
KW - Commercialization
KW - Consumption
KW - Food expenditures
KW - Households
KW - Smallholder maize farmers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992154353&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.7160/aol.2016.080302
DO - 10.7160/aol.2016.080302
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84992154353
SN - 1804-1930
VL - 8
SP - 13
EP - 27
JO - Agris On-line Papers in Economics and Informatics
JF - Agris On-line Papers in Economics and Informatics
IS - 3
ER -