Title: Assessment of livelihood opportunities among farmers in the Shai Osudoku district of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Authors: Samuel Afotey Anang; Abigail A. Aryeh-Adjei

Addresses: Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, University of Energy and Natural Resources, P.O. Box 214, Sunyani, Ghana ' Department of Adult Education and Human Resource Studies, School of Continuing and Distance Education, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 31, Legon-Accra, Ghana

Abstract: The objective of this study was to assess livelihood opportunities among smallholder farmers in five communities namely Dodowa, Ayikuma, Agomeda, Asutsuare and Doryum in the Shai Osudoku district of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. One hundred and fifty (150) farmers were selected from the Shai Osudoku district using multi-stage sampling procedure. Purposive sampling was used to select these communities due to their intensive involvement in farming. Furthermore, simple random sampling technique was adopted to pick 150 farmers for the survey. The study showed that farm households were able to 'pair' their farming activities with alternative livelihoods without abandoning their primary livelihoods, which is farming. The income levels of farmers from their primary livelihood activities were comparatively low with majority, 82.7%, earning GH₵ 100 or less every month compared with fewer farmers, 13.3%, earning above GH₵ 150. However, more than half of farmers (58%) earned above GH₵ 150 every month from their alternative livelihoods. Again, farmers who decided to undertake their primary and alternative livelihoods concurrently have seen a rise in the level of their income and accordingly contributing to the reduction of income poverty among rural farm households.

Keywords: Ghana; livelihoods; poverty reduction; smallholder farmers.

DOI: 10.1504/IJARGE.2020.115326

International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, 2020 Vol.16 No.3/4, pp.171 - 190

Accepted: 11 Sep 2020
Published online: 28 May 2021 *

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