Crop–livestock diversification in the mixed farming systems: implication on food security in Northern Ghana

Agriculture & Food Security

Dennis Sedem Ehiakpor¹  Edinam Dope Setsoafia¹  Gideon Danso-Abbeam²  Abiodun A. Ogundeji³  Joseph A. Awuni⁴  Gilbert Dagunga⁵ 

[1] Department of Agricultural Administration and Marketing, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana;Department of Agricultural Administration and Marketing, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana;Department of Agricultural Economics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa;Department of Agricultural Economics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa;Department of Economics, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana;Science Department, St. John Bosco’s College of Education, Navrongo, Ghana;

关键词: Household dietary diversity score;    Margalef index;    Conditional mixed process;    Northern Ghana;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40066-021-00319-4

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAchieving food security is a global priority and a concern for most African countries, including Ghana. Food systems providing varied and healthy diets without compromising the natural resource base, such as integrated crop–livestock diversification, are important for development planning and policy. Using cross-sectional data obtained from 1284 smallholder households in northern Ghana, we used a double-censored Tobit model in a conditional mixed-process (CMP) framework to estimate the impact of crop diversification on household food security.ResultsThe results showed that household-specific, socioeconomic, and institutional factors influence crop–livestock diversification and food security in northern Ghana. Moreover, we found that higher intensity of crop–livestock diversification translates into a greater probability of achieving food security.ConclusionsCrop–livestock diversification is essential to Ghana’s pursuit of the zero-hunger global agenda as it enhances food security without adversely affecting biodiversity and ecosystem health. Therefore, it should be incorporated into Ghana’s ongoing agricultural programme dubbed, planting and rearing for food and jobs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY