Agriculture constitutes about one-third of GDP and provides employment for about two-thirds of the labor force in Sub-Saharan Africa. Productivity growth in agriculture is therefore an important element for economic growth and development. Yet, growth in this sector has been slow. According to the World Bank (1989), agricultural growth for the continent from 1980 to 1989 averaged only 1.8% per year. Therefore, “improving this growth rate is of increasing concern for both governments and international organizations” (Pinckney 1995). Investing in the human capital base is regarded as one of the most effective ways to improve agricultural productivity (Nelson and Phelps, 1966; Romer, 1990; Bindlish and Evenson, 1997; Birdsall et al., 1999). …show more content…
Rivera (1998) argues that education, irrespective of the form, improves productivity to a very significant extent.
1.2 Problem Statement
Agriculture is a very important sector in the Ghanaian economy. Although its contribution to GDP decreased from 43.5% in 1990 to 21.5% in 2013, it still remains a significant player in the economy of the country (Ghana Statistical Service 2008; ISSER 2011; CIA 2013). The agricultural sector employs about 60% of the workforce in Ghana and can therefore be regarded as the backbone of the Ghanaian economy (ISSER, 2011).
Maize is the most important cereal crop produced in Ghana and it is also the most widely consumed staple food in Ghana (Morris et al., 1999). Maize accounts for 55% of grain output in the country. Maize is also an important component of poultry feed and to a lesser extent the livestock feed sector, as well as a substitute for the brewing industry.
Although maize productivity has been increasing over the years, studies show that Ghanaian farmers are yet to produce enough to meet the nation’s demand. The most recent domestic production data shows that the shortfall between domestic production and consumption would reach 267,000 Mt by 2015 if there were no productivity improvements (MOFA, 2011), prolonging the continual
In the cities of Wichita Falls and Vernon, the thought of economic growth and the reduction of poverty does not usually cross the minds of most citizens, but as the economic advisor of both cities, it is the main concern of my career. There are many factors that contribute towards these issues, like tax cuts, infrastructure spending, deregulation, and tax rebates (DePersio), but one focused inducer is agriculture development.
In Ethiopia, about 4.9 million acres of land is devoted to its production every year. From 2003-2005 production statistics indicated that tef accounted for about 29% of the land and 20% of the gross grain production of all major cereal cultivation in the country (National Research Council).
Under National Agro-Food Policy, agriculture sector has been identified as a National Key Result Area. Under this initiative, the agriculture sector is targeted to increase the Gross National Income by RM28.9 Billion (USD9.1 billion) to reach RM49.1 billion (USD15.4 billion) by 2020. The agricultural sector is also targeted to create more than 109,000 job opportunities by 2020, primarily in the rural areas.
A college education can increase a workers’ productivity in various ways. Generally a college graduate enters into the labour market with more knowledge and higher skills than a non-college graduate. These higher skills can be improved thinking, writing, communication and problem solving; which increase productivity. The thinking processes increases the application of their knowledge which increases their productivity and efficiency.
The interrogators were pleasantly surprised with the proceedings. The murderer complied with all directions and answered all questions willingly. It fast became clear that the intention for the murder was not Ambrosia’s own desires, as she was but a pawn of the Devout Sanction. Unfortunately, premeditated manslaughter was still a crime. Ambrosia knew full well the consequences to come and made no struggle to justify her actions or plead innocence. There wasn’t any benefit in causing more trouble. The absent death penalty led her to actually want the Capital Punishment institution. She missed it as much as the European American senators and
It is unfortunate to learn that Liberia has no agricultural education programs in the Liberian Education System. Not teaching the young generations about agricultural and the importance of it could be detrimental to all of society. Not knowing how to properly grow crops and raise livestock makes it hard
However, some believe, that a shift in the way we produce food may have some unintended consequences. They contend that poverty in nations such as Africa and Asia, is caused by the low productivity of the unindustrialized farm labor. The U.S. Agriculture Department projects, without reform, there will be over a thirty percent increase in the numbers of the ‘food insecure’ people in those nations over the next decade (Paarlberg 179).
“He was influence by his father to start a career in real estate development” (Bio), in 1971 his father gave him the control of his company, which he later changed the name to Trump Organization. He moved to Manhattan, and he started making connections with influential people. He soon became involved in large building projects, and he started earning high profits. He leased a site on 5th avenue in 1979 for 200 million dollars. This luxurious building has pink marble, and an 80 foot tall waterfall which attracted celebrities and retail stores, and it brought him a ton of attention. He purchased a Hilton casino hotel in Atlantic City, he also bought Holiday Inn and renamed it to “Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino”. In 1990 with the decline of real
When you watch commercials depicting starvation in African countries like Mali, do you wonder what it would actually take to end hunger? Plenty of answers appear successful in concept, but have unforeseen complications, such as building factories in Africa to produce and process biofuels. And other obstacles such as civil wars, poor sanitation, and massive debt keep countries like Democratic Republic of the Congo from advancing. Maybe we complicate the solution to the hunger crisis by focusing on economy instead of food sustainability. Before a country can advance economically and technologically, it has to be able to feed its inhabitants. Therefore, by altering the crops currently grown in the African savannas to create agricultural sustainability, it will diminish hunger, and lead to economic growth.
Which question did I pick and why? Is putting a serial killer to death ethically sound when guilt has been established with absolute certainty? When it comes to answering this question, one must come to terms with what is their ideal of justice. For a long time the ideal, an eye for an eye as especially been the basis for all compensation of a crime. So when it comes to the logic, if serial killer is caught it would only make since for the death penalty to be enforced. After all, he did murder even if he felt guilty. Fair is fair, right? To break this down one must look on both sides of the argument, explain the Utilitarianism approach to the issue, as well as the view Kant would assume using both forms of his
As an economics major, I spent a majority of my undergraduate career examining production functions, which are equations that estimate a level of output based on certain variables such as capital, labor, and technology. During my studies, I began to realize that education was a variable that almost always positively altered the level of output for any given person, business, or environment. The importance of education cannot be understated, therefore, I have the greatest appreciation for those who continue to invest in students like myself.
Deere & Doss 2006 indicates that women are 5 percent of registered landholders in West Africa, 22.4 percent in the Mexican ejidos (communal farming lands) and 15.5 percent in Nicaragua. On average, men’s land holdings are almost three times women’s land holdings. This compromise land access leads women to make suboptimal decisions with regard to crop choices and to obtain lower yields than would otherwise be possible if household resources were allocated efficiently. Insecurity of tenure for women results in lower investment and potential environmental degradation. It also compromises future production potential and increases food insecurity. If women farmers in Bombali Sheborah and Makarie Gbanti Chiefdoms in particular and West Africa in general had the same access to farm inputs, education, and experience as their men counterparts, their yields for maize, beans, and cowpeas could increase as much as 22 percent (Quisumbing
I am highly motivated to pursue further studies in agricultural and resource economics at Kasetsart University. My strong interest in agriculture and the business of agriculture and its relation to economic development . Agriculture is the backbone of my country Ghana, supplying food for the nation's population. It is part of a massive business sector that provides many opportunities for the masses of people.
This study assessed policy and institutional frameworks impacting on vegetable seed production and distribution systems in Cameroon in order to establish benchmark indicators for successful integration and/or diversification of vegetables into existing cocoa-based farming systems in the humid tropics of Cameroon. Results reveal that official regulations and other policy instruments necessary to boost the vegetable seed sector in Cameroon do exist, but need to be re-formulated into more concrete and implementable actions on the ground. The study identified and characterized two main vegetable seed supply systems namely: the dominant informal system dealing mainly with traditional vegetable species such as Amaranthus spp (amaranth) and the formal seed supply system characterised by mostly by the production and sale of globally important vegetable seed such as Brassica oleracea var. capitata (cabbage). The major constraints observed in the vegetable seed sub-sector include the inadaptability of legal instruments to the vegetable seed sector, absence of effective storage conditions, absence of seed testing facilities, poor knowledge on seed production and processing and the heterogeneity of seeds. Consequently, farmers are obliged to fall back to unimproved seeds to the detriment of agricultural yields.
Table 5 shows the estimated ARDL error correction approach. The results illustrate most of the variables in this model as either statistically significant or not significant at any level with an expected sign. Specifically, food production (dLFD) and annual population growth rate (dLPOP) are positive and significant at 1% and 5% level of significant respectively. For instance, improvement in the in food production and annual population growth rate in the short-run are related to improvement in Cereal Production. As can be seen from the results. Food production has an immediate impact on cereal production in Nigeria. So, with this analysis, it can be stated that food production can foster growth of the cereal production and that its effects seem to be quite lasting over time, although the magnitude is rather small. As a consequence, population growth displays a prolonged impact on the agricultural productivity in the short-run. However, this finding agrees with the Malthusiantheory which states that population increase at a faster rate it stimulates urgent demand for food and increases output. To be exact, improvement of food production by 1% leads to increase in Cereal production by 10.07%. This findings consistent with the finding by Battisti&