Search

The study examined the sustainability of distance education in the context of finance, management and availability of support services in Ashanti region of Ghana. Data for the study were obtained from five groups of respondents namely; centre coordinators, educational administrators, facilitators of distance education programme, potential and current students pursuing distance education. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that current management and support services are adequate and sustainable. In the case of finance management, it is believed that financial resources generated by the programme through students' fees would sustain the programme. However, potential, and current students pursuing distance education viewed the private cost involved as high. Hence for sustainability of the programme, it is important that school fees charged are reviewed in order not to negatively influence students' access to distance education.

This paper presents a discussion on the theoretical and conceptual framework on issues relating to access to financial services. The discussion begins by providing details of various theories that underpin the demand and supply side of access to financial services. The supply dimension of access to financial services is guided by the information asymmetry theory and the transaction cost theory, while the key demand dimension theories are the delegated monitoring theory and the rational choice theory. In the later sections, a conceptual framework was developed for the empirical evaluation of access to financial services and its impact on productivity with particular reference to farmers in emerging economies. The last section provides the concluding remarks, which recommends the use of empirical analyses to access factors influencing access and the impact of the access to farmers’ productivity.

Achieving inclusivity requires a critical focus on gender responsiveness and holistic growth in the cocoa industry. Conducting a gender-differentiated analysis is essential in determining men and women cocoa farmers' knowledge, attitudes, practices and aspirations, therefore, it is crucial to develop policies that are sensitive to gender considerations. The study presents useful information on this subject from Ghana for stakeholders in the cocoa sector. A multi-stage sampling technique was used. A total of 182 male and 182 female farmers from 10 towns were interviewed in 2022. The binary and ordered logit models were applied. Women cocoa farmers' knowledge, attitudes, practices and aspirations were significantly influenced by age, farming experience, premium access, extension contacts as well as education while the knowledge, attitudes, practices and aspirations of male cocoa farmers were influenced by membership in cooperatives, participation in training programmes and years of farming. The main conclusion of the paper is that the cooperative system among cocoa farmers should be enhanced to become an avenue for training farmers to increase their knowledge, attitudes, practices, and aspirations. Extension contact needs to be increased to develop farmers' knowledge, attitudes, practices, and aspirational capacity on pesticide usage. The study's implications underscore the importance of developing and implementing gender-responsive pesticide application policies in the cocoa sector. Policymakers need to consider the unique needs and challenges faced by both male and female cocoa farmers to ensure inclusivity and sustainable growth in the industry. By recognizing the significant influence of gender-specific factors on farmers' experiences and outcomes, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in achieving inclusivity in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the perception and adoption of artificial pollination among cocoa farmers in Ghana. It used cross-sectional data collected from 206 cocoa farmers selected through multi-stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics, Likert Scale and the Tobit regression model were the methods of analysis. With an adoption rate of 49%, the study revealed that cocoa farmers have a positive perception towards adoption of artificial pollination technology. The results also showed that age of farmer, extension visits, yield and household size have significant positive effects on the probability of adoption of artificial pollination among cocoa farmers, whereas farm size has a significant negative effect on adoption. Leveraging on the positive perception generated, we encourage extension agents to sensitize farmers on the importance of artificial pollination through continuous awareness creation and promotion of the benefits of adopting the technology. Furthermore, given cocoa farmers' positive perception on artificial pollination, Ghana's cocoa production and marketing regulatory body (COCOBOD) should take steps in implementing the technology. Implementers of this technology should also target younger farmers since age has a negative influence on adoption of artificial pollination. Finally, this paper contributes to the literature by focusing on the perception and the factors that influence adoption of artificial pollination in cocoa production which currently has not been researched and documented in the cocoa production literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]