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Research background: Adoption of improved rice varieties remain paramount in fighting food and nutrition insecurity across sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). A lot has been done in the space of the adoption of agricultural innovations and food and nutrition insecurity. However, studies on the drivers of improved rice variety adoption and its effect on rice output, considering time and location-specific factors, are limited. Purpose of the article: This study estimated and examined the drivers and effect of improved rice variety adoption on rice output in the northern region of Ghana. Methods: A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 404 rice farm households in the northern region of Ghana. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach was used to analyse the data. Findings, Value added & Novelty: This study provides literature on drivers of improved rice variety adoption and its effect on rice output, by jointly considering time and location-specific factors. The empirical results revealed that adoption of improved rice varieties has significant positive effect on rice output of farm households. This could translate into reducing food and nutrition insecurity and the importation of rice into Ghana. Similarly, improved rice varieties adoption is positively and significantly affected by family labour, membership in FBO, farmers’ perception of rainfall, awareness of government rice policy, telephone ownership, and closeness to input markets. However, the adoption of improved rice varieties bears a significant negative relationship with the age of a farmer and mechanization. To enhance rice productivity and food security outcomes, the study recommends that the development of enhanced rice varieties responsive to current climatic situation. Dissemination and promotion of the varieties should be given priority among stakeholders in the rice value chain. Farmers should be encouraged to join or form farmer-based organisations (FBOs) and support their farm work with family labour to minimize rice production costs due to external payments. Access to market by farmers should be enhanced by improving rural road networks, especially in the rural areas where rice production takes place. Government policy towards rice production should be well designed and communicated to rice farmers since awareness of government rice policy stimulates improved rice varieties adoption among rice farmers., doi: 10.15414/raae.2022.25.01.42-54 ; https://roaae.org/issue/review-of-agricultural-and-applied-economics-raae-vol-25-no-1-2022/?article=the-effect-of-adoption-of-improved-varieties-on-rice-productivity-in-the-northern-region-of-ghana

Climate change coping and adaptation (CCCA) mechanisms have become more relevant in the north of Ghana where there is evidence of severe impacts of climate change and poverty. In this study, we modelled the determinants of adoption of multiple CCCA strategies by smallholder farmers in northern Ghana using primary data collected from 230 households. Count data models including endogenous switch Poisson and generalized Poisson regression were estimated to account for potential endogeneity of credit, as well as dispersion errors. The credit variable did not show signs of endogeneity, neither was there evidence of significance dispersion errors in the data. Age, sex, extension visits, and farm size were significant across the various count data models and should be considered by policy makers when designing national climate change response and mitigation plans., doi: 10.15414/raae.2020.23.01.30-37; https://roaae.org/issue/review-of-agricultural-and-applied-economics-raae-vol-23-no-1-2020/?article=modelling-the-determinants-of-adoption-of-multiple-climate-change-coping-and-adaptation-strategies-a-micro-analysis-of-smallholder-farmers-in-northern-ghana

Agricultural extension programmes are the main pathways to transfer improved innovations or information from extension agents to farmers in rural and peri-urban areas. Agricultural extension methods have been perceived by many to have significant influence on the adoption of improved production techniques by farmers. This study modelled the factors influencing farmers’ subscription to various agricultural extension methods using data from 543 rice farm households in northern Ghana. A generalised Poisson regression (GPR) model was estimated to account for errors in the dispersion of the data. The results reveal farmer-to-farmer extension method, the use of demonstration farms, and household extension method as the most significant mechanisms to communicate information to farmers in the study area. Farm size, membership of farmer association, number of years spent as an irrigation farmer, research and location (upper east region) were found to be significant in influencing farmers’ subscription to various agricultural extension methods, and should be considered by extension agents who extend knowledge on improved production techniques to farmers. Governments and actors in the agricultural space must recognise the importance of farmer-to-farmer extension method, as well as the use of field demonstrations to train farmers on improved practices. Radio, as a mass media mechanism should be used to support the other conventional extension methods, to deploy information on improved production techniques to rice farmers., doi: 10.15414/raae.2020.23.01.47-54; https://roaae.org/issue/review-of-agricultural-and-applied-economics-raae-vol-23-no-1-2020/?article=modelling-rice-farmers-subscription-to-agricultural-extension-methods-in-ghana

Improved rice production techniques are being promoted in Ghana as a way of enhancing sustainable productivity among farmers. Despite the important role that the adoption of improved rice production technologies plays in improving output, very few studies, especially in the context of Northern Ghana, have been conducted to analyse the factors influencing their intensive adoption. In this study, we compared the results of negative binomial, Poisson and zero inflated Poisson (ZIP) models to analyse the determinants of intensity of adoption of improved rice production techniques, using primary data collected from 543 rice farmers in the Upper East and Northern regions of Ghana. Based on model diagnostics, we accept the results of the ZIP model. The empirical results confirm the relevance of technology demonstration fields, farmers’ experience, training, and sex of the farmer in enhancing and sustaining the adoption of improved agricultural technologies. Household extension method, research and extension, and farm size should also be considered in promoting the adoption of improved practices among rice farmers since these covariates had significant relationship with the intensity of adopting improved agricultural technologies., doi: 10.15414/raae.2018.21.02.48-57 https://roaae.org/issue/review-of-agricultural-and-applied-economics-raae-vol-21-no-2-2018/?article=drivers-of-adoption-intensity-of-improved-agricultural-technologies-among-rice-farmers-evidence-from-northern-ghana