Road improvement enhances smallholder productivity and reduces forest encroachment in Ghana

Acheampong, Emmanuel Opoku; Sayer, Jeffrey; Macgregor, Colin J.

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2018.04.001

Cited by 29 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 109 publications

(189 reference statements)

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“…The presence of good road infrastructure and public transport reduces the transaction costs to farmers in the search for productivity-enhancing inputs. This corroborates findings of Acheampong, Sayer, and Macgregor (2018) who reported that access to improved roads encourage the use of modern farm inputs and thus higher yields. We are unable to confirm or reject the inverse productivity-size relationship in this study.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 91%

Access to Credit, Farm Productivity and Market Participation in Ghana: A Conditional Mixed Process Approach

Alhassan

Abu

Nkegbe

2020

Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research

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This study tests the hypothesis of whether credit impacts productivity, and whether productivity in turn impacts market participation under a simultaneous modelling framework of credit, productivity and market participation, which has not been pursued in the literature. Using data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey Round 6, we applied a conditional mixed process estimation technique to correct for selectivity bias and unobserved endogeneity. We find that credit positively impacts productivity, which in turn positively impacts market participation. Furthermore, other determinants such as roads, public transport, radio and phone, and compliance with extension advice positively influence productivity while availability of markets and multiple cropping in a season increase the decision to sell maize. These findings imply that the transmission mechanism to transform the subsistence nature of Ghanaian agriculture into a sector characterized by commercial agriculture is to enhance access to credit, which in turn would stimulate productivity, which in turn would enhance market engagement. JEL Classification: Q12, Q13, Q14

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 91%

Access to Credit, Farm Productivity and Market Participation in Ghana: A Conditional Mixed Process Approach

Alhassan

Abu

Nkegbe

2020

Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research

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“…Analyzing existing livelihood strategies and outcomes in a specific context is primal because context shapes the opportunity structures within which livelihoods are constructed (Bebbington 1999 ). For example, how well an area is connected to markets, and the extent to which transportation facilities are accessible, may influence the livelihood strategies in an area (Acheampong et al 2018 ), and may mediate the mechanisms by which food crops and cash crops benefit household food security (Sibhatu and Qaim 2018 ). Moreover, the ability of households to engage in a type of livelihood strategy is influenced by the types of capital assets they have access to (Scoones 1998 ; Rakodi 1999 ).…”

Section: Background On the Relationships Between Livelihoods And Foodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Livelihood strategies, capital assets, and food security in rural Southwest Ethiopia

et al. 2019

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Households combine capital assets in a process involving human agency and resourcefulness to construct livelihood strategies and generate well-being outcomes. Here, we (1) characterized types of livelihood strategies; (2) determined how different capital assets are associated with different livelihood strategies; and (3) determined how livelihood strategies differed in food security outcomes. We conducted a survey in southwestern Ethiopia and used principal component and cluster analyses. Five types of livelihood strategies, which differed mainly in food and cash crops comprising the strategy, were identified. These were, in order of decreasing food security: ‘three food crops, coffee and khat’, n = 68; ‘three food crops and khat’, n = 59; ‘two food crops, coffee and khat’, n = 78; ‘two food crops and khat’, n = 88; and ‘one food crop, coffee and khat’, n = 44. The livelihood strategy ‘three food crops, coffee and khat’ was associated with a wide range of capital assets, particularly having larger aggregate farm field size and learning from other farmers. A generalized linear model showed that livelihood strategies were significantly associated with food security outcomes. Particularly, a high number of food crops in a strategy was linked with relatively high food security. In this context, diversified livelihood strategies primarily through having a mix of food crops for subsistence, in combination with cash crops for income, are important for food security. This suggests a need to rethink dominant policy narratives, which have a narrow focus on increasing productivity and commercialization as the primary pathway to food security.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12571-018-00883-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Strategically planned roads, and the provisional infrastructure that often follows, may support this trend. Examples of increased accessibility leading to land-use stabilization exist, but are rarely documented (see Acheampong et al., 2018; Kaczan, 2017). Further research is required to evaluate empirical evidence on the policies and conditions that enable this transition (Ewers, Scharlemann, Balmford, & Green, 2009; Nanni et al., 2019; Rudel, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Combined with environmental protection policies, the transition from low productivity livelihood systems into more prosperous livelihoods can facilitate long-term conservation benefits (Muller & Zeller, 2002; Munroeaic, Southworth, & Tucker, 2002). In Ghana, Acheampong, Sayer, and Macgregor (2018) found that road improvement enhances smallholder productivity and thereby reduces forest encroachment. In India, Kaczan (2017) found road construction contributed to tree cover expansion, indicating the role of rural roads in facilitating reforestation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning from Local Perceptions for Strategic Road Development in Cambodia’s Protected Forests

Riggs

Langston

Sayer

et al. 2020

Tropical Conservation Science

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Road development in tropical forest landscapes is contentious. Local preferences are often subordinated to global economic and environmental concerns. Opportunities to seek solutions based on local context are rare. We examined local perspectives on road development within Cambodia's Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary to explore opportunities for optimizing conservation and development outcomes. We conducted household surveys to document the perceived benefits and risks of road development. We found that in the sanctuary, road rehabilitation may accelerate transitions to intensified agriculture and diversified, off-farm incomes. All households prefer good roads and poorer households prioritize road development over other village infrastructure. Households perceive the most prominent benefit of roads to be access to hospital. Local government authorities are responsible for controlling land use and conversion within village boundaries and are therefore highly influential in determining the social and environmental outcomes of roads. Strategies to mitigate environmental risks of roads without constraining development benefits must focus on improving local capacity for decision-making and transparency. Local institutions in tropical forest landscapes must have greater control over development benefits if they are to reinvest assets to achieve conservation success.

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Road improvement enhances smallholder productivity and reduces forest encroachment in Ghana

Abstract: Impact of roads on farm size, market participation, and forest cover change in rural Ghana. MPhil thesis, James Cook University.

Cited by 29 publications

References 109 publications

Access to Credit, Farm Productivity and Market Participation in Ghana: A Conditional Mixed Process Approach

Access to Credit, Farm Productivity and Market Participation in Ghana: A Conditional Mixed Process Approach

Livelihood strategies, capital assets, and food security in rural Southwest Ethiopia

Learning from Local Perceptions for Strategic Road Development in Cambodia’s Protected Forests

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