Assessing the Trends and Policy Correlates of Agricultural Production and Sustainability Outcomes in Ghana and Nigeria

The paper provides empirical analyses of the trends and policy correlates of agricultural production and sustainability outcomes in Ghana and Nigeria. It analysed comparable datasets to proffer policy prescriptions for... [ view full abstract ]

The paper provides empirical analyses of the trends and policy correlates of agricultural production and sustainability outcomes in Ghana and Nigeria. It analysed comparable datasets to proffer policy prescriptions for ensuring agricultural production and sustainability outcomes.

Agricultural growth and accompanying positive growth linkages have wide-ranging impacts on overall growth and incomes of the poor (Dorosh and Mellor, 2013; World Bank, 2008; Hazell and Ramaswamy, 1991). Others (Manyong et al., 2005) have argued that the peasant nature of agricultural production system, with its low productivity, poor response to technology adoption strategies, and poor return of investment impede sustainable agricultural growth and development. Thus, suggesting that agriculture development as strategies for promoting equitable resource redistribution, sustainable growth and development thereby ensuring overall welfare improvement of the citizenry. Therefore, this paper assessed the trends and correlates of agricultural production and sustainability outcomes in Ghana and Nigeria with a view to informing policy prescriptions for post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

Comparable time series dataset on agricultural production and sustainability outcomes, including political systems (military or democratic rule) and international development agenda (pre-millennium development goals era or millennium development goals era) spanning 1961- 2012 were analysed. Descriptive statistics (including means, standard deviations and coefficients of variation) and inferential statistical models (analysis of variance) were employed.
The results show that geographical differences, time trends, political system and the context of the millennium development goals (MDGs) influenced the indices of agricultural production (gross production and net production) as well as agricultural production sustainability outcomes (gross per capita production and net per capita production). Overall, time trends, political system and MDGs era significantly influenced agricultural production and sustainability outcomes. However, there were evidences of differential significant correlates of the indices of agricultural production and agricultural production sustainability outcomes by country. These results underscore the implications of each country’s policy in promoting sustainable agricultural development outcomes especially in Ghana and Nigeria