Ghana’s soybean production potential stands at an impressive 700,000 tonnes per year. However, only about 26 percent of this potential is being realized. The cultivation area covers an estimated 102,000 hectares of the 250,000 hectares of land suitable for production countrywide.
Why is soybean important in Ghana?
Background Soybean ( Glycine max L) is one of the most valuable leguminous crops cultivated both in developed and developing economies [ 3, 23 ]. In Ghana, the cultivation of soybean is relatively new [ 17 ]. However, its economic importance is gaining wider popularity and common acceptance among farmers in the country [ 19 ].
Which region has the lowest soybean yield in Ghana?
As a result, the impact of the soybean initiatives has been sub-optimal with Upper West region the worst affected in Ghana. Data show that the 194kgha −1 average yield of soybean recorded in Upper West region is the lowest in Ghana, which is nearly 80% lower than the average yield of 348kgha −1 for neighboring Northern region [ 9 ].
Can Stochastic Frontier theory improve soybean production in northern Ghana?
This study estimates the levels of technical efficiency and socio-economic factors influencing technical inefficiencies based on the stochastic frontier theory to make practical and empirical contributions towards improving soybean production in northern Ghana.
Are soybean farmers operating within the ‘economic zone’?
The data reveals a scale elasticity of 0.89 implying that soybean farmers in the Upper West region of Ghana are operating within stage II of the production possibility curve often referred to as the ‘economic zone.
Does soybean production influence technical efficiency of output?
The result shows that, farmers experience in soybean production heavily influenced technical efficiency of output. With the existing technology and production resources, soybean farmers can improve their current levels of soybean production by 41% through the adoption of best production practices. 1. Background