CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Vegetable production is an important livelihood activity in and around Accra, where irrigation schemes allow farmers to grow crops such as tomatoes, pepper, okra, lettuce and cabbage throughout the year for the urban market. Vegetables are, however, highly susceptible to insect pests and diseases, and farmers often respond by applying synthetic pesticides frequently and without adequate guidance. Poor pest and disease management raises production costs, threatens the health of farmers and consumers, and can contaminate irrigation water.

Ghanaian studies document these problems. In an early study of 137 vegetable farmers, Ntow et al. (2006) found various inappropriate practices in the handling and use of pesticides, which caused possible poisoning symptoms among farmers who generally did not wear protective clothing, and they advocated well-targeted training programmes for farmers. In the catchment of the Ashaiman Irrigation Scheme in the Greater Accra Region, Mattah et al. (2015) surveyed 120 farmers and found that 43.3 per cent obtained pesticide information from extension officers, 39.2 per cent from agrochemical dealers and 10 per cent from fellow farmers; the authors recommended that training of farmers on pesticide handling and use be intensified. Lambon et al. (2023) surveyed 200 tomato farmers in the Mampong Municipality and reported that 64 per cent had no access to extension services and that most lacked education on pesticides and alternatives such as integrated pest management. In north-western Ghana, Aniah et al. (2021) reported that vegetable farmers used pesticides indiscriminately, with wrong doses, poor storage, and inappropriate disposal of empty containers, and concluded that attention to farmers’ knowledge is needed for sustainable pesticide use.

Extension education is one way to address these problems. Through training, demonstrations, farmer field schools and advisory visits, extension agents can teach farmers to identify pests and diseases, apply integrated pest management (IPM), use pesticides safely and observe pre-harvest intervals. The Michel Camp Irrigation Scheme serves vegetable farmers in the Greater Accra Region, but there is little documented evidence on how far extension education has influenced pest and disease management among these farmers. This study seeks to provide that evidence.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Vegetable farmers on irrigation schemes in Ghana depend heavily on chemical pesticides to control pests and diseases, and studies show that many of them handle and apply these chemicals unsafely (Mattah et al., 2015; Ntow et al., 2006). Extension education is expected to promote safer and more effective methods, including integrated pest management, but many farmers lack access to it (Lambon et al., 2023).

At the Michel Camp Irrigation Scheme it is not known whether farmers receive extension education on pest and disease management, what practices they have learnt, and whether they apply them. Without this information, extension providers cannot tell whether their training is effective, and the risks to farmers’ health, consumers and the environment may continue. This study therefore examines the effect of agricultural extension education on pest and disease management among vegetable farmers at the Michel Camp Irrigation Scheme, Korle Klottey Municipal Area, Greater Accra Region.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The general objective of the study is to examine the effect of agricultural extension education on pest and disease management among vegetable farmers at the Michel Camp Irrigation Scheme, Korle Klottey Municipal Area, Greater Accra Region. The specific objectives are to:

(1) describe the socio-economic characteristics of vegetable farmers at the scheme;

(2) identify the major pests and diseases affecting vegetable production at the scheme;

(3) identify the pest and disease management practices used by the farmers;

(4) determine the extension education received by the farmers on pest and disease management;

(5) assess the effect of extension education on farmers’ pest and disease management practices; and

(6) identify the challenges farmers face in applying improved pest and disease management practices.

1.4 Research Questions

(1) What are the socio-economic characteristics of the vegetable farmers?

(2) What are the major pests and diseases affecting vegetable production at the scheme?

(3) What pest and disease management practices do the farmers use?

(4) What extension education have the farmers received on pest and disease management?

(5) What is the effect of extension education on farmers’ pest and disease management practices?

(6) What challenges do farmers face in applying improved pest and disease management practices?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses will be tested at the 5% level of significance:

H01: Agricultural extension education has no significant effect on pest and disease management practices among vegetable farmers at the scheme.

H02: There is no significant relationship between farmers’ socio-economic characteristics (age, sex, education, farming experience and farm size) and their pest and disease management practices.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The findings will help the Municipal Agriculture Department, the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority and other extension providers to design better training on pest and disease management. Vegetable farmers will benefit from recommendations that can lower production costs and reduce exposure to pesticides. Consumers and public health authorities may benefit from safer vegetables. The study also adds to the literature on extension and crop protection in urban and peri-urban irrigated agriculture in Ghana.

1.7 Delimitation of the Study

The study is limited to vegetable farmers at the Michel Camp Irrigation Scheme in the Korle Klottey Municipal Area of the Greater Accra Region. It focuses on agricultural extension education as the independent variable and on pest and disease management practices as the dependent variable. Pesticide residues in produce and water quality are not measured.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

The study is a case study of one irrigation scheme, and its findings may not apply to all vegetable farmers in Ghana. Farmers may under-report unsafe practices because they fear criticism, and some may not recall the pesticides they use by name. Farmers are also busy in the mornings and evenings, which may limit interview time. These limitations will be reduced through assurances of confidentiality, direct observation where possible and interviews at convenient times.

1.9 Definition of Terms

(1) Extension education: The process of teaching farmers new knowledge and skills through training, demonstrations, field schools and advisory visits.

(2) Pest and disease management: The methods farmers use to prevent, monitor and control pests and diseases in their crops.

(3) Integrated pest management: An approach that combines cultural, biological and chemical methods to control pests in an economical and environmentally safe way.

(4) Irrigation scheme: A designated area where water is supplied to farmers to grow crops outside the rainy season.

1.10 Organisation of the Study

The study is organised into five chapters. Chapter One presents the introduction, comprising the background, statement of the problem, objectives, research questions, hypotheses, significance, delimitation, limitations and definition of terms. Chapter Two reviews relevant theoretical, conceptual and empirical literature. Chapter Three describes the research methodology, including the study area, research design, population, sampling procedure, data collection instruments and methods of data analysis. Chapter Four presents and discusses the results, while Chapter Five gives the summary of findings, conclusions and recommendations.

References

Aniah, P., Kaunza-Nu-Dem, M. K., Dong-Uuro, P. P., Ayembilla, J. A., & Osumanu, I. K. (2021). Vegetable farmers’ knowledge on pesticides use in northwest Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(5), 7273–7288.

Lambon, J. B., Sanuel, M., Honger, J., & Yakubu, D. (2023). Assessing vegetable farmers’ knowledge of disease and pests control methods in Ghana: A survey of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) farmers in the Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology. https://agrifoodscience.com/index.php/TURJAF/article/view/5810

Mattah, M. M., Mattah, P. A. D., & Futagbi, G. (2015). Pesticide application among farmers in the catchment of Ashaiman irrigation scheme of Ghana: Health implications. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2015, Article 547272. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/547272

Ntow, W. J., Gijzen, H. J., Kelderman, P., & Drechsel, P. (2006). Farmer perceptions and pesticide use practices in vegetable production in Ghana. Pest Management Science, 62(4), 356–365. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.1178