CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Poultry production is one of the fastest ways for a smallholder household in Ghana to earn income from livestock, and it supplies meat and eggs to rapidly growing urban markets. Hagan (2020) notes that many commercial and backyard poultry farms have been set up in the Kumasi Metropolis and the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti Region, that most Ghanaian poultry farmers run small and medium-sized enterprises managed by the owners, and that consumption of poultry products continues to rise. The same study reports that imported poultry products are commonly said to be 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than locally produced birds, which means that local farmers can compete only if they keep their costs low and their birds healthy.

The success of a poultry enterprise depends on management. Hagan (2020) lists brooding temperatures, breed selection, housing, litter, spacing, ventilation, sanitation and biosecurity, and record keeping as good management practices, and observes that many of these are lacking on poultry farms. Disease is a major threat. In a participatory study in Northern Ghana and Central Tanzania, Ouma et al. (2023) found that Newcastle disease was the leading cause of illness and death in village chickens, that rural producers had poor access to veterinary services and inputs, and that producers lacked definitive diagnoses because of a shortage of veterinary staff and laboratories. The authors recommended more gender-sensitive training to improve smallholders' knowledge of poultry husbandry and disease prevention.

Training is one of the main ways in which farmers learn improved practices. In Rogers' (2003) diffusion of innovations framework, knowledge is the first stage in the process through which a farmer decides whether to adopt a practice, and training is a deliberate way of creating that knowledge and helping farmers to try a practice. Evidence from Ghana suggests that training can raise adoption. Martey et al. (2021) evaluated a comprehensive agricultural training programme among cowpea farmers in Northern Ghana and found that participation increased the adoption of climate-smart varieties, productivity and income. Zakaria et al. (2020) found that participation in capacity-building training significantly influenced the intensity with which farm households adopted climate-smart practices, and that access to extension services and membership of farmer-based organisations made participation in training more likely. Damba et al. (2020) concluded that a well-designed combination of dissemination approaches was likely to be the most effective way of promoting technology uptake in Northern Ghana.

Training does not always change behaviour, however. Buckel et al. (2024) interviewed smallholder poultry producers in Ghana about biosecurity and found that the farmers were aware of the importance of biosecurity practices but struggled to apply them consistently. They describe this as a knowledge–action gap and note that efforts to promote biosecurity have traditionally relied on training and awareness raising. It is therefore not enough to know that training has taken place; it is necessary to examine whether, and under what conditions, training leads to adoption.

Afigya-Kwabre South District lies in the Ashanti Region, with its capital at Kodie. It had a population of 234,667 in the 2021 Population and Housing Census and has become a dormitory district for Kumasi, with a population growth rate of 2.7 per cent (Afigya Kwabre South District Assembly, 2026). Its closeness to the regional capital gives poultry farmers access to a large market, and it is the setting for this study of how farmer training relates to the adoption of improved poultry production practices.

1.2 Problem Statement

Small-scale poultry farmers in Ghana face high feed costs, disease and limited access to veterinary services. In Ejisu Municipality, also in the Ashanti Region, 95 per cent of the 20 farms studied by Hagan (2020) named the high cost of feed as a major challenge and 65 per cent named disease. Improved practices such as good brooding, vaccination and biosecurity can reduce losses, but evidence suggests that farmers who know about them do not always apply them (Buckel et al., 2024).

Training programmes are widely used to spread improved practices, and research on other crops and regions in Ghana suggests that they can raise adoption (Martey et al., 2021; Zakaria et al., 2020). Little published evidence was found, however, on whether the training received by small-scale poultry farmers in Afigya-Kwabre South District has led them to adopt improved practices, which practices are adopted most and least, and which features of training (such as its method, frequency and content) are associated with adoption. Without such evidence, organisations that train poultry farmers cannot tell whether training is achieving its purpose. This study was therefore designed to examine the effect of farmer training on the adoption of improved poultry production practices among small-scale poultry farmers in the district.

1.3 Purpose and Objectives of the Study

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of farmer training on the adoption of improved poultry production practices among small-scale poultry farmers in Afigya-Kwabre South District, Ashanti Region. The specific objectives are to:

(i) describe the socio-economic characteristics and farm characteristics of small-scale poultry farmers in the district;

(ii) identify the training received by the farmers, including its sources, methods, content and frequency;

(iii) determine the level of adoption of improved poultry production practices among the farmers;

(iv) determine the effect of farmer training on the adoption of improved poultry production practices; and

(v) identify the constraints to participating in training and to adopting improved poultry production practices.

1.4 Research Questions

The study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What are the socio-economic and farm characteristics of small-scale poultry farmers in Afigya-Kwabre South District?

2. What training have the farmers received, from which sources, through which methods and how often?

3. What is the level of adoption of improved poultry production practices among the farmers?

4. What is the effect of farmer training on the adoption of improved poultry production practices?

5. What constraints limit participation in training and the adoption of improved poultry production practices?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

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

H0₁: There is no significant difference in the level of adoption of improved poultry production practices between farmers who have received training and those who have not.

H1₁: There is a significant difference in the level of adoption of improved poultry production practices between farmers who have received training and those who have not.

H0₂: The frequency and duration of training have no significant relationship with the level of adoption of improved poultry production practices.

H1₂: The frequency and duration of training have a significant relationship with the level of adoption of improved poultry production practices.

H0₃: The socio-economic characteristics of farmers (age, sex, education, flock size, farming experience and access to credit) have no significant influence on the adoption of improved poultry production practices.

H1₃: The socio-economic characteristics of farmers (age, sex, education, flock size, farming experience and access to credit) have a significant influence on the adoption of improved poultry production practices.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study will help poultry farmers in the district to see which kinds of training are most useful and which practices remain difficult to apply. It will help the District Directorate of Agriculture, the Veterinary Services Directorate, poultry associations and non-governmental organisations that train farmers to design training that leads to adoption rather than awareness alone, in line with the concern raised by Buckel et al. (2024).

Policy makers will obtain local evidence for planning support to the poultry sub-sector, including decisions on the content, methods and frequency of training. The study will also add to the Ghanaian literature on training and technology adoption in livestock enterprises, where most available studies concern crops, and will serve as a reference for students and researchers.

1.7 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study is limited to small-scale poultry farmers in Afigya-Kwabre South District of the Ashanti Region. It covers farmers who keep layers, broilers or both, and it excludes farmers who keep only indigenous free-range birds, as well as large commercial farms. In terms of content, the study focuses on farmer training (sources, methods, content and frequency) and on the adoption of improved practices in brooding, housing, feeding, vaccination and disease control, biosecurity and record keeping. The data relate to the most recent production cycle.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

The study was limited by time and finance, which restricted the sample size and the number of farms visited. Many small-scale farmers keep incomplete records, so information on training received and practices used depends on recall and may not be exact. Farmers who choose to attend training may already be more willing to adopt new practices, so the study may overstate the effect of training if this selection is not controlled for in the analysis. Access to some farms may also be restricted for biosecurity reasons. As a case study of one district, the findings should be generalised with care. The researcher tried to reduce these limitations by using a structured questionnaire, by including control variables in the analysis, and by observing the biosecurity rules of each farm during visits.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Farmer training: A planned activity, such as a workshop, demonstration, field school or on-farm coaching session, that is organised to give farmers knowledge and skills in a specific area.

Improved poultry production practices: Recommended practices for keeping poultry, including good brooding, appropriate housing and stocking density, balanced feeding, vaccination and disease control, biosecurity and record keeping.

Adoption: The regular use of a recommended practice by a farmer after learning about it and trying it (Rogers, 2003).

Biosecurity: Measures taken on a farm to prevent diseases from entering or spreading, such as controlling access, cleaning and disinfection, and separating sick birds.

Small-scale poultry farmer: A farmer who keeps a small flock of layers or broilers on a limited scale, usually owned and managed by the farmer or the farm household.

1.10 Organisation of the Study

The thesis has five chapters. Chapter One introduces the study. Chapter Two reviews the relevant theoretical and empirical literature and presents the conceptual framework. Chapter Three describes the study area and the research methodology. Chapter Four presents and discusses the results. Chapter Five summarises the findings, draws conclusions and makes recommendations.

REFERENCES

Afigya Kwabre South District Assembly. (2026). Composite budget for 2026–2029: Programme based budget estimates for 2026. Ministry of Finance, Ghana. https://www.mofep.gov.gh/sites/default/files/composite-budget/2026/AR/Afigya_Kwabre_South.pdf

Buckel, A., Afakye, K., Koka, E., Price, C., Kabali, E., & Caudell, M. A. (2024). Understanding the factors influencing biosecurity adoption on smallholder poultry farms in Ghana: A qualitative analysis using the COM-B model and Theoretical Domains Framework. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 11, Article 1324233. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1324233

Damba, O. T., Ansah, I. G. K., Donkoh, S. A., Alhassan, A., Mullins, G. R., Yussif, K., Taylor, M. S., Tetteh, B. K. D., & Appiah-Twumasi, M. (2020). Effects of technology dissemination approaches on agricultural technology uptake and utilization in Northern Ghana. Technology in Society, 62, Article 101294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101294

Hagan, M. A. S. (2020). Challenges of poultry farmers at Ejisu Municipality, Ghana. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 38(1), 63–77. https://doi.org/10.9734/AJAEES/2020/v38i130299

Martey, E., Etwire, P. M., & Mockshell, J. (2021). Climate-smart cowpea adoption and welfare effects of comprehensive agricultural training programs. Technology in Society, 64, Article 101468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101468

Ouma, E. A., Kankya, C., Dione, M., Kelly, T., Enahoro, D., Chiwanga, G., Abukari, Y., Msoffe, P., Kayang, B. B., & Zhou, H. (2023). Poultry health constraints in smallholder village poultry systems in Northern Ghana and Central Tanzania. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10, Article 1159331. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1159331

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.

Zakaria, A., Azumah, S. B., Appiah-Twumasi, M., & Dagunga, G. (2020). Adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices among farm households in Ghana: The role of farmer participation in training programmes. Technology in Society, 63, Article 101338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101338