Effect of postharvest management practices on welfare of farmers and traders in Tamale metropolis and Zabzugu District, Ghana

Abstract

Postharvest losses are a significant threat to the actors in the yam value chain. In this article, we examined the key postharvest management practices and its effect on the welfare of yam farmers and traders in selected towns of Northern region. We randomly sampled a cross section of farmers and traders for data collection, and analyzed the data with beta regression and linear regression models. Results show that farmers lose an average of 9.6% of stored yam in 2-month period, while traders lose 3.3% of yam stored in a month. The main postharvest storage-management practices used by farmers and traders include heat-control measures, sorting-management practices, and cleaning-management practices. Our regression results verify that good storage-management practices improves postharvest management, thereby reducing storage losses and enhancing the welfare outcomes for traders. However, no statistically significant effect was detected for farmers. Therefore, we suggest that information on and availability of improved postharvest storage-management practices should be delivered and fostered among farmers and traders in the study areas to maximize efforts aimed at reducing postharvest losses and improve welfare outcomes.