Farmers’ Perception on Agricultural Technologies a Case of Some Improved Crop Varieties in Ghana

Abstract

The survey was carried out to find out farmers perception on improved crop varieties from March to June 2012 in the Ashanti, Eastern, and Northern regions of Ghana. Adoption of farming technologies is very crucial to agricultural development. In Ghana, a greater percentage (70%) of the people is in the agricultural sector. Improvement in agriculture will have direct positive impact on the livelihood of the people. Farmer perception on agricultural technology influences their decision to adopt the technology or not. The study revealed that farmers perceived the improved crop varieties with particular reference to Maize (Zea maize), Cassava (Manihot esculentus) and Oil Palm (Elaies guineensis) as lacking some good characteristics of the landraces and also expensive to adopt. The need for farmers to be actively involved in the development of improved crop varieties was also highlighted. The study recommends that all stakeholders (Plant Breeders, Agronomists, Post Harvest Technologists, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and Farmers) should be actively involved in the development of farming technologies.