Changes in land cover (LC) can lead to environmental challenges, but few studies have investigated LC changes at a country wide scale in Ghana. Tracking LC changes at such a scale overtime is relevant for devising solutions to emerging issues. This study examined LC changes in Ghana for the past almost two and half decades covering 1995–2019 to highlight significant changes and opportunities for sustainable development. The study used land cover data for six selected years (1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2019) obtained from the European Space Agency. The data was analyzed using R, ArcGIS Pro and Microsoft Excel 365 ProPlus. The original data was reclassified into eight LC categories, namely: agriculture, bare area, built-up, forest, grassland, other vegetation, waterbody, and wetland. On average, the results revealed 0.7%, 131.7%, 23.3%, 46.9%, and 11.2% increases for agriculture, built-up, forest, waterbody, and wetland, respectively, across the nation. However, losses were observed for bare area (92.8%), grassland (51.1%), and other vegetation (41%) LCs overall. Notably, agricultural land use increased up to 2015 and decreased subsequently but this did not affect production of the major staple foods. These findings reveal the importance of LC monitoring and the need for strategic efforts to address the causes of undesirable change.

Wood vinegar (WV) is a biostimulant and a biopesticide that contains pyroligneous acid and is used as a crop growth enhancer and biocontrol agent, but insufficient information exists on WV’s effects on soil quality and cowpea production in Ghana. A field study (2 years) was conducted to determine the appropriate method of applying WV for soil health and cowpea production, and to determine the economic benefits of WV. Assessments were on nodulation, shoot biomass, yield, value–cost ratio, soil enzymes, soil respiration, microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), permanganate-oxidizable carbon (POXC), mineralizable C, soil pH, available nitrogen and phosphorus. Results revealed soil drenching and foliar application are efficient methods of applying WV to achieve greater shoot dry matter, nodulation and grain yield of cowpea. Economically, soil drenching, followed by foliar application, generated better economic returns than the control. Adding WV to cowpea using soil drenching and foliar application improved soil health indicators. Soil enzymes and MBN were enhanced by WV applied foliarly and through soil drenching. Soil drenching with WV produced greater POXC and mineralizable C compared to the other treatments. Conclusively, WV applied foliarly and through soil drenching improved soil health, nodulation and yields of cowpea, and enhanced profitability.

The persistence of inoculants from year to year in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivation and the residual benefits in soybean production are pertinent to adopting such practices in sub‐Saharan Africa countries such as Ghana. A study was conducted to determine the residual effect of commercial rhizobium inoculants on soybean and selected soil health parameters after three cropping seasons. The experimental design was a split‐plot. The main plot consisted of three soybean cultivars (Jenguma, Afayak, and Songda), and the subplot comprised of three peat‐based commercial bradyrhizobium inoculants (Biofix, Legumefix, and NoduMax) and an uninoculated control. Assessments were made on nodulation, shoot dry matter (DM), grain yield, grain total N uptake, permanganate‐oxidizable carbon (POXC), soil pH, and potentially mineralizable C. Among the soybean cultivars, Afayak produced greater nodule mass on the lateral root and the whole root system compared with the other cultivars. Jenguma and Afayak yielded greater shoot DM relative to Songda. Regarding the inoculants, Biofix increased nodule mass on the lateral root and the whole root system compared with the control. Biofix and NoduMax produced superior grain yield relative to the control. Biofix also produced greater grain yield than Legumefix. A superior pod harvest index and an improved grain total N uptake were produced by Biofix compared with Legumefix and the control. Commercial inoculants enhanced POXC availability at harvest, whereas potentially mineralizable C declined with inoculation treatments. Commercial inoculants (Biofix and NoduMax) enhanced nodulation, grain yield, and selected soil health indicators 3 yr after inoculation.