Sweet potato has gained prominence due to its ability to adapt to wide production ecologies and yield response to minimal external inputs. Orange-fleshed cultivars in particular have immense potential to improve household income and nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the sweet potato value chain (SPVC) is not well-developed in many producing countries. The study was conducted in two regions to characterize the production operations as well as identify opportunities to propel the SPVC in Northern Ghana. Data were collected using mixed methods including structured questionnaires via face-to-face interviews. Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) was conducted at multistakeholder platforms with different actors. Gross margin profit and benefit-cost ratios were determined by using six cost variables. Overall, the industry was largely a fresh produce market, targeting food vendors, processors, and direct selling to wholesalers, retailers, and household consumers. The SWOT analysis revealed wide-ranging opportunities including favourable production ecologies, processing options, and insatiable local and international markets. The institutional actors need to network the primary actors to synergistically operate with a collective profit motive. The most prioritized production constraints such as access to seed, cost of chemical fertilizer, short shelf-life, field pests and diseases, and declining soil fertility should be addressed.

The Ghanaian forestry sector has experienced a paradigm shift toward resilient and sustainable forest management practices through climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. Ghana has acknowledged the urgent need to address these issues via comprehensive policy measures as a nation that is vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. To assess economy-wide impacts, this paper employs a computable general equilibrium with a static specific factor model that can be readily simulated with various vectors of price changes. The model uses a competitive production structure that assumes constant returns, full employment, competitive pricing, and perfect labor mobility across sectors. Factor shares, industry shares, and substitution matrices from 2022 Labor Force Report’s data were constructed for four skilled groups (managers, professionals, service, and production) across industry, service, the rest of agriculture, and forestry sectors. Predictions of price increases from climate change mitigation policies compliance were simulated for the long run and short run. Forestry, agricultural, and industrial sectors will enjoy higher prices under a green economy, but these would not translate into higher wages. It is rather capital owners in agriculture and forestry that would benefit. Wage adjustments to the green economy are smaller than what might be expected in a partial equilibrium model.

In a two-year study, participatory variety selection (PVS) was employed to evaluate the performance of 19 okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) c. v. Moench genotypes in a semi-arid agro-ecology in northern Ghana. The PVS sessions were organized at 65, 80 and 95 days after planting for 272 farmers to select the most preferred genotypes base on plant growth, maturity period and yield components. Results of this study indicate high significant differences among the genotypes (P< 0.0001) for most essential agronomic yield traits evaluated. Five most recurring preference traits were high fruit yield, early maturing, multiple harvest frequency, drying quality and long tender-life. Glabrous leaf, stem and fruit were important to farmers because most of the production operations are still being manually done. Genotypes with high potential included: NOKH 1004 (9.55 ton\ha), FV-Unn-manna (5.85 ton\ha), NOHK 1003 (5.17 ton\ha), NOKH 1002 (2.83 ton\ha), FV-Kpazeya (2.83 ton\ha), TZ-SMN-86 (2.30 ton\ha), AAK (2.11 ton\ha), NB-55-Srivan (1.98 ton\ha), Sasilon (1.70 ton\ha), FV-Unn (2.20 ton\ha) and Ex-Makutopora (1.27 ton\ha). Genotypes Sasilon, NOKH-1004, NB-55-Srivan and NOKH-1003 recorded the highest ranking among farmers during the PVS. High yielding and early maturing genotypes which are amendable to drying may show wide adoption rate due to the premium on dehydrated okra. These genotypes can be suggested as candidates for inspection by the National Variety Release and Technical Committee for release to farmers to increase access to improved okra varieties. Key words: Okra genotypes, Sudan savanna, drying quality, participatory variety selection, preference traits.

Seed saving is crucial to ensure seed and food security, especially in developing countries. In Ghana, about 90% of pearl millet farmers utilise farmer-saved seed for production. Such seeds usually have a low germination rate, and may carry important seed-borne pathogens. In this study, the quality of farmer-saved seeds and the potential of botanicals to control seed-borne fungi were examined. A structured questionnaire was administered to 120 farmers from Garu, Bongo and Kassana-Nankana districts in Ghana. During the survey, 60 samples of farmer-saved seed were obtained for seed quality evaluation. Aqueous extracts of neem (Azadirachta indica) and citrus (Citrus sinensis) were prepared as seed treatments compared with a control. Fourteen (14) fungal species were associated with the seed samples, but the four dominant ones were Curvularia spp. (62%), Talaromyces spp. (53%), Aspergillus spp. (52%) and Exserohilum spp. (42%). The application of citrus extract inhibited fungal incidence (15–31.7%) compared to neem extract (33.3–93.3%) and the control (96.7–98.3%). The application of citrus extract resulted in a higher (74.7–82.8%) field germination rate compared to neem extract (62.3–73.2%) and the control (65.5–69.2%). The citrus extract was the most efficient treatment in reducing the incidence of fungi and enhancing the seed germination and vigour of pearl millet.