Farmers’ Perception of the Effectiveness of Millennium Challenge Account Training and Credit on Maize Farmers’ Performances in the Kwahu North District of Eastern Region, Ghana

Abstract

Ghana’s agriculture continues to suffer rudimentary practices by majority of smallholder farmers who also lack credit. It was for this reason that part of the US Millennium Challenge Account was committed to smallholders’ training as well as credit for agriculture modernization and poverty reduction; hence this study to explore farmers’ perception of the effectiveness of the MCA training and credit on maize farmers’ performances in the Kwahu North district of Eastern region of Ghana. This study employed a descriptive –correlation survey research design and structured interview schedule to work with a sample size of 120 comprising of maize farmers from the study area. Data analysis was done using statistical procedures to generate frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation, paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test, to describe the outputs of data. Farmers’ identified constraints to better performance included poor access to credit, marketing and mechanized services, erratic rainfall, and labour unavailability. Farmers generally perceived the training sub-component of the MCA compact to be more effective in helping increase their maize output more than the credit by its users. Farmers also well adopted improved farming practices after MCA compact implementation but farmers without credit tend to outperform those with credit. Results also revealed that more middle aged men than women with low educational levels but well experienced enjoyed the MCA credit whiles the female farmers had higher perception of the overall effectiveness of the MCA components than the male farmers.