Introduction

Agriculture is the mainstay of the country’s economy and the situation is no different for Tatale-Sanguli District. Ghana’s agricultural sector comprises mainly crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry. According to Seini (2002), the country has about 57 percent of total land area being productive. The major crops produced in Ghana include maize, rice, wheat, yam, cassava, plantain, oil palm, tobacco, and cocoa. These are grown purposely to provide food and raw materials for industries as well as for export. Nevertheless, this sector is dominated by smallholder subsistence farmers and mostly dependent on rainfall.

Agriculture plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of Tatale-Sanguli District. The district’s economy is mainly rural and dominated by the agricultural sector. The key agricultural sub-sectors include crops, livestock, fisheries, agro forestry and non-traditional commodities. This chapter presents analysis of data on the agricultural activities in the district, with a main focus on households in agriculture and types of farming activities.

Households in Agriculture

The households’ agricultural activities by type of locality in the district. About 93.9 percent of all households in the district practice one form of agriculture or the other. Out of the total population, 98.8 percent are in crop farming, 69.7.4 percent are in livestock rearing and less than one percent is in tree planting (0.5%) and fish farming (0.2%). The proportion of the households in agriculture is higher in rural areas (97.5%) than in urban areas (78.4%) of the district.

Types of Livestock and Keeper

The distribution of livestock and their keepers by households in the TataleSanguli District. The commonest birds are chicken (69,005) kept by 3,208 keepers making an average animal per keeper of 22. Other birds kept are guinea fowls (12,630), ducks (4,140) and some turkeys (590). Goats are the next most common animals in the district with a total population of 38,450, kept by 3113 keepers making an average of 12 goats per keeper.

The total population of cattle in the district is 21,858, kept by 1,517 persons, making an average of 14 cattle per keeper. In addition, there are 18,090 sheep in the district kept by 1,410 keepers making an average of 13 sheep per keeper. There are also a good number of pigs 51 (7,554) and some rabbit (540). The least type of livestock kept in the district is fish farming with a total population of 70, kept by only three people with an average of 23 per keeper.