Agriculture

The agriculture sector is the most important and predominant sector of the District’s economy as it employs more than half (about 56.9%) of the population. The sector is the main backbone of the district and thus employs majority of the economically active population. The 2010 PHC shows that out of the 20,053 total households in the district, 74% of them are engaged in agriculture.

Crop farming, tree growing, livestock farming and fish farming are the types of agricultural activities in the district. Data collected on these areas of agriculture in the district shows that 15,014 households in the district are engaged in one type of agricultural activity or the other. 96.3% of the agricultural households are in crop farming. This makes crop farming the most common type of agricultural activity in the district. Livestock rearing which is the second common type of agricultural activity after crop farming constitute 40% of agricultural households in the district. The percentages of tree planting and fish farming however are below one percent.

Subsistence farming is the most dominant in the district. The major crops cultivated or grown are cassava (the most dominant), maize, plantain, pineapple, oil palm and cocoa. With regards to livestock production, animals reared in the district include cattle, Sheep, Goats, Pigs, Grass-cutters and poultry birds (Chicken, Ducks, Turkeys etc.)

The major development issue currently affecting agriculture (crop farming) in the district is loss of farmlands. Destructions of farms and farmlands by sand winners, and indiscriminate sale of lands by landowners for other non-agricultural purpose threaten food security in the near future. The District Assembly therefore needs to put in measures to address these challenges.

Households in Agriculture

Figure 7.1 shows the distribution of households in agriculture by type of locality in the Upper West Akim District. Households engaged in agriculture in the district is 15,014 (74%) of the total households in agriculture. More than half (52.5%) of the urban households are engaged in agricultural activities compared to a higher percentage of (82.5%) of the rural households who are engaged in agricultural activities.

Types of Agricultural Activity

Agricultural activities identified during the 2010 PHC are crop farming, tree growing, livestock farming and fish farming (Table 7.1). Data collected on these areas of agriculture in the district shows that 15,014 households in the district are engaged in one type of agricultural activity or the other. Table 7.1 shows that, (96.3%) of the agricultural households are in crop farming. This makes crop farming the most common type of agricultural activity in the district.

The percentages of tree planting and fish farming are below one percent. Almost (40%) of agricultural households are engaged in livestock rearing making it the second common type of agricultural activity after crop farming in the Upper West Akim District. Similar differences are observed in types of agricultural activity by types of locality (97.1%) of households in agricultural activity are into crop farming in the rural areas. As little as (0.1%) of rural households in agricultural activity are into fish farming.

Type of livestock, and other animals reared

Table 7.2 shows the types of livestock reared in the Upper West Akim District and their numbers. A total of 154,124 livestock are reared in the district. Among the ruminants, 29,821 goats representing (19.3%) of the total livestock are reared in the district followed by sheep (9.4%) and cattle (2.5%). The highest type of livestock kept in the district is chicken (60.5%).

Another farming activity which is becoming common in the district is fish farming which accounted for (4.2%). About 47 (46.7%) of the number of livestock keepers rear chickens in the district while 32.9 percent and 12.6 percent keep goats and sheep respectively. The total average animal per keeper for all livestock in the district is 16. Fish farming accounted for the highest average animal per keeper which is 466 compared to the average animal per keeper for snail which is 34.