AGRICULTURE

Crop Farming

Crop Output and Yields

Yield per hectare for most of the crops are below the achievable yield under rain-fed conditions at national, regional and district levels.  The table shows that apart from yam and rice, the district performed better than the region so far as yield (in metric tons per hectare) of major food crops (cassava, plantain, cocoyam and maize) are concerned. 

Source(s) of Farm Labour

Most farmers in the District depend on both family and hired labour for crop production.  About 44 and 50 percent in the rural and urban areas depend on family labour, while 54 and 45.5 percent in urban and rural areas respectively depend on hired labour.

Access to extension services

There are only eighteen 18 front-line extension agents to 34,962 farmers.  This gives an extension agent-farmer ratio of 1:1,942.  Consequently, few farmers have access to extension services.

Livestock Farming

Cattle production is not popular in the region and the District because of the presence of tsetse fly and other diseases.  Therefore livestock production in the District and Region is low. Poultry production is however, popular in the District

Food Security and Agro-Processing

It is interesting to note that although most of the farmers practice semi-commercial crop production, only 29 and 39 percent of farmers in urban and rural areas respectively indicated that their farm produce satisfy their household’s food requirements.  This indicates that 71 and 61 percent of the farming households are food self-insufficient.  Most of those households whose farm product do not meet the household’s food requirements make up the shortfall by direct purchase.

Although the region is a leading producer of industrial crops such as oil palm, citrus, and cocoa, Kwabre East Municipal is not one of such Districts.

Problems of Agricultural Production

From the survey, several problems militate against increased agricultural production in the District.  These problems include:

• Soil infertility and low yield of crop varieties;

• Crop and livestock pests and disease;

• Farmers inability to expand due to financial and other resources;

• Low productivity of labour, due to use of rudimentary tools

• Unfavourable climate, reduction in annual rains;

• Farmers limited access to technical advice

• Persistent use of traditional system of crop and livestock production ; and

• Marketing of farm produce.