This paper examines the dynamics of the poultry market in Ghana using secondary data and a field study in four regions including Greater Accra region, Western region, Ashanti region, and Northern region. Secondary data on prices, per capita consumption, import, and export quantities was obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA). Primary data on shopping malls, supermarkets, cold stores, and open markets as well as on imported and local chicken meat prices and brands was also obtained using surveys and focus group discussions. The study employs trend and content analyses to highlight specific imported products, their origins, drivers, and the potential of domestic poultry as a substitute for imported chicken meat. The paper confirms that Ghana imports about 80% of its poultry meat, mostly in the form of branded cut parts (thighs, wings, legs, back, and offal) from high-income countries including Belgium, the US, Brazil, Poland, and the Netherlands. Despite a 35% increase in tariffs, imported poultry meat tends to be 27-30% cheaper than locally produced chicken. The findings further show that although there is some preference for domestic poultry meat, this does not translate into purchase decisions, as people prefer more convenient and ready-to-use products. The paper recommends the prioritization of policies to boost local production through investments in processing (cut parts), branded packaging, and marketing facilities such as cold vans. Furthermore, policies to reduce chicken meat import volumes may be focused on other non-tariff measures such as licenses, allotments, trade embargoes, foreign exchange restrictions, and import depositories.

Understanding how and the extent to which contract farming arrangements impact agricultural productivity is important to ensuring that policies are designed to maximize the likelihood of success. Using cross-sectional data from 516 soybean farmers in Northern Ghana, we provide empirical evidence that contract farming increases soybean productivity and technical efficiency in Northern Ghana. We use propensity score matching to reduce bias from observables, and then estimate a stochastic production frontier model that addresses selection bias arising from unobservable variables. We find that the technical efficiency levels of contract farmers are 77 percent compared with 69 percent for non-contract farmers. We also find that access to credit, extension contact, and farmer group membership are key determinants of participating in contract farming.

Empirical evidence on the impact of formal credit interventions to enhance the activities of poor people has produced mixed results. This study analysed the impact of formal credit programme(s) on yield and income per hectare of tomato farmers in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The paper aims at broadening the horizon of rural agricultural finance and, specifically, the impact of formal credit intervention measures. By applying a multistage sampling procedure, 224 tomato farmers were sampled and interviewed with semi structured questionnaire. We used the Propensity Scores Matching (PSM) technique to estimate the impact of formal credit intervention. We find that participation in formal credit programme(s) has increased significantly yield and income per hectare by 1.88 metric tons and GH¢1537.78 respectively despite the perceived high risk of advancing formal credit to tomato farmers in the Greater Accra Region. Formal credit, when well structured to meet the needs of farmers, can help to improve yield and income. We, therefore, recommend expansion of formal credit programmes that address the specific needs of smallholder farmers to help to reduce poverty, improve food security and promote inclusive development.