Are Smallholder Farmers Interested in Practicing Sustainable Intensification? A Choice Experiment on Farmers’ Preferences for Sustainability Attributes of Maize Production in Ghana

This study aims to address the following objectives: Identify important attributes associated with maize production technologies including improved varieties and agronomic practices) as perceived by farmers. Assessing the differences in the technology preferences among farmers with respect to gender and farmer typologies. Refining technology targeting relevant to farmers’ preferences and providing feedback to researchers, extension agents and development practitioners the key findings of the study. Data was collected through a survey of about 700 randomly selected farm households in the three regions of northern Ghana namely, Northern Region, Upper East Region, and Upper West Region. The survey was conducted by experienced and trained enumerators who speak local languages. In addition, focus group discussions was conducted to collect qualitative data on farmers’ preferences and related issues. The data from the focus group discussions and the key informant interviews was used to design the household survey and prepare the questionnaire. The survey was organized following a choice experiment design in which respondents were asked to choose from the list of different hypothetical technology profiles presented to them. The choice sets were fixed based on the discussions with farmers, researchers, and other knowledgeable personalities or groups regarding the farming systems in northern Ghana and the performances of different agricultural technologies.