New Directions for Revitalizing the National Agricultural Research System in the Context of Growing Private Sector R&D

hana is widely regarded as an African success story due to its impressive achievements in accelerating growth and reducing poverty and hunger in line with the Millennium Devel‐ opment Goals. Strong agricultural output growth (4.5 percent annually from 1991 to 2009) has played an important role in this development. However, much of this growth has been through expansion of cultivated area; total factor productivity growth has averaged only 1.1 percent annually—around the African average of 1.0 percent, but well below the global average of 1.6 percent (Fuglie 2012). Higher agricultural commodity prices, especially for cocoa, have also been a factor in accelerating agricultural growth. Despite these achievements, major technological challenges and yield gaps in Ghana persist. Achievable potential yields for cocoa are around 1–1.5 t/ha, at least 100 percent higher than average yield levels reported in 2010 (FAO 2007; Gockowski 2010; MoFA 2011). For staple crops, yields are generally less than half of economically attainable yields (MoFA 2011). Contin‐ ued growth based on land expansion is unsustainable and has already exerted a heavy toll on remaining forests.