Adoption and Impacts of Improved Maize Production Technology: A case study of the Ghana grains development project

ii CIMMYT (www.cimmyt.mx or www.cimmyt.cgiar.org) is an internationally funded, nonprofit scientific research and training organization. Headquartered in Mexico, the Center works with agricultural research institutions worldwide to improve the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of maize and wheat systems for poor farmers in developing countries. It is one of 16 similar centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The CGIAR comprises over 55 partner countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations. It is co-sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Financial support for CIMMYT's research agenda also comes from many other sources, including foundations, development banks, and public and private agencies. CIMMYT supports Future Harvest, a public awareness campaign that builds understanding about the importance of agricultural issues and international agricultural research. Future Harvest links respected research institutions, influential public figures, and leading agricultural scientists to underscore the wider social benefits of improved agriculture—peace, prosperity, environmental renewal, health, and the alleviation of human suffering (www.futureharvest.org). This report, one of a series of adoption case studies coordinated by the Impacts Assessment and Evaluation Group (IAEG) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), examines the adoption by Ghanaian maize farmers of improved production technologies developed through the Ghana Grains Development Project (GGDP). The GGDP, which ran from 1979 to1997, was an agricultural research and extension project implemented primarily by the Ghanaian Crops Research Institute (CRI), with technical assistance from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The objectives of the case study were to (1) evaluate the success of the GGDP in developing improved maize production technologies and in transferring those technologies to farmers, and (2) assess the impacts of adoption at the farm level. Data on the adoption of three GGDP-generated maize technologies—modern varieties (MVs), fertilizer recommendations, and plant configuration recommendations—were collected through a national survey of maize growers conducted between November 1997 and March 1998. A three-stage, clustered, randomized procedure was used to select a representative sample of 420 maize farmers. These farmers were questioned at length about their maize production, consumption, and marketing practices; their preferences for different maize varietal characteristics; and their knowledge of and access to …