Who you know and when you plough? Social capital and agricultural mechanization under the new green revolution in Ghana

This paper examines the role of social capital in smallholder agriculture mechanization in Ghana under the ongoing agenda for transformation of African agriculture through the new green revolution. It contributes to the ongoing debate on the potential of social capital in explaining socioeconomic ac...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of agricultural sustainability 2017-11, Vol.15 (6), p.708-723
Main Author: Kansanga, Moses Mosonsieyiri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural equipment
Agricultural policy
Agriculture
agriculture mechanization
Agronomy
Economic factors
Farmers
Farming
Ghana
Government agencies
Green revolution
Markets
Mechanization
Networks
new green revolution
Private sector
Small farms
smallholder farmers
Social capital
Social organization
Socioeconomic factors
Subsidies
Trustworthiness
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper examines the role of social capital in smallholder agriculture mechanization in Ghana under the ongoing agenda for transformation of African agriculture through the new green revolution. It contributes to the ongoing debate on the potential of social capital in explaining socioeconomic activity over time and space. Drawing on the experiences of smallholder farmers (n = 30) from Navrongo using qualitative interviews and focus group discussions, the paper explores how social capital networks shape mechanized service access and utilization among farmers and highlights the historical background to tractor-based mechanized farming in northern Ghana. Findings reveal how local farmers activate and operate in trustworthy social networks at the community level among themselves and externally with government agencies, traders and development partners to facilitate tractor access. The paper also finds that the withdrawal of government subsidies on agricultural services during structural adjustment in the 1980s created an avenue for private sector entry into the tractor service market. In recent times, the market is a blend of both public and private actors. Given the crucial role of social capital, this paper stresses that apart from economic factors, contemporary agricultural policy should build upon contextual sociocultural networks and the resources inherent in them.
ISSN:1473-5903
1747-762X
DOI:10.1080/14735903.2017.1399515