Moses Kwadzo | University Of Cape Coast, Ghana (original) (raw)

Papers by Moses Kwadzo

Journal of Food and Nutrition Research

International Journal of Pest Management

Higher agricultural productivity in African agriculture is important for achieving the sustainabl... more Higher agricultural productivity in African agriculture is important for achieving the sustainable development goals of no poverty and zero hunger. However, productivity levels in African agriculture are very low and strategies for improving productivity have not produced the desired outcome. Successful productivity improvement strategies are contingent on identifying sources of productivity growth in African agriculture, and devising strategies to increasing productivity. This paper uses recent advances in the stochastic metafrontier literature to decompose efficiency into technical efficiency and technology gap. Generally, the results show an average efficiency of 71%, indicating about 29% shortfall in efficiency in African agriculture. Specifically, the results show that Central African countries are more productive compared to the other regions. The study also showed that improved agricultural technologies lead to productivity increases. The source of inefficiency is attributabl...

Current Research in Environmental Sustainability, 2022

Recent cutting of cocoa trees and the shifting of farm resources to only rubber cultivation among... more Recent cutting of cocoa trees and the shifting of farm resources to only rubber cultivation among smallholder cocoa farmers particularly in the Western Region of Ghana has raised great concern. It is important to examine factors influencing enterprise-shift behavior among smallholder cocoa farmers. Interview schedules were administered to all smallholders of rubber plantation famers registered under the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL)’s out-grower scheme at Mpohor. 150 smallholder cocoa farmers (except 35 absent) were interviewed for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logit regression. About 73% of smallholder cocoa farmers were found to be shifting from cocoa to only rubber cultivation while the remaining 27% engage in both cocoa and rubber cultivation. The logit model reveals that family size and perception of investment outcome of their cocoa farms have a significant effect on their enterprise-shift behavior and decisions (P<0.01). It is recomme...

Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2015

Poverty comparison is the most important reason for measuring poverty; especially when two or mor... more Poverty comparison is the most important reason for measuring poverty; especially when two or more situations such as different poverty thresholds are likely to have different impacts on poverty measurements and outcomes. The main objective of this study is to estimate and compare the effects of key demographic determinants of absolute and relative poverty. The logit equations show gender, race, place of residence, and marital status to explain individual socioeconomic status, after adjusting for the various factors. Comparing the varying impacts of the key demographic factors when absolute and relative poverty thresholds are employed, each of the demographic factors has shown the same effect. However, each of the key demographic factors has a variable effect in explaining poverty when an absolute or relative poverty threshold was applied. Because the same demographic factors explain the likelihood of individuals living in absolute or relative poverty, it is important to consider the implication of the two different types of poverty when developing poverty reduction interventions.

Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 2015

Journal of Poverty, 2015

A comparative analysis of different poverty measures, particularly across studies that use differ... more A comparative analysis of different poverty measures, particularly across studies that use different conceptualizations and measurements of poverty, is very valuable. In highlighting this fact, this article compares three poverty measurements: monetary poverty, social exclusion, and capability poverty measurements. The results indicate that all three poverty measurements classify varied proportions of the U.S. population as poor. These variations occur as a function of the conceptualization and measurement of poverty. In general, all three poverty measurements are inadequate indicators of well-being. It is reasonable to suggest that researchers report results using more than one poverty measurement.

Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 2014

Public sector agricultural extension approaches in Ghana have been criticized as being ineffectiv... more Public sector agricultural extension approaches in Ghana have been criticized as being ineffective in developing farmers' capabilities to deal with their production challenges instead of providing education that empowers and enables the marginalized to attain their full potential. This study aimed at exploring those attributes of Supervised Enterprise Projects, a community development tool, which has been used by agricultural students to educate and empower local farmers. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select three farmer-based organizations that benefited from the projects. Through focus group interviews the views of members of the farmer-based organizations were sought regarding the Supervised Enterprise Projects. The results of the study showed that farmers have positive views of the projects. The projects have helped to empower and develop the capabilities of the farmers to diagnose and identify their own agrarian problems and to create appropriate solutions. T...

Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare, 2015

This study examined pesticide use practices and related health hazards in a specific region in Gh... more This study examined pesticide use practices and related health hazards in a specific region in Ghana. A cross section survey design was conducted among a sample of 150 small-scale commercial vegetable growers in the Nsawam Adoagyiri municipality in the Eastern region of Ghana. Information on demographic characteristics, pesticide practices and knowledge of health hazards in the interview schedule was administered to the respondents. Univariate and bivariate analyses were then conducted. The results of the study indicate that the mean score for all the various technical competencies of the vegetable farmers is 4.10 on the Likert scale of 1 to 5 and this could be attributed to training they received on pesticide use from extension agents. Not surprising, the respondents generally reported low levels of symptoms from health hazards with mean scores of headaches (1.5), excessive sweating (1.37), dizziness (1.22), diarrhea (1.06) and vomiting (1.04). However, the mean scores for eye irri...

Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare, 2017

Postharvest loss remains one of the major causes of food insecurity in developing countries such ... more Postharvest loss remains one of the major causes of food insecurity in developing countries such as Ghana. While mushroom is consumed by many Ghanaian households, fresh harvested mushrooms have very limited storage life. The objective of this paper is to examine the effects of freezing and drying on the keeping and sensory qualities of mushroom. In this study, mushroom samples, namely blanched frozen and unblanched frozen mushroom, were preserved by freezing and drying for a period of eight weeks. Portions of the four preserved samples as well as a control (fresh mushroom) were cooked in equal quantity, slightly seasoned with salt and lightly cooked. Thirteen panelists were involved in a consumer acceptability test in terms of color, texture, aroma, taste and overall acceptability using a nine-point hedonic scale. The results of paired sample t-tests indicated that blanched frozen sample followed by unblanched frozen and unblanched sundried were not statistically significantly diff...

Dissertation Chair: Dr. David Yerger Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Daniel Alex Heckert and ... more Dissertation Chair: Dr. David Yerger Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Daniel Alex Heckert and Dr. John K. Anderson

This study explores international students' experiences with studying and working at a North ... more This study explores international students' experiences with studying and working at a North Eastern public university. Through phenomenological research approach that utilized face-to-face interview and photo-elicitation techniques, the personal experiences of twenty international students were captured. The findings of this study indicated that these students benefited from the responsibilities that resulted from their dual role as both students and employees in many ways. However, they also suffered from emotional and physical stress which resulted in tiredness, lack of sleep, role conflict, homesickness and frustration. Interestingly, these students effectively employed different coping mechanisms including finding social support, and participating in leisure and non-leisure activities to offset the negative effects of studying and working concurrently.

Journal of International Students, 2014

This study explores international students’ experiences with studying and working at a North East... more This study explores international students’ experiences with studying and working at a North Eastern public university. Through phenomenological research approach that utilized face-to-face interview and photo-elicitation techniques, the personal experiences of twenty international students were captured. The findings of this study indicated that these students benefited from the responsibilities that resulted from their dual role as both students and employees in many ways. However, they also suffered from emotional and physical stress which resulted in tiredness, lack of sleep, role conflict, homesickness and frustration. Interestingly, these students effectively employed different coping mechanisms including finding social support, and participating in leisure and nonleisure activities to off-set the negative effects of studying and working concurrently.

Although Ghana is a major supplier of premium cocoa beans to the world market, low quality cocoa ... more Although Ghana is a major supplier of premium cocoa beans to the world market, low quality cocoa bean production by small scale farmers due to poor post-harvest practice can result in low annual income. This study was conducted to examine the effects of post-harvest practices on smallholder cocoa farmers’ poverty status in the Ellembelle district in Ghana . A total of 138 farmers were randomly sampled. With a poverty line at 50 percent of the national mean annual household income, the results indicate that 29.7 percent of the respondents are poor and the rest, 70.3 percent, are non-poor. Logistic analysis results reveal that two main variables, the number of days beans are fermented and the frequency that beans are turned during fermentation, are positive and significant in predicting the respondent’s financial ability to meet basic household and farm enterprise needs. Since all of the surveyed respondents failed to turn the beans for the required number times during heap fermentati...

Environmental Systems Research

Background The export drive for watermelon production is huge and so is pesticide usage. However,... more Background The export drive for watermelon production is huge and so is pesticide usage. However, the health and safety of the farmers, as well as threat to the environment lie in the shadow. The purpose of the study is to evaluate watermelon farmers’ knowledge and application of pesticides in the Central region of Ghana, to ascertain factors associated with the pesticides application. Methods A field survey of 300 farmers were conducted in six communities through questionnaire. Logistic regression model was used to describe and explain burning sensation as the response variable and the factors that likely affect appropriate pesticide usage. Results The results show that farmers were aware of the environmental and health impacts of pesticides use. However, their knowledge of the risks associated with pesticides is not translated into actual practice to avoid the exposure of pesticides. The farmers experienced various levels of health risks symptoms. Health risks symptoms of headache...