Abstract            Volume:5  Issue-8  Year-2017         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

The impact of mechanization centers on agricultural production in the Upper East Region. Agricultural mechanization which encapsulates the use of non-human power sources to carry out a range of agricultural operations including ploughing, harvesting, shelling and planting, has over the last two decades been on the rise among local farmers in northern savannah with much of this demand concentrated on land preparation. In all, Ten (10) Farm Mechanization Centers were purposively sampled across all Thirteen (13) Districts in the Upper East Region. In addition, One Hundred (100) smallholder farmers were also selected for the sample frame. In order to meet the objective of ensuring a uniform spatial coverage of all the selected Districts, Bolgatanga, Navrongo and Fumbisi were sampled from across the Upper East Region. The study shows a positive relationship between tractor use and farm size expansion among smallholder farmers in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Findings show that farm size expansion over the one-decade occurred among majority of respondent smallholder farmers irrespective of landholding size. Notwithstanding the contributory role of other factors that enhanced their ability to expand, especially the availability of demand for farm produce, all respondent farmers noted that tractor use was the primary catalyst that aided the expansion of their farms. On the challenges faced by the Tractor operators, the result indicates that bad road network from the rural to the urban communities served as the major challenge as faced by tractor operators. This makes it difficult for them to move into the farm lands any time there is a heavy downpour of rain. The cost associated to the operations of a tractor such as cost of production, fuel and maintenance of the tractor were also concerns raised by the respondents. It is therefore, recommended that, mechanization centers be made available by Government to all smallholder farmers. In addition to that, strong extension services, Agriculture infrastructure development and a solid Agro-based industries which have direct linkage to smallholder farms be fully implemented.

Download this article as