Presented by Adams Abdulai (CSIR-STEPRI), Bekele Kotu (IITA), Gundula Fischer (IITA), Kipo Jimah (IITA), and Alhassan Lansah Abdulai (CSIR-SARI) at Africa RISING Ghana Country Planning Meeting, Tamale, Ghana, and Virtual, 24 - 25 June 2020.

1. Gender, Policy, and Socio-economic
dimensions 2019/2020
Adams Abdulai1, Bekele Kotu2, Gundula Fischer2, Kipo Jimah1, and Alhassan Lansah Abdulai3
1Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-
Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI), 2International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture (IITA) and 3Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Savanna Agricultural Research
Institute (CSIR-SARI)
Africa RISING Ghana Country Planning Meeting
24 - 25 June 2020
Tamale, Ghana & Virtual

2. Team contribution to outcome(s) and output(s)
Outcome no. and sub-activity Output no. Location/sites for sub-activity Research team
Outcome 1, sub-activity GH111-1802
• Gender evaluation of maize leaf
stripping and cowpea living
mulch technologies
Output 1.1 Northern (Tibali, Duko, Tingoli and
Cheyohi)
Upper West (Zanko, Gou, Goli,
Goriyiri) Upper East (Nyangua,
Gia, Bonia);
1. Gundula Fischer
2. Kipo Jimah
3. Abdul Rahman
Nurudeen
4. Bekele Kotu
5. Eliasu Mumuni
6. Kofi Glover
Outcome 4, Sub-activity GH411-19 Output 4.1 Northern (Tingoli, Cheyohi ,
Kpendua,Langa, Tibali), Upper
East (Nyangua, Gia, Somologo,
Nantaga), Upper West (Goli,
Nator, Zanko, Duosa)
1. Adams Abdulai
2. Nana Asafu-Adjeyei
3. Emmanuael Tetteh
Jumpah
4. Livingstone Divine
Caesar
Outcome 4, sub-activity GH431-19 Output 4.3 Northern (Tingoli, Cheyohi No. 2,
Duko), Upper East (Nyangua, Gia,
Bonia), Upper West (Goli, Guo,
Goriyiri)
1. Alhassan Lansah
Abdulai
2. Iddrisu Yahaya
3. Ramson Adombilla
4. Fred Kizito

3. Key research findings (Gender)
1. Leaf stripping sample
• 60 (39 males, 21 females)
• 13% youth (4 males, 3 females)
• More male headed households:
(73%) male headed monogamous, (20%), male headed polygamous, and 7% female
headed households.
2. Living mulch sample
• 74 (31 males, 43 females)
• 32% youth (6 males, 12 females)
• More male headed households:
66% MH monogamous, 28% MH polygamous), and 6% female headed households.

4. Gender distribution shows that more males (61.1%; 282) than females (38.9%; 181) were
covered in the household survey conducted.
3. Adoption of technologies and gender
• About 99% of the respondents indicated that the technologies were user-friendly to
both males and females
• 97.9% indicated that both males and females have equal chance of participation in
the AR project.
• 79.1% indicated that the programme does not promote gender equality/social
cohesion.
• 8.8% (41) widows were covered in the study, suggesting that vulnerable groups are
covered by the intervention.
• 86.4% were married, suggesting complementarity in family activities as the majority
(94.4%) of households are crop farmers.

5. 4. Socio-economic benefits of using or adopting the technologies
• 73.1% indicated that adoption leads to improved incomes
• 87.2% indicated that improved productivity
• 65.8% indicated it improve agricultural practices
• 20.1% indicated that it contributes to social cohesion and gender equality
Key research findings (socioeconomic/policy)
1. Suitability of proposed technologies for different locations and target beneficiaries
• At all the locations and for all the target beneficiaries, cowpea living mulch, especially
where both crops are planted on the same day, was reported as problematic.
• Household resources required for the adoption of SI technologies have alternative and
competitive demands from school fees, health care and other social issues such as
funerals, marriages and naming ceremonies.
• Schools, clinics, markets, community parks, and other government projects compete
with SI technologies for land and other natural resources.

6. 1. Whether individual decisions on SI technologies vis-a-vis competing
interests for household and natural resources will reflect results of the
FGDs.
2. Comprehending the nature of conflicting interests at household,
community, and landscape scales.
3. Planning, implementation, and evaluation of mitigation strategies for
managing conflicting claims to resources.
4. Gender disaggregation on the decisions to adopt SI technologies
demonstrated.
Key research gaps

7. Team deliverables
Deliverables Means of Verification Delivery due date Status
Data Sets
(quantitative)
Gender survey data
uploaded in dataverse
submitted for upload on data verse
Journal articles Manuscripts submitted
to Journals
Working on a Leaf stripping paper:
“How sustainable is maize leaf stripping
as fodder/forage for small ruminants in
Northern Ghana? A gendered analysis”
Targeted journals: Experimental
Agriculture, Small Ruminant Research
Reports submission Interim and final
technical and financial
reports on simulation of
technology adoption.
Interim Report due
31/03/ 2020
Final Report: due
31/09/2020
• Interim report submitted on 30/3/20
• Working toward timely delivery
Data Sets
(quantitative)
Household survey data
uploaded in dataverse
December 2020 Data is ready for uploading
Hold stakeholder
validation and
knowledge sharing
event
Proceedings and
synthesis report.
July 2020 Working to accomplish that timely
Policy briefs and
Journal articles
Manuscripts submitted
to Journals
August 2021 Working to accomplish that
• One paper on market access
accepted for publication in the
Journal of Agribusiness and Rural
Development; one other still under
review.

8. Deliverables Means of Verification Delivery due date Status
Reports
submission
Analysis report on
competing interests
for natural, human,
financial resources of
farmers
planned for October 2020 On course
Data Sets
(quantitative)
Survey data uploaded
in dataverse
January 2020 Yet to be achieved because of delayed
release of funds
Data Sets
(qualitative)
FGDs (insights from
competing interests
documented)
October 2020 On course
Journal articles Manuscript submitted
to Journal
January 2021 On course
Team deliverables

9. Team contributions to SIAF
Domain Indicator Metrics and scale of measurement Results/Data
1 Productivity Crop
productivity
Yield (kg/ha) at the field level per ha - 87% of households confirmed improved
productivity folowing adoption of
technologies disseminated.
2 Environment Soil erosion,
pesticide use
Soil loss (tons/ha/year), Rating of
erosion, Active ingredients applied
per ha
42.8% of farms located in lowlands prone to
erosion and run-off
3 Economic - Profitability
- Input Use
Intensity
- Increased income
($/crop/ha/season) at the plot level
- Input per ha at the plot level
- 73% receive higher incomes from adopting
the technologies
- Aout 66% of households benefit from
improved agricultural practices
4 Social Social cohesion Collective action at community level - 21% report increased social cohesion
household level
- Community cohesion increasing due to
shelling activity
- Inclusion of widows, 8.8%.
5 Human Capacity to
experiment and
innovate
Number of farmers experimenting
the technologies at the household
level
- Aout of 233 respondents exposed to the
technologies, 179 are experimenting them
.

10. Domain Indicator Metrics and scale of measurement Results/Data
1 Productivity Crop productivity Yield (kg/ha/season) at the field/plot
level
- More yield observed for SI technologies than
for farmer practice
2 Environment
3 Economic - Profitability
- Input Use
Intensity
- Increased income ($/crop/ha/season)
at the plot level
- Input per ha at the plot level
- More money is made per unit of production
area under SI than farmer practice
- More improved seed and fertilizer is used
under SI than farmer practice
4 Social - Gender equity
- Collective action
-Capacity: Access to information
(Household)
- Participation in a collective action group
(Household)
- Improved access to information at the
household level
- Every beneficiary participates in all field
activities on SI
5 Human Capacity to
experiment
- Number of new practices being tested
(Household level)
-Number of farmers experimenting
(Community level)
- Each household tests at least four new
practices
- At least 25 farmers are experimenting the new
practices in each community

11. Research progress towards outcomes
• Farmers indicated that animal technologies such as watering of animals and feeding using
crop by-products are easy for adoption and they wish to continue.
• Continuous policy engagement with stakeholders (MOFA, Input dealers, traditional
authorities) to ease barriers to the adoption of technologies by households.
• Knowledge sharing events, news paper clips, policy dialogues to create more awareness
on issues of technology adoption based on the research evidence.
• Farmers have adopted the various preferred SI technologies and will continue to practice
them even after the project has ended.

12. Scaling efforts
1. Sharing of the research results with farmers at the community level for wider
dissemination and adoption.
2. Collaboration with stakeholders (extension agents , district assemblies, technology
generators/disseminators and input dealers) to educate farmers on the benefits of
adopting improved technologies.
3. Use of participatory discussions with farmers for peer dissemination and sharing of
information.
4. Collaboration with relevant Ministries and agencies for their support in dealing with policy
issues.

13. Future direction of research
1. Contribution to living mulch modelling paper
2. Cowpea and onion varieties study in Mali
3. Conduct representative technology pathway analysis using the available data sets collected.
4. Undertake gender analysis in relation to technology adoption to inform policy.
5. Co-develop manuscripts for submission to reputable journals.
6. Use FARA data inform platform to publish policy briefs and disseminate widely.

14. 8. Conduct individual interviews to ascertain the claims made during FGDs and to
document the competing interests identified for participatory analysis.
9. Participatory analysis of the nature of conflicting claims to resources to
development and pilot mitigation strategies.
10. Participatory planning, implementation and evaluation of mitigation strategies
for managing conflicting claims to resources.
11. Checklist of competing interest will be developed through participatory analysis
and published.

15. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation
africa-rising.net
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