Does participation in innovation platform improve welfare? Insights from smallholder maize farmers in Ghana

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of participation in innovation platforms (IPs) on smallholder maize farmers’ welfare in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana using data collected from 477 rural farm households. We employed the doubly robust inverse probability weighted regression adjustment method (IPWRA) and propensity score matching (PSM) approach to examine the impact of IP participation on yield, income, and per capita consumption expenditure. The empirical results show that age, farming experience, farm size, land ownership, and credit access are the main determinants of participation in IPs in Ghana. In addition, the results show that participation in IPs increases yields and household income and reduces per capita expenditure of smallholder maize farmers in Ghana. Furthermore, the advantages of engaging in the IPs go beyond the traditional extension service delivery approach. This highlights the importance of policymakers and agricultural development agencies in developing nations to establish policies that encourage the establishment of IPs and promote their involvement among small-scale farmers, resulting in better living standards.

Keywords:

• innovation platform (IP)
• welfare
• inverse probability weighted regression adjustment
• propensity score matching
• Ghana

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The SIMPA IP is solely meant for smallholder farmers with farmland less than 2.5 hectares in size in Ghana.