Can better targeting improve the effectiveness of Ghana's Fertilizer Subsidy Program? - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Can better targeting improve the effectiveness of Ghana's Fertilizer Subsidy Program? write by Houssou, Nazaire. This book was released on 2017-02-10. Can better targeting improve the effectiveness of Ghana's Fertilizer Subsidy Program? available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Despite improvements to the implementation regime of Ghana’s fertilizer subsidy program, this paper shows that considerable challenges remain in ensuring that the subsidy is targeted to farmers who need fertilizer the most. Currently, larger-scale and wealthier farmers are the main beneficiaries of subsidized fertilizer even though the stated goal is to target smallholder farmers with fertilizer subsidies. The experience of other African countries suggests that the effectiveness of fertilizer subsidies can improve with effective targeting of resource-poor smallholders. However, targeting smallholder farmers entails significant transaction costs and may even be infeasible in some cases. Faced with such challenges, Ghanaian policy makers must ponder the question of how to improve the targeting of input subsidy programs in the country. Further research is needed to identify more cost-effective approaches for achieving the goal of targeting.
Can Better Targeting Improve the Effectiveness of Ghana's Fertilizer Subsidy Program? Lessons from Ghana and Other Countries in Africa South of the Sahara
Can Better Targeting Improve the Effectiveness of Ghana's Fertilizer Subsidy Program? Lessons from Ghana and Other Countries in Africa South of the Sahara - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Can Better Targeting Improve the Effectiveness of Ghana's Fertilizer Subsidy Program? Lessons from Ghana and Other Countries in Africa South of the Sahara write by Nazaire Houssou. This book was released on 2017. Can Better Targeting Improve the Effectiveness of Ghana's Fertilizer Subsidy Program? Lessons from Ghana and Other Countries in Africa South of the Sahara available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Despite improvements to the implementation regime of Ghana's fertilizer subsidy program, this paper shows that considerable challenges remain in ensuring that the subsidy is targeted to farmers who need fertilizer the most. Currently, larger-scale and wealthier farmers are the main beneficiaries of subsidized fertilizer even though the stated goal is to target smallholder farmers with fertilizer subsidies. The experience of other African countries suggests that the effectiveness of fertilizer subsidies can improve with effective targeting of resource-poor smallholders. However, targeting smallholder farmers entails significant transaction costs and may even be infeasible in some cases. Faced with such challenges, Ghanaian policy makers must ponder the question of how to improve the targeting of input subsidy programs in the country. Further research is needed to identify more cost-effective approaches for achieving the goal of targeting.
Improving the targeting of fertilizer subsidy programs in Africa south of the Sahara: Perspectives from the Ghanaian experience
Improving the targeting of fertilizer subsidy programs in Africa south of the Sahara: Perspectives from the Ghanaian experience - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Improving the targeting of fertilizer subsidy programs in Africa south of the Sahara: Perspectives from the Ghanaian experience write by Houssou, Nazaire. This book was released on 2017-03-17. Improving the targeting of fertilizer subsidy programs in Africa south of the Sahara: Perspectives from the Ghanaian experience available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. This paper assesses whether fertilizer subsidy programs can be better targeted to resource-poor farmers using the case of Ghana and proxy means test approaches. Past fertilizer subsidy programs in the country have not been particularly targeted to the poor, even as targeting poor and smallholder farmers has become key in the program implementation guidelines. As a result, many poor farmers have not benefited from past programs. Our results show that targeting approaches based on proxy means tests that use the correlates of poverty to select beneficiary farmers can potentially improve the poverty outreach and costeffectiveness of Ghana’s fertilizer subsidy programs. Therefore, we propose that the proxy means test approach should be considered for implementing Ghana’s fertilizer subsidy programs, first in a pilot project involving a few communities, and later, if found successful, in a full-scale program.
Mapping the implementation process for subsidized fertilizer distribution under Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs Program
Mapping the implementation process for subsidized fertilizer distribution under Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs Program - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Mapping the implementation process for subsidized fertilizer distribution under Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs Program write by Aberman, Noora-Lisa. This book was released on 2021-06-09. Mapping the implementation process for subsidized fertilizer distribution under Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs Program available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) is Ghana’s flagship program for agricultural transformation and employment creation. Alongside other components, the program provides subsidized fertilizer, hybrid and open-pollinated seeds and other planting materials, improved extension services, and marketing support to smallholder farmers across the country. The objective of this study was to assess the implementation process of the PFJ input subsidy program in order to identify opportunities for strengthening the process. The study focused only on fertilizer distribution as a distinct complex process of importance, although some of the lessons will be applicable to other components of the PFJ program. The study applied the Process Net-Map method, a research approach that is particularly useful for assessing the coherence between formally prescribed procedures and how those procedures are implemented in practice, enabling the identification of inefficiencies and bottlenecks in a complex process. The implementation of the PFJ fertilizer subsidy program was mapped in interviews with key informants at national level and in six districts. Interviews with national-level stakeholders yielded important insights about the complex largely administrative process involved in the implementation of PFJ, which is generally unseen by beneficiaries. These administrative processes, however, have a considerable impact on the timeliness of the program and provide an outline of the intended implementation process at the local district level. The perspectives of farmers with regards to these processes were also investigated through in-depth interviews. Across the study districts we found some ambiguity and inconsistency in following the formally prescribed procedures for implementing the PFJ fertilizer subsidy program. While we found broad agreement among key informants and farmers that the program is meeting its objectives, some areas in which the implementation process for the PFJ fertilizer subsidy program could be improved are highlighted. These improvements will enhance the efficiency and impact of the program.
A review of the Ghana Planting for Food and Jobs program: 2017-2020: Implementation, impact, and further analysis
A review of the Ghana Planting for Food and Jobs program: 2017-2020: Implementation, impact, and further analysis - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook A review of the Ghana Planting for Food and Jobs program: 2017-2020: Implementation, impact, and further analysis write by Pauw, Karl. This book was released on 2021-04-13. A review of the Ghana Planting for Food and Jobs program: 2017-2020: Implementation, impact, and further analysis available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. This report examines the evolution of farm input subsidy programs in Ghana, with a focus on the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative, which was introduced in 2017 and replaced the Fertilizer Subsidy Program (FSP) that was launched in 2008. A review of PFJ implementation reports and other official data sources reveal that information on general program features, such as beneficiary numbers, subsidized input quantities, and program budget is readily available and useful for understanding program design and implementation. National crop production estimates are also reported annually, and these provide evidence of rapid output growth in the agricultural sector, especially within the cereals subsector. However, the implementing agency, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), lacks a system for closely monitoring and reporting PFJ program impacts at farm-level. Consequently, most of the published information on the marginal contribution of PFJ to national crop output is based on simulations, which make strong assumptions about seeding rates, fertilizer use by crop, and input use efficiency on beneficiary farms. With this drawback in mind, these simulations show that PFJ contributed substantially to crop output growth, a result which is not implausible considering the quantities of inputs provided, but one that requires further on-farm validation. Recommendations are offered around beneficiary targeting, interpretation of employment impacts, and the need for regular monitoring of farm-level impacts, all of which will help improve transparency of the program.
