An analysis of the effect of fall armyworm on the food security status of maize-producing households in Ghana
International Journal of Social Economics
ISSN: 0306-8293
Article publication date: 17 January 2022
Issue publication date: 10 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine fall armyworm's (FAW) effect on Ghana's farming households' income and food security status.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 225 farmers, including FAW-infested households and non-FAW-infested households, were interviewed. Gross margin (GM) analysis was used to estimate farmers' farm revenues, and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scores (HFIAS) was employed to measure the food security status of the households. The seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) was adopted to investigate the effect of FAW infestation on gross income and food security.
Findings
From the study, FAW attack is predominant during the vegetative stage of the maize plant. The empirical results revealed that FAW-infested farms incur loss, whereas non-FAW-infested farmers gained profit. Also, FAW-infested households were mildly food insecure, while non-FAW-infested households were food secured. The results of SUR analysis reveal that FAW infestation decreased farmers' income from maize production and rendered them food insecure.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this study is that it largely depended on a survey; however, future studies can combine both survey and experimental data from the farmers' fields during minor and major growing seasons of maize.
Originality/value
Given the negative consequences of FAW, studies have been conducted across Africa and globally. However, most of these studies concentrated on using geographic information system (GIS) and descriptive statistics without necessarily quantifying the effect of FAW on food security and the profit margins of farming households. Therefore, this study adds to the little literature on the effect of FAW on food security and GM from maize production, which has received less attention in Ghana to the authors' best knowledge.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors express deepest gratitude to Ms Wilhemina Kwabeng Owusu for her proofreading of the draft manuscript. The authors are profoundly grateful to Mr Augustine Zugah and all Agricultural Extension Officers in the Upper East Region who assisted in diverse ways in the data collection. Ms Precious Opoku-Dapaah's support in making the map (Figure 1) is highly appreciated.
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Data availability statement: Data will be made available upon request from the corresponding author.
Author contribution: All authors participated in the conceptualization, design, analysis, writing and proofreading of the manuscript.
Ethics approval statement: None
Permission to reproduce material from other sources: Not needed
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in public, commercial or non-governmental organizations.
Citation
Bannor, R.K., Oppong-Kyeremeh, H., Aguah, D.A. and Kyire, S.K.C. (2022), "An analysis of the effect of fall armyworm on the food security status of maize-producing households in Ghana", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 49 No. 4, pp. 562-580. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-07-2021-0418
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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