Impact of agricultural policy intervention on yield and profitability of maize farmers: The case of Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme in Ghana

Abstract

Abstract There have been rising concerns about the implementation and effective monitoring of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme in Ghana. This paper examines farmers’ perceptions and impact of the PFJ programme on yield and profitability of maize in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Using data from 400 maize producers, we employ perception indices, endogenous regression, propensity score matching and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment approach to evaluate farmers’ perceptions about the programme and investigate the determinants of farmers’ participation in the PFJ programme and its impact on maize yield and profitability. Our results showed that farmers have a positive perception about the PFJ programme. Furthermore, the key factors influencing participation in PFJ are years of formal education, political affiliation, farm size, experience in maize farming, marital status, offfarm income, credit access, political affiliation and distance from farmer location to district capital. In addition, the results show that the PFJ programme has a significant positive impact on maize yield and profitability. For effective participation, the interventions should target educated farmers with large farm sizes- and living farther from the district capital. There is the need for periodic sensitization and education of farmers to encourage participation in the PFJ programme for improved yield and profitability.