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Explaining success in reducing under-nourishment numbers in Ghana

Year of publication 2003

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Series title FAO Agricultural Economics Working Paper

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) The FAO Food Security measure shows that the number of under-nourished Ghanaians has fallen from 64 to 12 percent between 1979-1981 and 1998-2000. Since income distribution is assumed to have remained constant the change is due entirely to increased food availability. The paper shows that most of the increase in the DES was explained by an expansion in maize, cassava, yam and plantain production. The production increase is mostly due to acreage expansion which in turn can be attributed to the i mproved economic environment and market access for farmers. Improved varieties did help raise yields for maize and cassava quite substantially and helped raise output, particularly in the 1990s. Much of the reduction in under-nourishment was driven by increased cassava production and we note that a break in the series in 1991 throws some doubt on the usefulness of using the data to draw comparison between 1979-1981 and 1998-2000.

Language Trilingual

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    Assessing tree succession, species diversity and carbon sequestration potentials in off-reserve secondary forests for REDD+ implementation in Ghana
    XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
    2022
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    Ghana is losing its primary forest, mostly forest reserves at an alarming rate. Secondary forests play a vital role in tropical landscapes, but few studies exist to assess their regeneration pathways and carbon sequestration in Ghana. We sought to find out the regeneration potentials, species diversity and carbon stocks accumulation of off-reserve secondary forests in the Moist Semi-deciduous and Dry Semi-deciduous zones. Four age classes were studied; 0-5, 6-10, 11-15 and 15+ years. Four plots with three replications were used for each age class. Nested plots were chosen; 33 m x 33 m for trees (dbh≥ 5 cm) 10 m x 10 m for saplings (≥1m tall and dbh <5cm) and 2 m x 2 m for seedlings. Age had significant differences in tree (dbh≥ 5 cm) density and basal area between the sites but not on sapling and seedling densities. A total of 129 tree species with dbh ≥5cm belonging to 95 genera and 40 families were identified. Mean Shannon-Weiner diversity index of trees (dbh ≥ 5cm) was 3.6±0.2 and 3.3±0.3 for the Moist Semi-deciduous and Dry Semi-deciduous zones respectively. Both age and forest site had significant effect on aboveground carbon accumulation with age of forest having more significance than climatic conditions. Age of a secondary forest has more effect on the species composition than climate. The secondary forest depicts the characteristic of young growth where the tree densities of most trees are confined to dbh= 5- 10cm in both zones and the potential of rapid recovery of species and carbon accumulation represents an important source of timber and carbon sink. The strong presence of regeneration portrays the potential for carbon sequestration under Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) if secondary forests are managed well in Ghana. Collaborative management of secondary forests with farmers and good forest polices can help Ghana achieve benefits such as timber, woodfuel, and carbon to participate in REDD+. Keywords: [Deforestation and forest degradation, REDD+, secondary forest, Climate change, Landscape management]\ ID: 3617260
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