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Research

Examples of Recent and Ongoing Research Projects

Faculty Members Research projects
Abigail A. Adaku

Current

  • Understanding of factors motivating farmers to participate in structured relationships with their buyers.  This study seeks to find out which relationships are most profitable for farmers. The goal of this research is to develop flexible strategies to (a) help farmers and their buyers to identify and nurture meaningful relationships (b) support relevant government agencies fashion out appropriate policies to facilitate farmer-buyer engagements, particularly in developing economy environments. This research is funded by USAID-Borlaug Higher Education for Agricultural Research program.

Recent

  • Financial flow modelling of faecal sludge reuse options in Accra. This project sought to develop a comprehensive understanding of the market demand for the profitable industrial usage of faecal sludge end-products (e.g. biogas, fertiliser, solid fuel, insect protein). Funder: Waste Enterprises Limited in Ghana.
Akwasi Mensah-Bonsu

Current

  • Team Leader: Palm Oil Investment Case Study, Ghana for Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) and Proforest, Ghana, September – December, 2022.
  • Associate Consultant: an external evaluation of NORAD supported project entitled Combating Arthropod Pest for Better Health, Food and Climate Resilience (CAP-Africa) Programme, implemented by icipe, Nairobi, Kenya. June – August 2022.
  • Co-Researcher: Institutional framework to enhance the agri-innovation ecosystem within the University of Ghana (IFEA-Eco). 2020-2022, PASET RSIF, icipe, Nairobi Kenya.
  • Co-Researcher: Building Resilient Agribusiness Practitioners through Design Thinking Approach (BRADeTA), 2020-2023, PASET RSIF, icipe, Nairobi Kenya
  • Technical Partner: Creating Competitive Livestock Entrepreneurs in Agribusiness - Agri-Business Incubator (CCLEAr ABI), A Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation (UniBRAIN) Agribusiness Incubation Consortium, funded by (DANIDA). 2012 to date. Part of the Research Scientists that put the wining CCLEAr proposal together.
  • Recent
  • Research Collaborator: Modeling the Effect of Private Sector Investment on Ghana’s Agriculture GDP Growth. Ministry of Finance, Ghana. 2017 – 2018
  • Team Member: Assessment of the Profitability of Aquaculture in Ghana.  Ministry of Finance, Ghana. 2017 – 2018.
  •  Member: Independent Monitors of the Ghana Census of Agriculture data collection exercise. 2018. Led a Team of Two to undertake 10 days monitoring of the Ghana Census of Agriculture (GCA) in the Western region, June 28 – July 6, 2018 and submitted a preliminary report from the field and subsequently a final report Ghana Statistical Services at the end of the independent monitoring.
  • Team Member: Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness, Legon and Centre for Development Innovation, Wageningen Baseline Survey for Cocoa Rehabilitation and Intensification Programme, coordinated by Solidaridad West Africa, 2015. Developing baseline indicators to follow during annual field surveys and studies as part of the MELI framework.
  • Member: the National Livestock Policy Hub, a multidisciplinary group formed to ensure broad stakeholder participation in Livestock policy process in Ghana. The Hub operates as a network of stakeholders interested in and committed to improving the institutional environment at the national and regional levels to provide effective and efficient livestock services in the country. Sept 2013 to Jan 2017. Hosted by Veterinary Services Department, Head Office, Accra and Supported by FAO, Accra.
  • Member, working group for reviewing animal health and production legislation in Ghana. Review completed
  • Lead Researcher: Livestock Value Chain Study, 2015 – 2016, under the CCLEAr ABI partnership.
  • Researcher Consultant: Cases Studies of Value Chain Development in Ghana, GSSP – IFPRI, February 2013 – January 2014.
  • Research Partner: Post Harvest losses in Africa – Analytical Review and Synthesis: Ghana Study. icipe/IDRC. 2012 – 2013.
  • Co-Researcher: Study of Ghana’s Seed Sector Development, GSSP – IFPRI: 2012.
  • Researcher Collaborator: Value Chain Analysis of the Poultry sector: Impact of HPAI (Bird Flu) outbreak (Collaborative Research with Markets, Trade and Institutions Division, IFPRI): 2009 – 2011.
  • Researcher Collaborator: Role of poultry and Impact of HPAI on livelihoods in Ghana (Collaborative Research with Markets, Trade and Institutions Division, IFPRI): 2009 – 2011.
  • Researcher Collaborator: Benefit Cost Analysis of HPAI Control Measures: Household Survey (Collaborative Research with Markets, Trade and Institutions Division, IFPRI): 2009 – 2011.
Ama A. Ahene-Codjoe
Bernard B. Monney
Charles Y. Okyere
  • The European Investment Bank and the Global Development Network (EIB-GDN) Program in Applied Development Finance; 2017-2019; European Investment Bank/ Global Development Network.
  • AG-WATSAN Nexus Project: Ghana component; 2012-2017; Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Germany.
Collins Asante-Addo
Daniel B. Sarpong
Edward E. Onumah

Current

  • Agricultural Trade and Market Access for Food Security - Micro and Macro level Insights for Africa:This project is focused on improving market access for countries and firms/farms in local, regional and international markets through a better understanding of the micro- and macro- economic dimensions of specific trade-related factors and through enhanced interaction with stakeholders from public, private and civil society sectors. 

Recent

  • An Assessment On The Contribution Of Cocoa To Nutrition And Food Security In West Africa (2019-2020) Funding Agency: USAID-WCF
  • Tema Port Expansion Project (TPEP): Economic Impact Assessment Study On Fisheries (2019) Funding Agency: World Bank-CHEC 
  • Partnership Facilitation and City Diagnostics to Support Equitable Economic Growth: a case study of agro-processing needs identification in Agona Swedru in the Central Region, Ghana (2018) Funding Agency: UKAID-CitiesAlliance
  • Agricultural Trade and Market Access for Food Security: Micro- and Macro-level Insights for Africa (ATMA4FS) LeapAgri (2019-2022) Funding Agency: NWO-LeapAgri
  • Assessment of the Profitability of Aquaculture in Ghana (2017-2018) Funding Agency: USAID-MoF
  • Fish For Food Security In City Regions Of India And Ghana: An Inter-Regional Innovation (2016-2020) Funding Agency: NWO-WITRO
  • Comparative analysis of fish farms in Ghana. Office Of Research, Innovation And Development (ORID) of the University Of Ghana Research Fund 6th Call For Proposals (2015-2017) Funding Agency: ORID
  • EC-IFAD RRR Impact and Upscaling Project: Developing business opportunities for resource recovery and reuse (RRR) of domestic and agro-industrial waste in urban and peri-urban areas (2013-2014) Funding Agency: IWMI
Freda Elikplim Asem
Irene S. Egyir

Current

  • Lead researcher: Institutional framework to enhance the agri-innovation ecosystem within the University of Ghana (IFEA-Eco). 2020-2022, PASET RSIF, icipe, Nairobi Kenya. 
  • Lead Researcher: Building Resilient Agribusiness Practitioners through Design Thinking Approach (BRADeTA), 2020-2023, PASET RSIF, icipe, Nairobi Kenya
  • Team Member: Action on Children’s Harmful Work in African Agriculture (ACHA), 2020-2026. Institute of Development Studies, UK.Team member: Building vegetable farmers resilience to climate change, 2020-2024, Aarhus University, Denmark.
  • Team Leader: Policy, Markets and Impact. ACE Impact Project. West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, University of Ghana, Legon, 2019-2023
  • Team member: Ghana Grasscutter project, September 2019-June 2021, University of Edinburgh/Innovate UK, United Kingdom.
  •  Project Coordinator: Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET)-Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF), Africa Host University project on Food Security and Agribusiness, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, 2019-2024. PASET RSIF, icipe, Nairobi Kenya.
  • Research Partner: Science Action for Schools in Sustainable Development (SAS4SD) ETH, Zurich November 2017-June 2021.
  • Feed the future project UG/USAID Agriculture institutional capacity building to improve agricultural productivity and food security 2015-2021, United States Agency for International Development.

Recent

  • Lead Researcher, Sustainability Monitoring and Assessment Routine (SMART) Organic Farming Systems of Africa Project. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland June 2016-June 2020.
  •  Co-Researcher. Achieving equitable benefits from sustainable agricultural intensification through more effective tools and metrics (Ghana, Malawi) Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Research and Learning in Africa (SAIRLA). International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). September 2016-December 2019.
  • Co-researcher and gender analyst, Nutrition, economic and women's empowerment impact of reducing post-harvest loss. Kansas State University, Kansas USA. 2016-2018
  • Lead Researcher, Productivity and profitability of organic and conventional farming systems: A comparative analysis in Sub-saharan Africa. ProEcoAfrica Project. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland August 2013-December 2017.
  •  Research Partner: Insect-based feed and fertilizer production via waste transformation for small-holders in Ghana: Socio-cultural and economic studies: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, FiBL, Switzerland August 2013-December 2017
  •  Lead Researcher: Climate Change and Agricultural Adaptation Measures in the Transition Zone of Mid-Ghana. MFCS/USAID, April 2013-March 2014.
  • Research Partner: Building Capacity to meet the Climate Change Challenge (B4C).  Centre for African Wetlands, University of Ghana, Legon. 2011-2014
  • Research Partner: US/UG project on Emerging sub Saharan African Agribusiness Markets: NC A&T University North Carolina, USA. May 2012–July, 2013.
  • Research Partner: IDRC/eARN Study on the role of ICT in linking Small-Holder farmers to markets.  March 2009-March 2011.
  • Research Partner: IWMI/RUAF Study of Urine as a fertilizer:  Financial feasibility and acceptability by farmers, traders and consumers.  June 2009-September 2010.
  •  Lead Researcher: Organising for promotion of micro-agribusiness and microfinance, a development NGO registered as the Multi-Features and Capacity Enhancing Services Ltd, Madina, Accra. April 2009-2019  
John Baptist D. Jatoe

Current research/project(s)
1. System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as climate change adaptation innovation, its adoption and impact
2. Impact of expanding access to agricultural finance (e.g., uptake of agricultural insurance, agricultural credit, co-operative thrift societies, etc. and productivity)
3. Impact of government programs on risks and productivity in agriculture

Past research projects
1. Determinants of rural poverty and its persistence in Ghana, 2017 – 2018, Ghana Inclusive Development Research Network (GIDRN)
2. Land Tenure and Security Improvement Project (LATSIP), 2012 – 2015, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
3. AERC Growth-Poverty Nexus Project, 2011 – 2012, African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)

Kwabena A. Anaman
Kweku A. Dwomoh
Yaw B. Osei-Asare