1.0 GEOGRAPHIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND OF THE COUNTRY
The Country : Republic of Ghana.
Capital : Accra.
Population : 18.9 Million[1]
Population Estimate (2010) : 24.22 Million2
Population Growth Rate : 2.4% per annum3
Geographic Location : Latitude 4o 44’N and 11o 11’N;
Longitude 3 o 11’ W and 1 o 11’E
Coastline : 550 km long
Principal Agricultural Exports : Cocoa, Timber, Horticultural Products,
Fish/Sea Foods, Game & Wildlife
Principal Mineral Resources : Gold, Bauxite, Manganese and Diamond.
1.1 AGRICULTURAL SUBSECTORS BY GDP (%)
[1] 2000 National Population and Housing Census
2 2000 National Population and Housing Census
3 2000 National Population and Housing Census
2.0 LAND USE, VEGETATION, SOILS AND CLIMATE
2.1 Land Use (Specific to Agriculture)
| Type of Land Use | Hectares | % | Explanation |
| 1.0 Total Land Area (T.L.A.)
2.0 Agric. Land Area (A.L.A.) 2.1 Area under cultivation (2010) 2.2 Total area under irrigation (2010) 2.3 Area not under cultivation (2010) 3.0 Area under inland waters 4.0 Others (forest reserves, savannah woodland, etc) |
23,853,900
13,628,179 7,846,551 30,269 5,781,628 1,100,000 9,125,721 |
100.0
57.1 57.6 0.2 42.4 8.0 38.3 |
(2.0/1.0)
(2.1/2.0) (part of 2.1) (2.1/2.0) (3.0/1.0) (4.0/1.0) |
Sources: The Ghana Survey Dep’t and MOFA, Accra
Note: Percentages will not add up to 100, because percentages of areas under cultivation,
irrigation and inland waters are of the Agricultural Land Area (ALA).
2.2 Land Use (General)
| Land Use | Area (‘000 sq. km.) | % of Total |
| Savanna woodland
Bush fallow and other uses Unimproved pasture Forest reserves Tree crops Annual crops Wildlife reserves Unreserved forest |
63
45 26 16 39 33 12 5 |
26
19 11 7 16 14 5 2 |
| Total | 239 | 100 |
Source: Medium Term Agric. Development Program (MTADP) Document (1991).
Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Accra.
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2.3 Land Area By Region
| Region | Area (000 sq. km.) | % of Total |
| Northern
Brong-Ahafo Ashanti Western Volta Eastern Upper West Central Upper East Greater Accra |
70.38
39.56 24.39 23.92 20.57 19.32 18.48 9.83 8.84 3.24 |
29.5
16.6 10.2 10.0 8.6 8.1 7.7 4.1 3.7 1.5 |
| Total | 238.53 | 100.0 |
Source: The Ghana Survey Dept. Accra.
Fig. 1 (Based on Table 2.3)
2.4 Agro-ecological zones: There are 5 main agro-ecological zones defined on the basis of climate, reflected by the natural vegetation and influenced by the soils. These are Rain Forest, Deciduous Forest, Transitional Zone, Coastal Savanna and Northern Savanna (Guinea and Sudan Savanna).
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2.5 Rainfall Distribution by Agro-ecological zones
| Agro-ecological
Zone |
Mean annual
Rain (mm) |
Growing Period (Days)
Major season Minor season |
|
| Rain Forest
Deciduous Forest Transitional Coastal Northern Savanna: Guinea Savanna Sudan Savanna |
2,200
1,500 1,300 800 1,100 1,000 |
150 – 160
150 – 160 200 – 220 100 – 110 180 – 200 150 – 160 |
100
90 60 50 * * |
Source: Meteorological Services Department, Accra.
*Rainfall distribution is bimodal in the Forest, Transitional and Coastal Zones, giving a major and minor growing season; elsewhere (Guinea Savanna and Sudan Savanna), the unimodal distribution gives a single growing season.
2.6 Climate: Tropical eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry, the south west corner is hot and humid, the north is hot and dry. Annual average temperatures range from 26.10C in places near the coast to 28.90C in the extreme north. Temperatures can move into the 40s though. The highest temperatures are recorded in the Upper East Region, specifically at Navrongo (see page 6 for Regional Rainfall figures).
2.7 Topography: The topography is predominantly undulating, with slopes less than 1%. Even though the slopes are gentle, about 70% of the country is subject to moderate to severe sheet and gully erosion.
2.8 Vegetation
| Vegetation Zone | Area (‘000sq. km.) | % |
| Guinea Savanna Woodland
Deciduous Forest - Celtis-Triplochiton Association - Antiaris Chlorophora Association Rain/Deciduous Forest Eco-zone Rain Forest Thicket and Grassland Sudan Savanna Woodland Swamp and Lagoonal Vegetation Others |
147.9
37.3 27.0 8.4 7.5 4.5 1.9 1.3 2.7 |
62.0
15.6 11.3 3.5 3.2 1.9 0.8 0.6 1.1 |
| Total | 238.5 | 100.0 |
Source: Min. of Lands and Forestry, Accra
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2.9 Soils : The soils have predominantly light textured surface horizons in which sandy loams and loams are common. Lower soil horizons have slightly heavier textures varying from coarse sandy loams to clays. Heavier textured soils occur in many valley bottoms and in parts of the Accra Plains. Many soils contain abundant coarse material either gravel and stone, or concretionary materials which affect their physical properties, particularly their water holding capacity.
2.10 Fertility Status of Soils in Some Regions
| Region |
Soil pH |
% Organic matter |
%Total Nitrogen |
Available Phosphorus (mg/kg soil)
|
Available Calcium (mg/kg soil) |
| Ashanti:
1. Offinso-Ejura 2. Kwadaso-Juaso, Obuasi |
5.3-7.8
4.3-7.0 |
1.5-3.0
1.5-3.0 |
0.2-0.3
0.1-0.2 |
0.12-12
0.12-12 |
50-100
50-100 |
| Western | 3.8-7.1 | 1.03-5.7 | 0.06-5.4 | 0.35-11.25 | 28-420 |
| Brong Ahafo | 3.5-6.7 | 0.34-1.69 | n.a. | 0.12-64.25 | 16-140.3 |
| Greater Accra | 5.4-8.2 | 0.1-1.7 | 0.05-0.9 | 0.8-144 | 14-470 |
| Upper East | 5.1-6.8 | 1.1-2.5 | 0.06-0.14 | 1.75-14.75 | 43.5-151.5 |
| Upper West | 6.0-6.8 | 0.5-1.3 | 0.01-0.07 | 2.0-7.4 | 52-151.5 |
| Northern | 4.5-6.7 | 0.6-2.0 | 0.02-0.05 | 2.5-10.0 | 45-90 |
Source: Soil Research Institute, CSIR-Kumasi
n.a.: Not Available
Note: See Appendix 11 for soil-crop suitability map.
2.11 Farming Systems
Agriculture is predominantly on a smallholder basis in Ghana. About 90% of farm holdings are less than 2 hectares in size, although there are some large farms and plantations, particularly for rubber, oil palm and coconut and to a lesser extent, rice, maize and pineapples. Main system of farming is traditional. The hoe and cutlass are the main farming tools. There is little mechanized farming, but bullock farming is practiced in some places, especially in the North. Agricultural production varies with the amount and distribution of rainfall. Soil factors are also important. Most food crop farms are intercropped. Mono cropping is mostly associated with larger-scale commercial farms.