Socio-Economic Characterisation of Maize Farmers, Profitability,and Yield Performance of Maize under Integrated Nutrient Management in Two Agro-Ecological Zones of Ghana

The study combined a socio-economic survey with multi-season field trials to assess the socio-economic characteristics, yield, and profitability performance of maize under Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) in two Agro-ecological zones of Ghana. The research survey was conducted between December 10, 2022, and March 20, 2023, at the Mampong Municipal and the Ejura Sekyere District Assemblies in Ghana's Ashanti Region. A purposive multi-stage sampling approach was employed to interview 50 maize farmers, while the field experiment utilised a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) with twelve treatments and four replications during the 2023 major and minor cropping seasons at Fumesua (Kumasi) and Asante Mampong. The treatments included Agro Charger, Agro Clean (296 mL per 148 L of water/ha each), poultry manure (10 t/ha), and NPK (250 kg/ha), applied individually and in various combinations. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, gross margin (cost–return) analysis, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in SAS. Socio-economic results showed that 76% of the respondents were men and 24% were women, with a mean age of 49 years; 64% were married. Education levels were generally low: 40% had no formal education, 34% had completed junior high school, 22% had attained an O-level/SHS Education, and only 4% had reached tertiary education. Profitability analysis indicated that maize production was economically viable across most treatments. Field trial results revealed significant differences in yield between fertilized plots and the control plot. The combination of Poultry Manure + Agro Charger + Agro Clean (PM + A.CH + A.CL) achieved yields of 5.3-6.6 t/ha, compared to 1.6–3.0 t/ha in the control, representing a potential yield increase of up to 120%. These findings suggest that integrating organic and inorganic nutrient sources can substantially enhance maize productivity and should be recommended for adoption by farmers in similar Agro-ecological zones.

Socio-Economic, Maize, Agro-ecological zones, Maize Farmers

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