ASSESSING THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY AND MARKET DEMAND FOR ORANGE-FLESHED SWEET POTATO VINES:EVIDENCEFROM NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

Despite several attempts to combat Vitamin A deficiency through the production and consumption of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP), several bottlenecks hinder its adoption and scaling of production in northern Ghana. Lack of access to and availability of OFSPvinesat thebeginning of therainy season is a key challenge against the production and marketing of the crop. This study analyzes the economic viability of OFSP vine production using solar-based irrigation and farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) using household data collected in July 2024 from two selected districts in northern Ghana. Combining economic viability assessment tools with various econometric models, the study examined the factors that influence farmers' WTP. The results showed that the production of OFSP vines under solar-based irrigation is economically viable in northern Ghana. Among the irrigation methods examined, drip irrigation offers superior financial returns compared to rain-tube irrigation. Farmers are willing to pay an average of GH₵38.83 for quality OFSP vines with variation across the selected district. The econometric results revealed that several factors influence WTP, especially education as well as access to credit, farmer-based group and extension. Policymakers, NGOs and Internation Center for Potato (CIP) could leverage on the economic viability of OFSP vine production to improve income and reduce poverty in northern Ghana. This could be achieved by establishing functional markets for vines and scaling up drip irrigation for OFSP vine production in northern Ghana. Second, government and CIP should strengthen farmers policies and programs to expand sensitization and logistics that can help farmers enhance their WTP. For instance, ready access to agricultural extension services from government or NGOs could provide farmers with insights to pay for OFSP vines.