The impact of agricultural marketing program on farm investment : evidence from Ghana

This study investigates the impact of agricultural marketing program on smallholder investment behavior. The study is based on cross-sectional household data from a survey of 507 smallholder maize farmers from rural communities in Ghana. The study employed propensity score matching (PSM) to estimate the average treatment effect of the marketing program on farmers’ investment behavior. The results show that smallholder farmers’ participation in buffer stock marketing program is influenced positively by gender, transportation cost and access to extension service and negatively by marital status among others. Overall, the results show that the buffer stock marketing program has positive impacts on smallholder farmers’ investment behavior of increasing input usage, farm expansion and yield smallholder farmers. However, the highest impact is on farm expansion. The results of the study reveal that the marketing program stimulates investment in farm size expansion more than in inputs usage. To derive the most impact from the program, a possible review of the program could look at strategy of focusing on the implementation of the program in rural areas rather than in peri-urban areas where land access is more constrained. This study contributes to a better understanding of f farmers’ investment behavior of input usage and farm expansion. This knowledge could help policymakers and development organizations shape future interventions for increased uptake.