ABSTRACT

This paper seeks to bring more clarity to the phenomenon of farm records keeping among small-scale pineapple farmers in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern Region of Ghana. Specifically, it seeks to measure the motivation behind farm records keeping, the nature of records kept, the benefits derived from the activity and how demographic and socio-economic characteristics of farmers influence the practice. Using a multi-stage random selection procedure, 120 pineapple farmers selected from 25 pineapple growing communities in the Municipality were interviewed using structured interview schedules. The study showed that records keeping was common among the pineapple farmers interviewed with the farmers keeping at least six (6) farm records. The chi-square test showed that farm records keeping depended on educational level, years of experience in pineapple farming and farm size. Besides, records keeping was informed primarily by the desire to make productivity projections and promote effective agribusiness management. The study makes a strong case for sustained communication, education and awareness creation on the practice to engender good agribusiness outcomes.

 

Introduction

Today’s complex world economy and the rapid pace of the farming industry makes it difficult for producers to manage farm enterprises the way their parents did many years ago. It will not be far-fetched to assume that without a good understanding of records keeping with its current and future implications, farmers may not be able to make a good return on their investment in today’s business environment. Comparatively, present-day farming operations may be becoming more and more business-oriented than yesterday’s farm operations. Therefore, conceptually, this
paper posits that being a successful farmer may be a function of one’s ability to keep good quality records on a more consistent basis.
This assumption is valid for all categories of crop farmers, including small-scale pineapple farmers, who are the subject of this paper.
According to the FAO (2013), the world market for fresh pineapple expanded rapidly during the past years. Like other tropical fruits, pineapple is grown predominantly in developing countries, where two-thirds of rural people live on small-scale farms of less than two (2) hectares (Kleemann 2011). Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L) Merr.) is the most economically significant plant and
the most developed horticultural crop in the Bromeliaceae family in Ghana (Bruce and Oku 2000; d’Eeckenbrugge and Leal, 2003). It is cultivated predominantly for its fruit that is consumed fresh or as canned fruit and juice. The contribution of pineapple to the economy of Ghana has been immense. Pineapple production creates employment and, hence, a source of income for thousands of people
ranging from farmers to market women.
The establishment of factories for the processing of pineapple at Bawjiase (Central Region), Asamankese, Nsawam, Adeiso (Eastern Region), Tema and Accra (Greater Accra Region), Ho and Tafe in the Volta Region, is a boost for cottage industrialisation (MoFA, 2006; Central Regional Development Commission, 2006). Therefore, pineapple is an essential non-traditional export crop in Ghana and, hence, a source of foreign exchange earnings. In 2012 for instance, US $16,816,000 was realised from the export of 41,212 metric tonnes (MoFA, 2013). Access to international markets, enhanced value of fresh fruits, resuscitation of pineapple cultivation and local processing have recently encouraged
the development of a few large-scale farms where pineapple is produced as a mono-crop (Adesope, Awoyinka, and Babalola, 2009). Since, pineapple production is a fast growing agricultural business in Ghana, the profitable production of the crop is essential.
Therefore, this study is informed by the desire to contribute to introducing business principles in the cultivation of the harvest to enhance its productivity.
According to Dudafa (2013), most farmers do not attach a great deal of importance
to records keeping in their farming operations. They often talk of profit and loss not based on facts and figures derived from record books, but from intuition or guessing. This failure to keep records in the view of Dudafa (2013), results in part from the subsistent nature of production and the educational background
of the farming communities. Although, most crucial information is committed to memory from year to year, this practice may not be the
best.Being solely a good farmer may no longer be good enough to remain in business. The key to becoming a successful farmer today
requires being a good farm producer and financial manager as well. Therefore, it may not be entirely wrong to assume that the first
step to being a successful farm manager is keeping good, accurate and consistent records and establishing a sound records-keeping system. There is a misconception that the only reason a person needs records is to report on taxes. However, records keeping plays a much larger role in business. Farming is a business and documents can help plan improvements for that business, and make proper management decisions (Hartsfield, 2012).
According to Winkler (2008), farm records are essential tools in farm management. However in Africa, where it is estimated that about 42% are still illiterate (Christiaensen, 2016), farmers are still generally unwilling to enlist the services of clerks and rather rely to a large extent on mental records keeping.
Nevertheless, there is a need to encourage the documentation even at the small-scale farmer level of all activities on the farm and the expenses and the returns in physical and monetary terms within the framework of the general farmer education programme.