Implications of malaria incidence on farmers’ productivity in rural Ghana: Empirical analyses from Tanina Community, Upper West Region
Keywords:
Malaria, Farm labour, Productivity, Livelihood, TaninaAbstract
Despite numerous publications on the incidence of malaria, very few have addressed its effects on farm labour productivity. This study examined the implications of malaria on farm labour productivity in Tanina, a rural community in the Upper West Region of Ghana. A mixed research design was used, involving 90 respondents, and using a questionnaire. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were also conducted with relevant participants. The results of the study indicated that malaria prevalence rate during the farming season was 97% among respondents, resulted in 82% of them absenting themselves from farm work, 59% could not effectively access investment capital, with 68% agreeing that malaria reduced their farm output. This was reported to cause low income and inadequate food supply among rural farmers. It is recommended that preventive allopathic healthcare services are instituted. These could be through training of local volunteers to assist in distributing preventive healthcare necessities such as bed nets, indoor spraying of insecticides, and education of rural residents.
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