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AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

 Introduction

Agriculture plays a vital role in the socio economic development of The District with 57.0 percent of the employed population engaging in agriculture as discussed in chapter four of this report. Also, agriculture remains the largest sector of the Ghanaian economy. The sector comprises crops, livestock, fisheries, agro forestry and non-traditional commodities.

The Chapter presents analysis of data on the agricultural activities in the District, with the main focus on households in agriculture and type of farming activities.

 Households in Agriculture

The 2010 Population and Housing Census has reported that there are 18,577 households in the District out of which 12,063 (64.9%) engage in agriculture. The majority of the farmers (73.5%) live in the rural areas while 26.5 percent live in urban areas. As shown in Table 7.1, nearly all (94.7%) households engaged in agricultural activities (11,424) engage in crop farming whilst livestock rearing (4,267) constitute 3.5 percent. Majority of the farmers who engage in all the types of agricultural activities in the District live in the rural areas except those into fish farming where 59.3 percent live in the urban areas.

Households by agricultural activities and locality

Agricultural activities

Total

Urban

Rural

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Total Households

18,577

100.0

7,577

40.80

11,000

59.20

Households engaged in Agriculture

12,063

64.9

3,195

26.50

8,868

73.50

Crop Farming

11,424

94.7

2,852

25.00

8,572

75.00

Tree Planting

98

0.8

39

39.80

59

60.20

Livestock Rearing

4,267

35.4

991

23.20

3,276

76.80

Fish Farming

59

0.5

35

59.30

24

40.70

 

 Type of livestock and other animals reared

There are 187,507 livestock in the District with 6,689 keepers and an average animal per keeper of 28 (Table 7.2). Chicken rearing constitutes the highest representing 36.1 percent, livestock and (cattle) rearing is the second highest representing 32.3 percent, with an average number of animals per keeper of 24 and 60 respectively.

The proportion of sheep keepers to guinea fowl keepers is 666 and 298 with averages of 17 and 32 respectively. The livestock type or activities with the least or no keepers are snail, marine fishing, ostrich and dove rearing


 Distribution of livestock, other animals and keepers


Type of animal

Animals

Number of keepers

Average Animal per keeper

Number

Percent

Total

187,507

100.0

6,689

28

Beehives

1,772

0.9

12

148

Cattle

60,554

32.3

1,015

60

Chicken

67,712

36.1

2,788

24

Dove

423

0.2

12

35

Duck

2,883

1.5

216

13

Goat

22,876

12.2

1,259

18

Grass-cutter

900

0.5

27

33

Guinea fowl

9,438

5.0

298

32

Ostrich

93

0.0

8

12

Pig

3,508

1.9

196

18

Rabbit

109

0.1

10

11

Sheep

11,391

6.1

666

17

Silk worm

97

0.1

11

9

Snail

0

0.0

Turkey

565

0.3

43

13

Other

481

0.3

65

7

Fish farming

2,867

1.5

46

62

Inland fishing

1,220

0.7

12

102

Marine fishing

618

0.3

5

124

 

 


Date Created : 11/24/2017 4:14:58 AM