Smallholder farmers’ compliance with GlobalGAP standard: the case of Ghana
Publication date: 19 January 2018
Abstract
Subject area
Agricultural Trade, Farm Management, Economics of Food Safety
Study level/applicability
Both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics.
Case overview
The pineapple production sector plays a very significant role in the Ghanaian horticultural industry. Production and export of fresh pineapple has been Ghana’s most developed high-value supply chain. However, the introduction of the GlobalGAP food safety standard in 2007 resulted in a fall in smallholder farmers’ participation in exportable pineapple production and subsequently led to declining trends in pineapple exports. The Ghanaian horticultural industry received quite a number of interventions over the years aimed at revitalizing the horticultural export sector and enhancing international competitiveness. However, the pineapple export sub-sector is still constrained with production and market access challenges meaning the sector struggles to survive.
Expected learning outcomes
The GlobalGAP standard compliance case is an appropriate way of explaining how smallholder farmers make informed decisions concerning the adoption of new farm practices. The case presents a careful evaluation of technical, institutional and socio-economic factors influencing a farmer’s decision to comply or not to comply with the GlobalGAP standard. Students should be able to apply farm management decision-making concepts and tools such as profit maximization and binary choice modelling techniques to explain a farmers’ final decisions on GlobalGAP standard compliance. This case should enable students to appreciate key factors constraining agricultural export trade performance in developing countries. The case should also contribute to students’ understanding of smallholder farmers’ decisions on food safety standards compliance, particularly GlobalGAP, and the challenges associated with the entire compliance process. Moreover, this case should provide students with possible policy considerations geared towards making food safety standards compliance easier, effective and sustainable in developing countries so as to enhance market access while ensuring food quality and safety along high-value food supply chains.
Supplementary materials
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Subject code
CSS 7 Management Science
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to express his deepest thanks to Dr Akwasi Mensah-Bonsu and Dr John Baptist D. Jatoe of Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Ghana, Mr Victor Mensah of MoFA Directorate of Akuapem South Municipal Area, Mr Ofori Ntim of Ghana Export Promotion Authority and all individuals and organizations that spent their valuable time and know-how in assisting the author to obtain valuable information for this case study.
Citation
Baah Annor, P. (2018), "Smallholder farmers’ compliance with GlobalGAP standard: the case of Ghana", , Vol. 8 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-03-2017-0043
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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