Commercialization Effect on Farm Household Consumption Expenditure

Commercial agriculture holds considerable potential for opening up suitable opportunity sets necessary for providing better incomes and sustainable livelihoods. This book examines the effect of smallholder commercialization of maize on farm household food consumption expenditures in Ghana. The results indicate that the intensity of smallholder maize commercialization is generally low. The study also found intensity of maize commercialization to be positively related to food consumption expenditures. Thus an increase in the sale of maize will result in an increase in purchase of food items needed to address household food security needs. These findings demonstrate the urgent need to strengthen smallholder market integration initiatives, encourage market information delivery systems, and establish more retail outlets with improved market facilities in order to promote production and trade in high value cereals such as maize in Ghana.