Resources and Crops Management / Socioeconomics Division
The Resources and Crops Management and Socioeconomics Division (RCM/SE) is a scientific division crafted during the Ghana Grains Development project in the 1990s. RCM/SE is one of the eleven (11) divisions of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute. The goal of the Division is to develop technologies and innovations for sustainable agriculture production. The division considers whole farm situations including socioeconomics and environmental factors in the development of interventions.
The division develops and provides research-based information on soil, crop and cropping systems management practices that impact soil health, greenhouse gas emissions, crop productivity and environmental services. The division therefore delivers suitable and safe approaches to agricultural development in Ghana.
Areas of Specialization
The division specializes in the development of improved agronomic and climate smart crop technologies to complement the crop varieties’ developments in the Institute. It also focuses on providing feedbacks for policy formulations on end users of agricultural technologies. Specific areas of specialization are:
- Identification of crop production constraints with stakeholders
- Conducting on- farm research to verify improved crop management practices
- Conducting on-farm trials on improved crop varieties
- Development and dissemination of agricultural mechanization and irrigation equipment for improved crop production
- Development and dissemination of climate smart technologies for improved productivity
- Development of crop production training manuals
- Conducting baseline, adoption and impact surveys
- Conducting economics analysis on developed technologies and farming practices
- Conducting market surveys on developed technologies
Research Outputs/Technologies
- Developed diverse cropping systems including cereal-legume rotation and tree-crop integration for climate change adaptation and increased productivity.
- Developed fertilizer requirements and recommendations for cereals, legumes, root and tubers and horticultural crops.
- Developed planting distances and spatial arrangement of crops for improved yield
- Developed economic data on on-farm trials and on station trials
- Live-staking and reduced staking options for sustainable yam production
- Mechanized ridging as alternative to mounding for yam production
- Integrated soil fertility management options for sustainable yam production
- Sett size and planting density for manipulation of yam tuber sizes
- Produced data on adoption rates, impact analysis on agricultural technologies
- Produced gender mainstreaming documents in agricultural development
- Produced training materials
Research Interests
The division is interested in understanding the mechanisms by which plants respond to changes in the soil environment; increase understanding of the soil–plant–water relationships; integrated crop and nutrient management (NQ); climate smart agriculture practices for mitigation and adaptation and how this knowledge can be exploited to maximize productivity. The division is very much involved in resource use efficiency research such as irrigation scheduling and deficit irrigation.
We conduct research in agricultural and resource economics, prepare reports, and formulate plans to aid in solution of economic problems arising from production and distribution of agricultural products and services. We collect and process economic and statistical data using econometric and sampling techniques. We also conduct research in gender integration in agricultural production using qualitative and quantitative techniques. We use the predictions obtained from research to inform, influence, and improve the decisions of end users and agricultural organizations.
