THE IMPACT OF MALARIA ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF MAIZE FARMERS IN

THE EJURA-SEKYEDUMASE DISTRICT

1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Malaria is a very important tropical and subtropical disease. Apart from HIV/AIDS and
tuberculosis, malaria is the highest cause of death due to single agent infectious diseases,
accounting for 2.2% of such death.

Malaria and agriculture are intimately related, this is because agricultural environments provide
suitable conditions for breeding of anopheles mosquitoes the female of which is the vector of the
Plasmodium falciparum which causes malaria in man.

Here in Ghana malaria accounts for about 9% of deaths. According Asenso-Okyere (1994)
Malaria contributes 30% of out patients’ visits and 9% of Hospital admissions among others. The
disease causes pain, fevers loss of productive labour time, and direct cost due to prevention and
treatment.

This research is intended to discover what extent malaria affects the productive labour time and
consequent effect on the production and economic power of farmers in the Ejura- Sekyedumase
district of the Ashanti region of Ghana.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT.

Does malaria have any effect on maize farmers’ output or not? If it does what is the nature of
such effect? In what areas are maize farmers affected by malaria? Is it in the level of
productivity? How much of productivity loss among maize farmers can be attributed to the
effects of malaria?

Secondly, who does the work on the farm when the farmer is absent due to malaria? Does he hire
additional labour to carry out the farm operations? If he does how much does it cost him to hire
additional labourers to undertake operations which otherwise would have been done by the
farmer himself?
Finally, How much does it cost the farmer in terms of direct cost of treating malaria? and who
bears the cost? Is it the farmer directly or the national health insurance?

1.3 MAIN OBJECTIVES

This research seeks to achieve three main objectives which are different but closely related. First,
the research wants to discover if there is any correlation between malaria and its effects on the
level of maize production and the economic base of maize farmers. The second objective is to
discover the extent of that effect if there is any effect at all. Related to this objective this research
seeks t ascertain the direct and indirect costs that the occurrence of malaria has on the farmers.
The third is to make information available for further research in the subject area.

1.4 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

In a country like Ghana where the primary goal is to reach the highest level of productivity in the
agricultural sector, it is imperative to study all the factors that may affect the productivity of
farmers.

Thus this research will be source of information to guide policy makers to make policies that will
help ease the burden of malaria on farmers.

The baseline information from this research will also serve as a guide to other researchers as they
search for additional information in this field which relatively under-explored.

1.5 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The main obstacle to the attainment of the objectives of this study will be:

a. The time available to conduct the research.

b. Financial constraints involving the printing of questionnaires, cost involved in travelling
to the research site and
c. The third constraint I envisage is with the acquisition of accurate information from the
farmers first concerning their judgement of malaria (mainly for those who do not visit the
hospital) and secondly concerning the yield from their farms.
1.6 ORGANASATION OF THE STUDY

This report is organized into five chapters which are broken down as follows:

a. Chapter 1 gives a general introduction to the study outlining the problem statement, the
main objective of the study and its specific objectives, the justification of the study and
the limitation faced in the achieving of the objectives of this study, then its organization
and methodology.
b. Chapter 2 deals with a review f literature relevant to the study
c. Chapter 3 presents the methodology including a detailed description of the study area and
a look at the sample techniques used the data collection tools used and method of
analysis.
d. Chapter 4 presents the results of the study and a detailed analysis of the results.
e. Chapter 5 gives a discussion of the results and recommendations based on the results of
the study.

1.7 METHODOLOGY

The study will be conducted in the Ejura- Sekyedumase district of the Ashanti region the study
its main target are maize farmers in the farming townships which include; Sekodumase, Frante,
Drobon, Bayee-Nkwanta, Ejura, Atta Akura, Nkyensie, Nokwareasa, Kantankani. Data for the
research will be collected with structure questionnaires administered to the farmers. The farmers
will be selected at random for the research.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW