The Contribution Of Farmers’ Knowledge, Attitudes And Institutional Support Towards Shea Conservation Management In The Upper East Region

Abstract

The continuous extraction of shea resources from the natural plantation over the years without any significant conservation management measures has compounded the deforestation of the natural shea vegetation, leading to the fast decline in shea tree population in the northern savannah grasslands. The decline in shea tree densities is quite alarming in the Upper East Region. The main objective of this study was to examine the contribution of farmers‟ knowledge, attitude, and institutional support towards shea conservation management practices in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The study used a mixed method approach. The qualitative method involved key informant interviews with institutions and organizations to collect qualitative data. The quantitative method involved administering a survey questionnaire to a randomly sampled size of 350 farmers. The qualitative data was content-analyzed for patterns of relationships, while Chi-square and Likert scale were run for quantitative data. The results indicate that there was no statistically significant difference χ2 (1, N=350) = 0.206, p = 0.056 between male (95%) and female (93%) farmers knowledge in shea protection. The findings further indicate there was statistically significant difference χ2 (1, N=350) = 17.725, p = 0.049 between male (90%) and female (71%) farmers‟ knowledge in the importance of weeding around shea trees, pests and disease control and pruning. Also, farmers generally showed a positive attitude towards shea conservation management practices. However, considering the rather low practice in shea tree conservation management by farmers, it is recommended for increased community awareness sensitization by state and private institutions.