Adoption Of Aquaculture Technology In Ghana

Aquatic food currently remains the fastest and dominant food sector in the food industry.For consumers and producers around the world,it is an important source of food,income,and sustenance.Despite its increasing contribution to global capture fisheries and aquaculture,there is an alarming disparity in the production and consumption levels.Tilapia is one of the most farmed fish in the aquaculture sector in Ghana.It is a major source of livelihood for most farmers.Ghana is a nation in which fish constitute about 60 percent of animal protein intake.Ghana’s interest in aquaculture dates back to 1953 when fish ponds were built in northern Ghana by the Department of Fisheries to supplement national demand for fish and increase livelihood opportunities.But these initiatives did not result in much success.To ensure the growth of the aquaculture sector,two approaches were applied over the years,and despite the industry being introduced in the 1950 s,it is still in the developing stages.While the adoption of agriculture technology in Ghana,as well as aquaculture,is well documented,little to nothing is known of the adoption of aquaculture technologies over the years.Rapid production increases can be attributed mainly to the introduction of floating cage systems in the Volta Lake and Volta River.By 2010,annual production increased to 10,000 MT and in 2012 hit 26,000 MT – indicating a 20-fold increase in five years.There is a developing trend of incorporating or introducing new technologies in fish farming,which have proven to be very advantageous to the production of farmed fish.There isn’t enough available literature on this topic,also there isn’t enough awareness and information regarding such technologies.This study aims to examine the factors affecting the decision to adopt various aquaculture technologies in Ghana and how profitable they are for fish farmers.Additionally,this study aims to investigate and suggest measures that can develop the aquaculture sector in the country,create a framework to analyze the relationship between aquaculture technology and economic growth in Ghana,and compute and predict the status of aquaculture for the next decade if we adapt to the new available technologies as well as utilize the available technology.Through a structured questionnaire,we obtained primary data from 60 randomly sampled tilapia farmers that were utilized for the analysis.A Probit model and Cost-Benefit analysis were performed.Results show some key variables that contribute immensely to the decision of a farmer to adopt new technologies regarding aquaculture,they are access to credit,level of education,production losses,and farming experience.In the study,it is evident that returns on investing in fish farming prove it is a lucrative venture.There is great potential for the soaring aquaculture industry in Ghana,with available and supportive credit access or funds,farmers will be incentivized to adopt new technology and technique proven to increase production and value.