Background
Cannabis is one of humanity’s oldest crops with several uses, from food to clothing and medicine. It remains one of the most controversial crops whose production, possession, and usage are regulated differently across jurisdictions. Academic research and advocacy have resulted in the redefinition of the legal status of cannabis in several countries. Ghana recently reviewed its laws on cannabis, allowing for the cultivation of industrial hemp. The legislation paves the way for Ghana to benefit from industrial hemp and include it in the agricultural cash crop list. This paper looks at the economic prospects of industrial hemp in the wake of the new law.
Methods
A systematic electronic research was conducted to identify journal articles, reports, news, blogs, and other relevant materials on cannabis, marijuana, and industrial hemp. The electronic search was done primarily on Google, Google Scholar, Bing, and “Baidu Xueshi” to identify cannabis-related publications. The search was expanded beyond Ghana to find other perspectives on cannabis. The search began in January 2020 on Google using search terms like “cannabis in Ghana” and “which countries have legal cannabis.” Materials on history, financial prospects, industrial uses, and legislations on cannabis and industrial hemp were reviewed.
Results
Existing research on cannabis in Ghana has focused on the psychotic effects of cannabis other than its industrial aspects, which has potentials for the economy. Industrial hemp has CBD with no psychotic effects and is very useful in making medicine, paper, and textiles. Ghana has both the land and workforce to produce hemp to feed local industries and the international market.
Conclusion
The new legislation can put Ghana in a position to benefit from the current cannabis industry. Therefore, policymakers should implement a registration regime that would favor local investors and farmers to reduce illegal production. The regulatory framework should establish a well-equipped agency that will supervise production and research into hemp development.
The economic impact of the invasion of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith, Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) into Africa has so far been limited to maize agriculture but could potentially impact many other crops. Trapping based on pheromone lures provides a cost-effective method for detecting this important pest (commonly known as fall armyworm) and will be essential for large-scale monitoring of populations to determine its geographical distribution and migration behavior as the species equilibrates to its new environment. However, the effective use of pheromone trapping requires optimization for a given location. An earlier report demonstrated that two commercial lures (one 3-component and the other 4-component) that were effective for trapping S. frugiperda in maize fields in Togo, Africa. The current study extends these findings to agricultural areas that differ in plant host composition (maize, pasture grasses, rice, and sorghum) in multiple locations in Ghana and Togo. In two seasons, significantly higher numbers of moths were found in maize, and in one season, higher numbers were found in rice than in sorghum and pasture grass systems. The results confirm the effectiveness of pheromone trapping and identify pheromone lures and trapping methods best suited for the different agroecosystems common to West Africa and that are at risk of infestation by S. frugiperda.
Spodoptera frugiperda was considered an insect pest only in the Americas until its first report in African countries in 2016. In this study, farmers and agricultural officials in Ghana were interviewed on their perceptions and knowledge of the pest, on infestation and maize yield variations across years, and on management practices. Farms were inspected to determine the infestation level of 100 plants per hectare. Interviews revealed that farmers were familiar with the larval stages of this pest and noticed that the pest occurred throughout the year, but populations of S. frugiperda increased only during cropping seasons. Infestation levels reported by farmers in surveys were much lower in 2018 (30.38%) than in 2017 (80.92%). Farm inspections confirmed that infestation levels were much lower in 2018 (20.90%) than 2017 (73.70%). The belt formed by Guinea Savannah, Transitional Zone, and Semi-Deciduous Forest Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZs) recorded the highest infestations while the lowest were observed from the Sudan Savannah and Tropical Rain Forest AEZs. Insecticides were the most commonly used tactic to manage populations of this new pest. Maize yields increased across Ghana between 2013 and 2015 from 1.52 to 1.73 t/ha, decreased between 2015 and 2017 to 1.55 t/ha, and increased to 1.69 t/ha in 2018. The impact of fall armyworm injury to maize production is discussed.
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