This study explored the potential impact of rural non-farm income diversification on households' welfare and adoption of Zai-technology (a proxy for agricultural technology adoption) using primary data collected from agricultural households in the Upper East region of Ghana. We used Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and Inverse-Probability-weighted Regression Adjustment (IPWRA) techniques to estimate welfare and Zai-technology impacts of non-farm income diversification. After controlling for differences in covariates, the results show that non-farm income diversification increases the likelihood of Zai-technology adoption and contributes to significant household welfare gains. We therefore suggest that the activities of agricultural extension services and farmer-based organizations (FBOs) be enhanced as they facilitate the diversification of non-farm incomes, thereby increasing investment in productivity-enhancing technologies ( Zai ) and household welfare.

The World population is projected to be more than 9 billion by 2050, which is expected to increase the global food demand by 70% between 2005 and 2050 (Nazziwa-Nviiri et al. 2017). Most of these increases are expected to come from developing countries of which Ghana is no exception (United Nations 2011; Alexandratos and Bruinsma 2012). This situation would put upward pressure on agricultural land which is limited by the law of diminishing marginal returns. Hence, identifying, promoting and adoption of sustainable farm technologies are crucial to increase food supply and to address the challenges of environmental degradation. Simtowe et al. (2011) indicated that the adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies remains the route through which developing nations could combat poverty and attain food security. Conservation agriculture (CA) has been one of the techniques introduced to help mitigate depletion of soil nutrients, conserve water, minimize soil erosion, reduce land

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Background Achieving food security is a global priority and a concern for most African countries, including Ghana. Food systems providing varied and healthy diets without compromising the natural resource base, such as integrated crop–livestock diversification, are important for development planning and policy. Using cross-sectional data obtained from 1284 smallholder households in northern Ghana, we used a double-censored Tobit model in a conditional mixed-process (CMP) framework to estimate the impact of crop diversification on household food security. Results The results showed that household-specific, socioeconomic, and institutional factors influence crop–livestock diversification and food security in northern Ghana. Moreover, we found that higher intensity of crop–livestock diversification translates into a greater probability of achieving food security. Conclusions Crop–livestock diversification is essential to Ghana’s pursuit of the zero-hunger global agenda as it enhances food security without adversely affecting biodiversity and ecosystem health. Therefore, it should be incorporated into Ghana’s ongoing agricultural programme dubbed, planting and rearing for food and jobs.