Pre- and Post-Harvest Practices and Varietal Preferences of Tomato in Ghana

Abstract

Tailored interventions in the tomato sector require current information on production and marketing systems along with the constraints faced by the stakeholders. We conducted this study to understand the current production practices, stakeholders’ varietal preferences, tomato market trends, and challenges along the crop’s value chains. A multistage sampling method coupled with a random walk was used to identify survey locations and identify 180 respondents across seven regions in Ghana. The study showed that tomato was predominantly produced by male (81%) and literate farmers (84%). Tomato farmers were smallholder farmers generally cultivating less than five acres. Tomato was mainly cultivated under rainfed conditions. Farmers used both bought seeds and their own saved seeds for production. Farmers in Bono, Greater Accra, and the Upper East region largely cultivated improved tomato varieties, while farmers in the Bono East region cultivated local varieties. Across the regions, being a male and having access to irrigation facilities increased the probability of using improved varieties by 19% and 51%, respectively. The most important farmer and market preference criteria included high yield, medium to large fruit size and rounded fruit shape, red color, time to maturity and disease resistance. The major production challenges of tomato production included diseases, pests, and poor access to water for irrigation. The average yield of tomato varied from 6902.26 kg/ha in the Bono Region to 16,213.98 kg/ha in Bono East. Tomato was exclusively produced for fresh market. The major marketing challenges were low producer prices, low demand for produce, and competition from other farmers. This study provides key information to improve tomato value chains and guide the introduction or breeding of improved tomato varieties.

Tomato Cultivation and Farmers’ Knowledge on Selected Foliar Fungal Diseases in Agro- Ecological Zones of Kirinyaga County, Kenya

“…Our findings also differ with those of Ochilo et al [5] who opined that the tomato varieties grown by the farmers was determined by the cost of seeds. Additionally, our findings contradict those of Melomey et al [42] in Ghana who observed that most farmers choose varieties based on adaptability as opposed to market preference.…”

“…The finding on the level of education among tomato farmers differs with those reported by Ddamulira [48] in Uganda where majority (52.2%) of tomato farmers had attained secondary education with 29% having attained only primary education level. However, our finding corroborates with those of Melomey et al [42] where tomato farmers who had primary education were 19% and secondary education were 58%. Education level of farmers may influence how the farmer follows proper agronomic practices of tomato production such as application of fertilizer, insecticide and fungicide [49].…”

“…Large scale ranged from 1.67% in AEZ UM3 to 9.17% in AEZ LM4 (Table 2). The finding on size of tomato farm agrees with those of Melomey et al [42] which suggested that tomato farming is done by small holder (89%) in lands less than one acre. Further, this finding is in line with the report of Ddamulira [48] where average area of tomato was 0.68 acre.…”

“…The current results on male domination of tomato farming corresponds to other findings [5,[39][40][41]. Melomey et al [42] in Ghana also reported that up to 81% of tomato farmers were male compared 19% female farmers. Dominance of tomato farming by men as opposed to women farmers may be attributed to high physical and capital requirement [40].…”

Perspective Chapter: Accelerating Demand-Led Tomato Breeding for Emerging Markets in Africa

“…This is crucial in considering the breeding objectives whether for industrial processing or home consumption. In Ghana, tomato production is either for processing into paste or direct consumption by consumers who purchase from the open market [51]. A demand-led programme should consider value chain analysis and innovation systems that involve all the actors in the value chain of the crop.…”