Millet Production and Utilisation in Northern Ghana

Millet is one of the most important staple crops grown in Northern Ghana, where it plays a crucial role in ensuring climate resilience, promoting food security, supporting livelihoods, and enhancing nutrition. Northern Ghana's semi-arid climate and reliance on rain-fed agriculture make millet a crucial crop, as it is well adapted to drought and poor soil conditions. The research aimed to provide information on millet production, processing, utilisation, associated challenges, and strategies to address the challenges in selected areas of the Northern, Northeast, Upper East, and Upper West regions of Ghana. Data was collected using structured questionnaires designed in Google Forms and analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 27). The significance of relationships was determined using the Chi-Square test at the 95% confidence level. Sorghum, pearl millet, and fonio were observed to be produced and processed in varying quantities. While sorghum and pearl millet were grown in all regions, fonio was primarily grown in the Northeast. The combination of land expansion with human capital development, education, experience, and sufficient family labour could substantially enhance agricultural yields among smallholder farmers. Production challenges affected all four regions, while processing challenges were specific to each crop. The results further revealed that millet has untapped potential to enhance household income, improve nutritional outcomes, and promote sustainable agricultural development in the regions. Hybrid varieties, good agricultural practices, sustainable and efficient processing, and the use of appropriate technology should be deployed to enhance productivity and upgrade the value chain of millets in the study area.