Gender and Cultural Dimensions Of Sorghum Seed Management In North-East Ghana

Comfort Kudadjie Freeman and S

Abstract

In Africa most farmers produce their own seed. This paper focuses on gender and cultural dimensions of sorghum seed management by farmers. A stratified multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to select thirty-eight farming communities from North-East Ghana. In total four hundred and forty-eight farm households were surveyed using questionnaires. Data was collected on farmer’s sorghum seed sources, seed selection and storage practices and gender roles in seed selection and storage. While a majority (89%) of farmers produced their own seed, selection was done mainly by men (71%) but in some cases (23%) both men and women were involved. Men tended to store seeds in the barns while women stored their seed in pots. It was concluded that while seed selection and storage are mainly male dominated tasks, women are not entirely excluded from them. Ethnicity and religion are explanatory factors for the exclusion or involvement in seed related activities.