Assessing the Economic Effects of Cape Saint Paul’s Wilt Coconut Disease on the People of Nzema East District

Abstract

The Cape Saint Pauls Wilt Disease (CSPWD), a coconut disease in Ghana, still has no antidote. The physical scientists recommend the cutting down of affected trees, good farm hygiene and the application of fertilizer to aged farms, which the farmers are not prepared to do. Introduction to resistant varieties has also not caught up with the coconut farmers. The study was undertaken to examine the economic effects of CSPWD on the lives of the people of the Nzema East District. Among other things, the study investigated the effects of CSPWD on farm income levels, pig production and the internally generated revenue base of the Nzema East District Assembly. A sample size of two hundred and forty was considered for the study: half for household heads and the other half for pig farmers. The methods of analysis employed included partial budgeting, frequency tables and graphs. The study discovered a decline in both farm income levels and the internally generated revenue base of the Nzema East District Assembly by 70.60% and 22.09%, respectively. Another revelation was the change from coconut production to other crops especially food crops. It was also found out that the quantity of pigs being reared in the area has reduced by about 80%.

Keywords: Nzema East District, farmers, income, coconut, cape saint pauls wilt disease, CSPWD