Analyzing Farmers’ Network Structure Using ERGM: The Case of Ghana’s Cocoa Farmers

Abstract

This study examines farmer’s network formation and structure based on their location. Through the use of ERGM, we analyzed a dataset of 200 Ghanaian cocoa farmers obtained from four different villages by the use of their social network information sharing. We explored the characteristics of these networks in the various locations to see their similarities or otherwise, reliance with the stakeholders in order to assess knowledge exchange, with the assumption that improvements in these variables will help to achieve high performance. We found out that even though the farmers considered were in the same region and they grow the same kind of crops, with about 90% of them from the same ethnic group, their network structure were significantly different. It is therefore recommended that, stakeholders need to study the structure of farmers’ network in their local locations before implementing important policies so as to get maximum productivity for their input. Thus, two networks may be for the same purpose, but might not have the same structure.

Keywords: exponential random graph models; farmers’ network; cocoa sustainability; farmers’ social network; cocoa farmers; structural characteristics; network formation

DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/78-04

Publication date:August 31^st 2021