The Mediating Effect of Political Intensity on Attitude, Farming Practices, Sources of Funds on Ghana Cocoa Farmers’ Financial Sustainability

Abstract

Cocoa farmers now need financial sustainability in doing their businesses. To ensure their financial sustainability, they must have the right attitude and incorporate appropriate farming practices and funding. This study concentrates on financial sustainability in that it is related to the availability of agricultural funding and the impact on society for present and future generations to ensure a healthy livelihood for the cocoa farmer.This study is a quantitative study and a correlational research design which used mediation approach to predict and explain the intervening role of political intensity in determining the financial sustainability Ghana’s cocoa farmers based on attitude, practices and sources of funds. The study employed 980 cocoa farmers across the six cocoa growing regions of Ghana to conveniently answer self-contructed research questions with interval validity based on Cronbach Alpha of farmers’ attitude 0.84, farming practices 0.84, sources of funds 0.7, and political intensity 0.955, Financial Sustainbility 0.86. The statistical treatment for the prediction was based on regression and AMOS 23v was used to determine the mediation effect.The study resulted that the predictors of cocoa farmers’ financial sustainability are political intensity, farmers’ attitude and farming practices. Political intensity partially mediates farmers’ attitude and financial sustainability and fully mediate farming practices and sources of funds to financial sustainability. The study recommends that the various approaches used in finding financial sustainability must be synchronized as this study showed a covariate of all the predictors. The disjointed approach in seeking financial sustainability for the cocoa farmer will fail.

Keywords: Attitude, Farmers’ Practices, Sources of Funds, Political Intensity, Financial Sustainability

DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-10-15

Publication date:May 31^st 2020