Gendered dimensions of sustainable land management: Evidences from farm size and training effects on willingness to pay in Ghana’s Volta Region

by James Dickson Fiagborlo, Mexoese Nyatuame, Stella Ahone Ntoko Land degradation is a critical threat to agricultural productivity in Ghana, reducing soil fertility and deepening rural poverty. Efforts to promote Sustainable Land Management (SLM) have increased, but adoption remains uneven, with persistent gender disparities in access to land, training, and decision-making.

This study draws on survey data from 1,036 farming households across five municipalities in Ghana’s Volta Region to examine how SLM training and farm size affect farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for SLM practices, with a focus on gender differences. A Tobit regression model is used to estimate both main and interaction effects.

The results support the study hypotheses. SLM training (β = 0.164, p ) significantly increases WTP, with stronger effects among male farmers, confirming H1.

Farm size (β = 0.058, p ) is positively associated with WTP, as larger landholdings increase farmers’ investment capacity, supporting H2.