Agriculture in Ghana is largely informal with 32 percent of the population engaged in the sector. On average, the sector has been contributing about a fifth (20%) to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for over a decade and still has the potential to contribute towards achieving pro-poor growth, eliminating hunger, increasing production significantly and meeting the requirements of analysts, policy-makers and planners dealing with various economic activities relating to the sector. The sector comprises crops (including cocoa), livestock, forestry and logging, fisheries, and Aquaculture.
The development of agriculture statistics has become a prerequisite for improving the socio-economic condition of people, especially in rural areas. For that matter, adequate information on the rural agricultural sector is crucial for the planning of economic development initiatives, allocation of resources and monitoring the achievements. Therefore, the importance of the sector cannot be overemphasized.
The Ghana Statistical Service in collaboration with Ministry of Food and Agriculture conducts the Ghana Core Agriculture+ Production Methods and Environment+ Crop Cutting Survey (GCA++) to provide statistics to bridge agricultural data gaps and promote evidence-based decision-making.
The GCA++ seeks to:
1. Produce regular, high-quality agricultural data for use in policy development;
2. Produce new statistical indicators In terms of sustainable agriculture and the impact on the environment
3. Measure the productivity /yield of the crops grown under different farming practices:
4. Enhance national agricultural data systems; and
5. Contribute to reporting on Sustainable Development Goals and Comprehensive
African Agricultural Development Programme
