Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING)
SOY BEAN SURVEY REPORT
EAST MAMPRUSI & CHEREPONI DISTRICTS
11-13 MARCH 2015
Introduction
As part of efforts to follow-up on data submitted by DAs, the M & E team conducted a survey in
some selected districts to elicit information on outcomes of the project.
The main purpose of the survey was to
 Evaluate the soybean project to see what went well and the challenges to the project
 To determine whether the project target of reaching out to women is being achieved
and
Incorporate findings of the surveys into our quarterly report
Methodology of the survey
The M&E team used Quantitative and Qualitative research methods together to collect both
quantitative and qualitative data from respondents. The sample used in this survey was selected
soybeans beneficiaries of RING project in East Mamprusi and Chereponi districts.
In East Mamprusi district four communities consisting of one hundred (100) beneficiaries were
selected as eligible respondents for the survey, and in Chereponi district three communities
consisting of one hundred of forty three (143) beneficiaries were also selected as respondents
for the survey.
Both close and open ended questionnaires were used to elicit information from all the
respondents in the two districts consisting of seven communities and two hundred of forty three
respondents. Microsoft Excel was used for the analysis of the data.
Findings
Proportion of Female/male respondents
Proportion of female respondents in Chereponi district was much higher than proportion
of female respondents in East Mamprusi district, women in chereponi district said they
have absolute control of the soybean produce and used the produce from soybeans to
support themselves in areas that would save them time and reduce their burden. In
chereponi district women are the main beneficiaries of the soybean intervention but
houses where these women were not found during the interviews their husbands were
rather interviewed. Female respondents in East Mamprusi was very low as compare to
chereponi district, but female respondents who were interviewed in East Mamprusi
indicated they have complete control of their soybeans produce.
Figure 1.8 the graphs shown below showed communities and percentage of females’/males
respondents in each community in the two districts.
Sex composition of respondents in East Mamprusi
120.00%
96%
100.00%
82.60%
80.90%
80%
80.00%
61.90%
60.00%
38.10%
40.00%
20.00%
20%
17.40%
19.10%
4%
0.00%
Bongbini
Dimea
Jawani
Female
Male
Tinsungu
East Mamprusi
Sex composition of respondents in Chereponi
120%
100%
100%
95%
89.10%
79.20%
80%
60%
40%
20.80%
20%
0%
5%
Chombosu
10.90%
0%
Famisah/Kombieku
Female
Gboug
Chereponi
Male
Utilization of soybeans/Food Diversification
1.0 According to the analysis of the soybeans survey data, 97.7% of respondents interviewed
indicated they were incorporating soybean into their family meals, respondents indicates they
were using soybeans to prepare tuubani, porridge, Adawadawa,Tuo Zaafi, Gabelee and
Koosei. A few respondents representing 2.29% said they were not incorporating soy into
their family meals. This results suggest that RING beneficiaries are adopting the soybean
utilization concept promoted by the project to improve the nutritional status of households
through production, utilization and consumption of soybeans.. Respondents indicated they
have received training on how to use soybeans to prepare Variety of foods and were using
the knowledge gained from the training to cook diversified family meals and nutritious foods
for their family members.
Figure 1.1 the chart below indicate percentage of respondents who are incorporating soybean
into their families’ meals
Have you incorporated soy in your family meals?
120.00%
100.00%
97.71%
80.00%
60.00%
40.00%
20.00%
2.29%
0.00%
Yes
No
Income level improvement
1.2 While respondents continue to eat their soybeans they also sell the surplus of the soybeans
to earn incomes to meet immediate needs. 79.55% percent of respondents have sold their
soybean and used the money realized from the sales to renewed health insurance, bought
small ruminants to rear, paid debt, saved money for family needs, bought dresses for their
new born babies and used part of the money for funeral expenses and naming ceremonies.
Respondents indicated that as at last year the same period they had no such incomes at their
disposal and could not make these expenses. Others also said they have not made monies
like this before, based on this findings we concluded that if respondents have not made monies
like this before on their own it means that their income level has been improved by 100
percent.
Figure 1.2a showing how beneficiaries spent their monies from the sales of soybeans.
What did you use your moey for?
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
School costs
Food
Medical
needs
Purchase
Family
clothes emergency
Females
Family
events
Repay debt
Family
needs
Males
63.46% of male respondents and 40.82% of female respondents used their money to pay school
fees. While 22.45% of female respondents spent their income in providing food items for the
family consumption, only 11.54% male respondents spent on food.
In the same vain while 12.25% of females spent their income on medical needs and purchasing of
clothes 7.69% of men and 5.77% of men spent their income on medical needs and purchasing of
clothes respectively.
Other areas where both male and female respondents spent money on were in the areas of family
emergency, family events repay debt and family needs. Female respondents used money realized
from the sales of their soybeans to buy donkeys and bicycles which are items used for
transporting women from their houses to the farm, to the market place, fetching water, cutting
firewood, carrying goods to the market and facilitating their movement to the hospital when a
family member falls sick.
1.3 50.65% of female respondents and 49.35% of male respondents interviewed had sold their
soybean. Quantity of soybeans sold varies from respondent to respondent, but the number
of bowls sold by each respondents was reasonable enough to make money out of their sales.
According to the findings on the soybean survey, the total amount of money realized from
the sales of soybeans was GHC43,884.00 and the average amount of money realized by each
respondent was GHC284.96.00. Female respondents got GHC14,368.00 in total and on
average each female respondent got GHC184.2.00.Male respondents got GHC29, 516.00 and
on average each respondents got GHC393.50.00 Male respondents are getting better income
than female respondents because they had better yields than female respondents and because
they had better yields they sold large quantities of their soybean which generated high income
for them. Amount sold for 1kg of soybean depends on what time each respondents sold his
or her soybeans. According to the finding respondents sold their soybean between
GHC3.5.00 to GHC4.5.00 per one 1kg.
Total harvest for female respondents was 28762.5kg and on average each respondents
harvested 276.56kg while the total harvest for male respondents was 50375kg and on average
each male respondents got 579kg.
1.3 showed Figure1in details how much each respondents got from the sales of their soybeans
Amount received from sales of soybean
30.00%
25.00%
24.29%
22.14%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
14.29%
13.57%
7.14%
6.43%
5.71%
5.00%
1.43%
0.00%
Yield level improvement
1.3 Due to the best agronomical practices giving to farmers by RING program funded by USAID’S
on spacing planting, row planting and improved seeds variety had led to increase in soybeans
production. Total quantity of soybeans harvested by respondents according to the recent
survey conducted on soybean farmers was 79135.5kg and the average harvest per each
respondent was 414.33kg. 65.15 percent respondents indicated that last year yields was
better than previous year’s yields, and farmers interviewed were very excited about the
outcome of the soybean intervention. About nineteen percentage (19.7%) of the respondents
said they had low yields compared to the previous season due to late land preparation/planting
and poor rainfall pattern. All the RING beneficiaries interviewed expressed satisfaction on
the ‘Jenguma’ (wait for me) soybean variety provided by the project. One interesting findings
of the survey was the fact that 15.15% of the beneficiaries did not see difference between
2014 farming season and that of 2013 in terms of their yields (Presented in Fig 1.2). The
soybeans intervention has served as an alternative source of income to project beneficiaries
and is proving to be one of the most effective way of improving the livelihoods of women
benefiting from the project.
Figure 1.2 the chart below explained different in yields last year compare to previous years.
Different in yields last year compare to previous years
70.00%
65.15%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
19.70%
15.15%
10.00%
0.00%
Better yield this year
Improvement in soil fertility.
Better yield last year
No difference in yield
1.7 Respondents said they were using different approaches/methods to improve their soil fertility,
these includes weeding early enough to prevent weeds from computing with crops for soil
nutrients, others used crop rotation, compost, Sheep/Goat droppings, cover cropping and
poultry dropping to improve their soil fertility.
Figure 1.6 showed percentage of methods farmers are using to improve soil fertility.
What are you doing to improve your soil fertility?
50.00%
46.85%
45.00%
40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
25.23%
25.00%
20.72%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
6.31%
5.00%
0.00%
0.9%
Crop rotation
Compost
Sheep/goat droppings
Cover cropping
Poultry droppings
1.8. About 28.21% of the beneficiaries interviewed indicated they cultivated only soybeans
through the RING support in 2014 farming season. And 71.79% of respondents’ farmed soybeans
in addition to other crops, these crops includes millet, maize, groundnut, okro, pepper and
tomatoes. The beneficiaries indicated the RING support enabled them to diversify their crop
production activities through the support on soybean farming. They produced soybean in addition
to the other crops (okro, pepper, tomatoes and groundnuts). Farmers were so excited about the
improved seeds of the soybean and the best agronomical practices they had received, they were
very excited to farm this year again and had started preparing and clearing their lands toward the
upcoming farming season.
Figure Figure 1.7 showed percentage of farmers who planted soybean in addition to other crops.
Did you grow soy in addition to this crop?
80.00%
71.79%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
28.21%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Yes
No
Improvement in Nutritional status
1. 84.97% of respondents indicated they have received nutritional message before from the
training they received from RING program funded by USAID’s on how to use soybeans
to prepare diversified meals and incorporating soybean into their families’ meals, again
from health volunteers and community health officers. Respondents could remember and
narrate or share the nutritional message they have received and were putting the message
into practice to improve their nutritional status. The ability of respondents to remember
and share nutritional message suggest that respondents have sound knowledge about
nutrition.
2
Respondents said they easily get hungry when they ate food prepared from maize alone, but
when they mix soybeans with maize to prepare food it satisfied and sustained them longer
than eating maize alone. This discovery has saved women time from staying often in the
kitchen to constantly prepare food for hungry family members. This discovery was realized
through the training women received from RING program funded by USAID’s on how to use
soybeans to prepare diversified meals for their family member or incorporating soy into their
family meals. Now women cannot stop incorporating soybean into their family meals because
they know it save them time, improve their nutritional level and reduce their burdens from
cooking often to feed family members.
3
84.29% of respondents who said they could recall the message they received on nutrition,
said they learned that lack of nutrition can cause illness in the body and were eating foods
that contains protein so they can improve their nutritional status which in effect would give
their bodies energy to fight diseases, improve their health status, enhance body growth and
increase body weights of both children and adults.
4
The findings also revealed that pregnant women have sound knowledge about eating
diversified food during pregnancy and after birth practice exclusive breast feeding for six
months before introducing complementary feeding to their children.
Figure 1.10 the graph below indicates number of beneficiaries who have received nutritional
message before.
Have you received nutritional information
before?
90.00%
85.06%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
14.94%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Yes
No
Highlights
•
•
•
•
Findings in the survey revealed that respondent’s consumption of diversified foods has
increased greatly which in effect would eventually improve their nutritional status as they
continue to eat these varieties of foods.
79.55% of respondents have sold their soybeans and used the monies realize from the
sales to established small scale businesses, bought donkeys, bicycles, small ruminants, build
houses, repaired grinding mill, renewed health insurance and paid school fees. The money
realize by respondents were used in areas that would save time and reduce their burdens.
Eating of soybeans was another discovery that saved time and reduced burden on women,
respondents said eating maize food mixed with soybeans sustains family member longer
than eating maize alone.
Knowledge about nutrition is prevalence among project beneficiaries, 84.97% of
respondents who were contacted and interviewed said they have received nutritional
•
message and were also trained on how to use soybeans to prepare nutritious foods for
their family members.
All the communities visited were willing to corporate with the surveyors and spent their
precious times answering questions and providing information about their soybean yields
and utilization. Respondents provided information that will be useful in decision making
and modernization of project implementation as we go forward.
Recommendations
•
Respondents used their monies to buy donkeys and established small scale businesses,
purchased ruminants to rear, the M&E team is recommending that both the programs and
M&E team should continue to monitor these activities to measure their progress and
impacts on the beneficiaries.
•
The findings also revealed that eating maize food mixed with soybeans sustains family
member longer than eating maize alone, we recommends that the programs team should
figure out how to pass on this revelation to all project beneficiaries to incorporate
soybeans into their maize food since this would save women time and reduce their burden
from cooking often in a day and finally improve their nutritional status.
•
Majority of the respondents chose June and July to farm their soybean this year, M&E
team based on this findings recommends that between Junes to July the programs team
may work with DAs to plow all the beneficiaries’ fields to allow planting to take place as
the farmers expected