**10.7. Farmers lacks access to credit and markets**

Farmers in northern Ghana have been known to be poor probably because of the poor harvest they obtain from their crops which is traced mostly to low soil fertility and errat‐ ic rainfall. Most of them therefore lack collateral security to obtain financial assistance from these financial Institutions. Meanwhile the adoption of any soil restoration practices such as CA requires the purchase of inputs such as weedicides and fertilizers and other equipments for direct planting and spraying of the weedicides. The inability to purchase these inputs therefore means that such farmers would not be able to adopt such soil fer‐ tility enhancing practices.

The system where farmers sell their crop produce through the middlemen is one of the rea‐ sons why most of them remain poor. Prices offered to the farmers by these middlemen for their produce are so low that they are never able to pay for the cost of production. Farmers whose activities for crop production are pre-financed by these middle men suffer most as they take the produce in lieu of cash at harvesting time when prices are generally low. In addition such farmers might not easily adopt some soil fertility techniques such as CA which does not give immediate returns to the farmer.

#### **10.8. Pests and disease problems**

Experience has shown that providing thick soil mulch creates a micro-climate for reptiles such as snakes that can bite farmers operating on the land without protective clothing. Most farmers also complained of the increase in scorpions and other insects which can cause sig‐ nificant losses to the crops planted in the mulch. Some farmers who were introduced to di‐ rect seeding in the mulch complained of poor plant stand due to damage by crickets and grass hoppers. According to the farmers, that is why they have cultivated the habit of burn‐ ing the crop residues before planting. It is now well known by farmers who have ever pro‐ duced cover crops such as *Mucuna* that the cover crop is a suitable abode for snakes both in the live stage and when it is dry and left on the soil as mulch which makes farm operations by farmers very dangerous. Some farmers have come out with a calendar of spraying pro‐ gramme to control the pests in these cover crops to save the crops from insect damage and to make farm operations safe. This is because the chemicals (insecticides) used in spraying to control the insects also drive the snakes and the scorpions out of the mulch. However, the farmers are of the view that the adoption of such technologies also increases cost of produc‐ tion since they have to purchase insecticides to control these insects.
