Linkage between working conditions and wellbeing: Insight from migrant and native farmhands on Ghana's cocoa farms.

Working conditions and wellbeing (quality of life) could be linked, and they in turn enhance social and economic development. Nevertheless, working conditions of farmhands have largely been ignored in policy and research. We explored working conditions of migrant and native farmhands on Ghana's cocoa farms, and implications on wellbeing, using primary data from 600 respondents. Multidimensional Poverty Index, Department for International Development sustainable livelihood approach, World Food Programme asset score, Zellner's seemingly unrelated regression and multinomial logistic regression were adopted. Living standards, resilience, health and asset ownership of farmhands were generally low. Natives had higher living standards than migrants. However, migrants had better food security, and were more resilient to shocks than natives. Working and living conditions like years as a farmhand, closeness to social amenities, years migrant had stayed in community, type of migrant, being joined by a household member, working hours and days, type of agreement, category of farmhand, bonuses, satisfaction with working conditions, and income influence living standards, resilience, health and asset ownership. Thus, there is a link between working conditions and wellbeing of cocoa farmhands. Farmhands should be given long-term contracts, bonuses/incentives and personal protective equipment (PPE) by cocoa farmers. Government and private agencies should provide social amenities/infrastructure in cocoa-growing communities. Farmhands should do their own farms and join associations.

Exploring the impact of economic growth on environmental pollution in South American countries: how does renewable energy and globalization matter?

Most emerging economies and the South American Countries are no exception to the negative consequences of trade-off between economic growth and environmental sustainability decisions. This study draws strength from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs-7, 11, 12, and 13). Therefore, this study examines the environmental nexus between economic growth, globalization, renewable, and non-renewable energy, in South America from 1995 to 2020. We deployed the pooled mean group (PMG), mean group (MG), and dynamic fixed effects (DFE). Cross-sectional dependence, panel unit root, and cointegration tests were performed. Finally, we used the Dumitrescu and Hurlin test of causality to determine the long-run association between variables. The finding indicates that while environmental pollution increases with increasing economic growth, it decreases with increasing renewable energy both in the short and long term. Whereas economic globalization positively affects environmental pollution in the long term, social globalization and the moderation effect between political globalization and renewable energy improves environmental quality in the long run. Finally, a bidirectional causality was found between economic growth and environmental pollution, with a unidirectional causality running from economic, political, and social globalization, renewable, and non-renewable energy to environmental pollution. Given these findings, we discussed potential policy measures.

Land tenure system and harvesting time's influence on the marketing behaviour of cashew farmers in the Bono Region of Ghana.

This study investigated the land tenure system, harvesting time and marketing behaviour of cashew farmers in Ghana. Primary data was compiled from 120 cashew farmers, and the multinomial probit was used to assess the determinants of cashew marketing outlets. Types of land ownership (tenure system) for cashew production in Ghana were leasehold, stool, family, state and customary lands. The sales of cashew nuts to buying companies and/or exporters is positively influenced by the land tenure system, good road network, weekly harvest, contract agreements and grading of cashew nuts. Conversely, the experience of farmers coupled with less than one week of harvesting influences the choice of brokers' outlet. The result implies that, cashew cultivation on stool land, likewise harvesting time increases the probability of selling to buying companies and exporters who offered higher margins compared with brokers. Consequently, generic land reform for the whole country to enhance agribusinesses may be important but unnecessary. It is also suggested that the customary land arrangement provided the opportunity to sell to a profitable marketing outlet, it is suggested that Government and NGOs should rather be interested in strengthening the current customary land regime and consultatively recommend for review where necessary in the study areas.