A Supply Chain Analysis of the Agri-Food Sector in Northern Ghana

The COINS Project aims to promote the sustainable intensification of agriculture including: increasing productivity without converting additional land.  This German-African project team is investigating which efficient forms of land management are effective in intensifying agriculture on the same area in a sustainable manner – taking into account local conditions such as water availability and soil properties, but also socio-economic conditions in particular.

Agri-food systems are central to sustainable development, linking farmers to consumers through complex supply chains that encompass input supply, production, processing, storage, distribution, and retail. This study analyzes the structure, functioning, and sustainability challenges of the agri-food supply chain in Northern Ghana, with specific attention to maize and soybean value chains. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combined desk reviews with field data collected through focus group discussions with 90 farmers and key informant interviews with 45 supply chain actors across the Tolon, Mion, and Savelugu districts.

Findings reveal that the supply chain involves diverse actors, including input suppliers, farmers, aggregators, processors, traders, and retailers. Smallholder farmers dominate production, while processing is largely small-scale and mainly undertaken by women. Despite its dynamism, the supply chain faces persistent challenges such as limited access to finance, poor storage and processing infrastructure, high input costs, low technical capacity, climate change impacts, and inefficient transportation and market linkages.

The study concludes that although these constraints limit productivity and the adoption of sustainable intensification practices, significant opportunities exist. Targeted interventions, including digital extension services, improved access to inputs and finance, value-added processing, and strengthened market institutions, could enhance sustainability, resilience, and overall performance of the agri-food sector in Northern Ghana.