Knowledge sharing practices among rice farmers in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Abstract

There is problematic flow of Knowledge among rice farmers in Ghana, which constitutes one of the critical challenges that is face in rice production in country. Effective knowledge sharing, therefore, offers great potential for addressing the challenges of rice production in Ghana. The current study explores the knowledge sharing practices among rice farmers in the Eastern Region of Ghana in order to develop strategies to enhance knowledge sharing. The study was underpinned by the pragmatic paradigm where concurrent triangulation mixed-method design was used for the study. Data was gathered with survey and interviews. A total sample of 110 was used; involving 101 survey respondents and 9 interview participants. The survey data was analyse descriptively using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 26. The interview finding was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed informal and elementary knowledge sharing practices among the rice farmers, which are mostly face-to-face. The study suggests coherent and structured strategy for knowledge sharing. It established that a successful implementation of knowledge sharing would depend on identifying and linking knowledge sharing enablers to tools and technologies. The proposed strategies would not only improve knowledge sharing among rice farmers in Ghana and add to the body of knowledge. The findings of the study may also be adopted by rice farming communities in other African countries whose rice farming context is similar to the context in Ghana.