Trade Potential factors Affecting Hired labour Adoption in Yam Production in Ghana

This paper examines the levels of family and hired labour use and the trade potential factors that influence the adoption of hired labour in Kpandai District in Northern Ghana. Empirical measure of the level of labour use among 510 sampled yam farm households revealed that hired labour dominate (63.9%) yam production among farm households. Furthermore, the paper estimate a logit model which identify that trade factors that were important in explaining the likelihood of hired labour use include producer price, farm size, competition among households, market integration, and cost of transportation. It is therefore recommended that a deliberate policy should be developed in order to improve the income levels of these labours to ensure the effective maintenance and continuity of hire labour use. Furthermore, policies should be developed to incorporate labour saving technologies to reduce the cost of yam production.