African Civil Engineering Journal | 23 January 2008
Methodological Assessment of Process-Control Systems in Ghana: Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Yield Improvement
A, m, o, a, k, o, A, m, p, u, a, h, ,, N, y, a, r, k, o, K, a, n, e, b, o
Abstract
Ghana's agricultural sector is characterized by low yield due to inconsistent application of process-control systems. A mixed-method approach was employed, integrating surveys with yield data analysis. A regression discontinuity design (RDD) was used to estimate the impact of process-control system adoption on yield improvements. Initial results suggest a 10% increase in cotton yields and a 7% improvement in rice yields among farmers implementing process-control systems compared to those not using them, with robust standard errors indicating statistical significance at p < 0.05. Process-control systems significantly contribute to yield improvements in Ghana’s agricultural sector, particularly for cotton and rice crops. Farmers should be encouraged to adopt process-control systems through targeted training programmes and incentives. The maintenance outcome was modelled as $Y<em>{it}=\beta</em>0+\beta<em>1X</em>{it}+u<em>i+\varepsilon</em>{it}$, with robustness checked using heteroskedasticity-consistent errors.