Joseph “Joe” Clottey, a Ghanaian researcher with keen interest around impact assessment, climate change adaptation and resilience, agricultural policy, development economics, poverty, and econometric analysis, spoke to AnneSofie from the ARN team and shared more about his work. Here is what he had to say:
I’m a post-doctoral fellow with the International Center for Evaluation and Development (ICED). I obtained my doctoral degree in Applied Agricultural Economics and Policy from the University of Ghana in 2022. I also hold a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics and achieved Second-Class Honors in Agriculture. In the future, my aspirations include conducting interesting research in the field of agricultural economics, pursuing postdoctoral opportunities, collaborating with multinational organizations, and expanding my knowledge and expertise.
During my doctoral studies, I conducted research on organic agriculture, specifically focusing on production risk, technical efficiency, and the sustainability of organic and conventional farming systems.
What are some of your research interests and why are you passionate about it?
My research focuses on impact assessment, climate change adaptation and resilience, agricultural policy, development economics, poverty, and econometric analysis.
I am passionate about these areas because they are at the core of agricultural economics. In sub-Saharan Africa, poverty is a significant development issue that affects many households. Therefore, there is a need for more empirical information to effectively address poverty among households. I have publications in the area of sustainability and value chain among rural households in Ghana.
Click here and here to read Joseph’s publications
My career journey in agriculture has been nothing short of exciting! My vision is for agriculture to be sustainable, innovative, and a core contributor to the Ghanaian economy. Agriculture serves as the backbone of the Ghanaian economy, employing over 70% of the labor force. Currently, the world relies on agriculture to produce nutritious food for its growing population and improve people’s livelihoods. This significantly influences the future development of the economy and the world as a whole. There is a global demand for safe and environmentally friendly food. I am determined to be at the forefront, working with other experts to achieve this international goal.
I aim to contribute to solving the challenges faced by the industry and capitalize on the abundant inherent opportunities.
Our study acknowledges the limited evidence in literature about the role of infrastructure in improving individuals’ access to nutritious diets, women’s economic empowerment, and gender equality in low- and middle-income countries. This knowledge gap is primarily attributed to the absence of a comprehensive framework that shows how different types of infrastructures influence these outcomes, which prevents further empirical studies in this area.
Ghana’s agriculture sector faces various difficulties. Inadequate infrastructure facilities, reliance on antiquated and inefficient production techniques, a lack of storage facilities for perishable goods, uninspiring government policies, and instability in government and poor implementation are a few of those difficulties. Additionally, young people have a generally negative attitude towards agriculture. These elements work together to create substantial obstacles for the industry’s development.
Ghana’s agriculture sector is currently vibrant and full of potential because of the rise in financing options available exclusively for African academics.
With these financial alternatives, we have access to key assistance that will enable us to efficiently manage the grants or funds and carry out our activities. There are various conferences and professional meetings that acknowledge and build the capacity of regional researchers in Africa in addition to funding. These events are quite appealing to attend and actively participate in.
In addition, the industry’s changing nature is also fascinating. There is significant growth taking place, and each instance offers a worthwhile learning opportunity. Agricultural economics and development economics are interacting with newly developing multidisciplinary topics. This allows for collaboration and partnerships with people from different industries, going beyond the purview of research.
