Michael Ayamga is studying for PhD in Development Studies at the Ghanaian-German Centre for Development Studies.
Michael is a lecturer of agricultural economics at the University for Development Studies, Ghana. He holds a Master of Philosophy degree in agricultural economics from the University of Ghana.
Michael has research interests in food security, microfinance and participatory approaches. He has written a couple of papers in microfinance and urban water supply in Ghana.
For his PhD, Michael is working on productive efficiency in agricultural land holding schemes in Ghana.

The proposed topic for PhD research is:
PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY IN AGRICULTURAL LAND HOLDING SCHEMES IN GHANA

Synopsis of PhD Research

In almost all economies be they developing or developed, there is an apparent consensus on the link between property rights to land on the one hand and land use efficiency, poverty and economic growth on the other. Literature suggests that the investments required to produce output levels consistent with population growth and national development agendas can only be attained if land rights are secure (see for example Boserup, 1965). This link between land rights and efficiency of agricultural production have motivated governments in countries where access to land is highly unequal, to intervene in the functioning of markets through land reforms. The decision to intervene in land transfer mechanism depends on knowledge of the functioning of land markets i.e. how the various land transfer mechanisms and holding schemes impact on land productivity and possibly economic growth and poverty. Given the multiplicity of land transfer mechanisms across Ghana, there is the need to explore the nature of land markets that have evolved over the years and how allocations in these markets impact on land use efficiency. Efficient land schemes transfer land rights in a manner that promotes tenure security and therefore boost the confidence of tenants to invest in the most productive use of the land. An efficient land market should allocate land such that soils of equal quality will have similar marginal productivity (Norton 2004). Where marginal productivity is high, then such land should be allocated to producers who can invest in more intensive exploitation of it. This study will use frontier models to assess production efficiency or technical efficiency under different land holding schemes in Ghana. The study intends to contribute to knowledge by highlighting the land use arrangement under which efficient producers hold land and by estimating the relative proportion of agricultural land is held by efficient producers in Ghana.