Abstract

The search for a sustainable solution to the growing household food insecurity in many Ghanaian homes calls for an effective harnessing of locally available resources for increased agricultural production. The study was conducted against the background that, although several studies have been conducted on the guinea fowl in Northern Ghana, very little attention has been paid to the socio-economic attributes of production. Such information is critical to understand the behaviour of farmers, especially, about technology adoption by understanding the opportunities and constraints confronting farmers. This allows a more holistic and informed approach to solve the problems of farmers. The study employed descriptive statistic by means of percentages, statistical means and frequency tables. The results indicate that guinea fowl keepers in both districts keep the birds for economic and socio-cultural reasons. Like any other economic venture, guinea fowl production is not without constraints. The main constraints to guinea fowl production include high keet mortality rates, inadequate access to veterinary services, low productivity of local breeds, unstable prices and poor management practices. It is recommended that there should be increased research to increase the productivity of local breeds of guinea fowls.

Key words: Guinea fowl, Ghana, socio-economic.