Analysis of Mushroom Consumption and its Determinants in Ghana

Abstract

Mushroom cultivation in Ghana has gained some modest success due to increased consumption especially by urban dwellers. However, commercial cultivation is still low in the country. The conception of this study is that higher levels of mushroom consumption will boost production in the country. The study analysed mushroom consumption and its influencing factors in Ghana. A multi stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 550 households. The data was collected using a well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and ordered probit model were used to analyze the frequency of mushroom consumption and the determinants of mushroom consumption respectively. The results on mushroom consumption based on the descriptive statistics show that majority of households consume mushrooms 1–2 times a month. The results on the factors influencing mushroom consumption based on the ordered probit model showed a significant influence of age (0.0156), tertiary education (0.3632), own price (−0.2393), availability (0.2443), nutritional value (0.2938), easy-to-prepare (0.3503), and regional location (Ashanti region) (−0.3054). The study recommends that mushroom producers and their collaborators should target the youth and persons with low levels of education and provide them with information on the beneficial uses of mushroom to boost consumption. They should also adopt good marketing and distribution channels to increase the availability of mushrooms in major local and super markets in the country, especially Ashanti and Greater Accra regions