Does participation in on-farm demonstrations improve aspirations formation and food security? Evidence from Ghana

Formation of aspirations and ensuring food security are pivotal developmental concerns, capturing the attention of development practitioners, researchers, and scholars. Although aspirations play a role in reinforcing external factors to reshape welfare outcomes, the influence of on-farm agronomic demonstrations on aspiration formation and food security remains understudied. This research leverages primary data from 1,099 farm households to explore the nexus between on-farm demonstrations (OFDs), aspiration formation, and food security. Utilizing instrumental variable (IV) estimates, our analysis highlights a positive association between OFDs and income aspiration formation, as well as food and nutrition security. Participation in on-farm demonstrations (OFDs) has a heterogeneous association with income aspiration and food and nutrition security. Farm households with higher income aspirations and those experiencing greater food insecurity derive more significant benefits from OFDs. The robustness of findings across alternative methods addressing endogeneity underscores their reliability. The study implies that increased public investment in OFDs, coupled with efforts to overcome participation barriers, can propel aspirations and enhance welfare outcomes.