This research assesses whether the recent public and private efforts to improve farmer’s
access to mechanical power in Ghana, have had their intended effects on the country’s
agricultural sector. Using panel survey data, this paper analyzes the impacts of
mechanization on cropland expansion and farming system intensification in Northern
Ghana. Findings show a positive correlation between farm mechanization and cropland
expansion during the survey period. However, there was no evidence of increasing farm
input use with the use of tractors. Indeed, findings seem to suggest an inverse
relationship between mechanization and farm intensification. We conclude that
tractorization is unlikely to foster farm input intensification in regions such as Northern
Ghana where farmlands are still abundant.