Agric Ministry Urged to Develop Guideline for Selection of Project Beneficiaries
Government has been urged to pay attention to women in agriculture, who constitute majority of smallholder farmers, and provide them with the needed support. [more]

 Reports
Microfinance As a Poverty Alleviation Tool for Women in Ghana’s Informal Sector?
A Thesis Submitted to Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
This study aims to explore whether microfinance is an effective poverty alleviation tool for women in Ghana’s informal sector. The paper suggests that microfinance has made only limited progress as a poverty alleviation scheme for women in Ghana’s informal sector because despite moderate improvement in building assets and reducing vulnerabilities, microfinance clients have not been lifted out of poverty, but have instead progressed to a more modest form of poverty. [more]

The Emperor has no Data! Agricultural Statistics in Sub-Saharan Africa
Few people would contest the assertion that agricultural development is an essential engine of growth in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly 75 percent of the extreme poor still reside in rural areas, and over 90 percent participate in agriculture. While the debate rages on how to best harness the still untapped potential of agriculture to reduce poverty in SSA, in this paper a more primordial, yet equally important, question is tackled: how much is really known about the state of agriculture in Africa and its contribution to the “wealth of the nations”? To that end, in this paper we describe a number of initiatives aimed at addressing the problem of quality of agricultural statistics in Africa and highlight selected work in the area of methodological research in agricultural data collection. [more]

 Thank you

The articles included in this news digest have been generated from online news sources and the daily graphic newspaper published within last week. For more information on any of these articles, please contact Adwoa Kwarteng at A.Kwarteng@cgiar.org
If you would like us to add your colleagues to our mailing list, please send their names and emails to us at IFPRI-Ghana@cgiar.org and we will be happy to do so. If you wish to no longer receive these updates, please reply to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line, and we will remove you from the mailing list.

Oil & Gas Sector Likely to Stunt Agricultural Growth
Dr Joe Taabazuing, Senior Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), has indicated that Ghana's fast growing oil and gas sector was likely to weaken the agricultural area if systematic sustainable steps were not taken. [more]

 Reports
Typology of Farm Households and Irrigation Systems: Some Evidence from Nigeria
IFPRI Discussion Paper 01267
Irrigation is considered an important factor for agriculture and food security. Knowledge gaps, however, still exist with regard to how farmers in Africa south of Sahara, including Nigeria, are using irrigation. This report summarizes the typology of farm  households and irrigators in Nigeria. [more]

Thank you

The articles included in this news digest have been generated from online news sources and the daily graphic newspaper published within last week. For more information on any of these articles, please contact Adwoa Kwarteng at A.Kwarteng@cgiar.org
If you would like us to add your colleagues to our mailing list, please send their names and emails to us at IFPRI-Ghana@cgiar.org and we will be happy to do so. If you wish to no longer receive these updates, please reply to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line, and we will remove you from the mailing list.

Boss of HFC Bank Kicks Against Proposal to Finance Agriculture
HFC Bank boss Asare Akuffo says banks cannot be forced to “throw money” at agriculture when the problems with financing the sector have not been addressed. [more]

Chinese Team Tells Ghana to Consider Technology Transfer to Boost Agric Output
A delegation from China has called on Mr. Clement Kofi Humado, Minister of Food and Agriculture to consider technological transfer to Ghana to boost agricultural development to make the country self-sufficient in food production. [more]

Reports
Agricultural Development in the Northern Savannah of Ghana
Doctoral Documents from Doctor of Planet Health Program, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
The goal of this document is to identify why smallholders in the north continue to get lower than expected yields even when good agronomic practices (GAPs) are being implemented. [more]

Urban Agriculture, Price Volatility, Drought, and Food Security in Developing Countries
University of Rome "Tor Vergata". MPRA Paper No. 46544, posted 27. April 2013 10:29 UTCUrban agriculture may have an important role to play in addressing food insecurity problems, which are bound to become increasingly vital with the secular trends towards the urbanization of poverty and of population in developing countries. The paper analyzes the importance of urban agriculture for the urban poor and food insecure. [more]

The Factors Affecting Poverty Alleviation Projects in Developing Economies
Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Thesis
The primary aim of this thesis is to analyze the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of the present situation of poverty alleviation projects in developing countries, by taking into account the various activities of the Social investment fund during the implementation of the urban poverty reduction project in Ghana. [more]

 Thank you

The articles included in this news digest have been generated from online news sources and the daily graphic newspaper published within last week. For more information on any of these articles, please contact Adwoa Kwarteng at A.Kwarteng@cgiar.org
If you would like us to add your colleagues to our mailing list, please send their names and emails to us at IFPRI-Ghana@cgiar.org and we will be happy to do so. If you wish to no longer receive these updates, please reply to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line, and we will remove you from the mailing list.

Farm Chemicals International to Host Agriculture Summit
African agriculture, which is getting much-needed support from private investors and, in some countries, governments that recognize the value of empowering farmers to increase their productivity is set to come under the spotlight. A major summit is being held in South Africa next month which will discuss why productivity levels in Sub-Saharan Africa are among the lowest in the world and ways in which they can be increased. Farming production levels have been declining in Africa since the 1970s while the rest of the world has begun to see better yields by embracing hybrid seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products and other agriculture technologies. These technologies are now being deployed and adopted rapidly in Africa by governments, NGOs and private industry, and further optimism resides in the myriad development projects throughout the continent.[more]

Food Crisis/Security
Agric Ministry Roles Out Plans To Improve Food Security
Mr. Clement Humado, Minister for Food and Agriculture says the Ministry plans to modernize the agricultural sector to provide food security, increase employment opportunities and reduce poverty. Subsequently, Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) have been promoted as one of the avenues to achieve the goal. The Minister made this known to the Ghana News Agency after exchanging letters with the Australian High Commissioner for about one million Australian dollar support to the FBOs.  He noted that, FBOs provided opportunities for farmers to benefit from economies of scale, better bargaining power and a stronger voice in policy development. [more]

Reports
Links between Tenure Security and Food Security: Evidence from Ethiopia
Centre for Land Tenure Studies Working Paper 02/13
The study uses five rounds of household panel data from Tigray, Ethiopia, collected in the period 1998–2010 to assess the impacts of a land registration and certification program that aimed to strengthen tenure security and how it has contributed to increased food availability and thus food security in this food-deficit region. Results show that land certification appears to have contributed to enhanced calorie availability (calorie intake), and more so for female-headed households, either through enhanced land rental market participation or increased investment and productivity on owner-operated land. Results also show that members of households that accessed additional land through the land rental market had a significantly higher body mass index. Though results show that land rental market participation is enhancing production efficiency, high transaction costs in that market suggest there are still unrealized gains from trade. Thus, the recent restrictive regional land law that allows for only short-term rental contracts and does not allow more than 50 percent of land to be rented out may threaten future tenure security and may undermine the benefits from the existing tenure reform. [more]

The Impact of Irrigation on Nutrition, Health, and Gender: A Review Paper with Insights for Africa south of the Sahara
IFPRI Discussion Paper 01259,  April 2013
Agriculture in Africa south of the Sahara (SSA) is still largely rainfed. SSA also exhibits the lowest crop yields for major staples in the world, largely due to low use of irrigation and fertilizer. Rainfed agriculture poses growing production risks with increased climate variability and change. At the same time, smallholder irrigation in the region developed rapidly over the past decade, albeit starting from very low levels. In addition to largely demand-driven irrigation development by smallholders, there is a significant push by donors for large-scale irrigation development, as well as some push for smallholder irrigation. The focus of this paper is on the health, nutrition, and gender linkage. To date, few studies have analyzed the impact of irrigation interventions on nutrition, health, and women’s empowerment, despite the large potential of irrigation to affect these important variables. Irrigation interventions may have differential effects on different members in the household and in the community, such as irrigators, non-irrigators, children, and women. Measuring and understanding such differences, followed by improving design and implementation to maximize gender, health, and nutrition outcomes, could transform irrigation programs from focusing solely on increased food production toward becoming an integral component of poverty-reduction strategies. [more]

Thank you

The articles included in this news digest have been generated from online news sources and the daily graphic newspaper published within last week. For more information on any of these articles, please contact Adwoa Kwarteng at A.Kwarteng@cgiar.org
If you would like us to add your colleagues to our mailing list, please send their names and emails to us at IFPRI-Ghana@cgiar.org and we will be happy to do so. If you wish to no longer receive these updates, please reply to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line, and we will remove you from the mailing list.

Farm Chemicals International to Host Agriculture Summit
African agriculture, which is getting much-needed support from private investors and, in some countries, governments that recognize the value of empowering farmers to increase their productivity is set to come under the spotlight. A major summit is being held in South Africa next month which will discuss why productivity levels in Sub-Saharan Africa are among the lowest in the world and ways in which they can be increased. Farming production levels have been declining in Africa since the 1970s while the rest of the world has begun to see better yields by embracing hybrid seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products and other agriculture technologies. These technologies are now being deployed and adopted rapidly in Africa by governments, NGOs and private industry, and further optimism resides in the myriad development projects throughout the continent. [more]

Food Crisis/Security
Agric Ministry Roles Out Plans To Improve Food Security
Mr. Clement Humado, Minister for Food and Agriculture says the Ministry plans to modernize the agricultural sector to provide food security, increase employment opportunities and reduce poverty. Subsequently, Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) have been promoted as one of the avenues to achieve the goal. The Minister made this known to the Ghana News Agency after exchanging letters with the Australian High Commissioner for about one million Australian dollar support to the FBOs.  He noted that, FBOs provided opportunities for farmers to benefit from economies of scale, better bargaining power and a stronger voice in policy development. [more]

Reports
Links between Tenure Security and Food Security: Evidence from Ethiopia
Centre for Land Tenure Studies Working Paper 02/13
The study uses five rounds of household panel data from Tigray, Ethiopia, collected in the period 1998–2010 to assess the impacts of a land registration and certification program that aimed to strengthen tenure security and how it has contributed to increased food availability and thus food security in this food-deficit region. Results show that land certification appears to have contributed to enhanced calorie availability (calorie intake), and more so for female-headed households, either through enhanced land rental market participation or increased investment and productivity on owner-operated land. Results also show that members of households that accessed additional land through the land rental market had a significantly higher body mass index. Though results show that land rental market participation is enhancing production efficiency, high transaction costs in that market suggest there are still unrealized gains from trade. Thus, the recent restrictive regional land law that allows for only short-term rental contracts and does not allow more than 50 percent of land to be rented out may threaten future tenure security and may undermine the benefits from the existing tenure reform. [more]

The Impact of Irrigation on Nutrition, Health, and Gender: A Review Paper with Insights for Africa south of the Sahara
IFPRI Discussion Paper 01259,  April 2013
Agriculture in Africa south of the Sahara (SSA) is still largely rainfed. SSA also exhibits the lowest crop yields for major staples in the world, largely due to low use of irrigation and fertilizer. Rainfed agriculture poses growing production risks with increased climate variability and change. At the same time, smallholder irrigation in the region developed rapidly over the past decade, albeit starting from very low levels. In addition to largely demand-driven irrigation development by smallholders, there is a significant push by donors for large-scale irrigation development, as well as some push for smallholder irrigation. The focus of this paper is on the health, nutrition, and gender linkage. To date, few studies have analyzed the impact of irrigation interventions on nutrition, health, and women’s empowerment, despite the large potential of irrigation to affect these important variables. Irrigation interventions may have differential effects on different members in the household and in the community, such as irrigators, non-irrigators, children, and women. Measuring and understanding such differences, followed by improving design and implementation to maximize gender, health, and nutrition outcomes, could transform irrigation programs from focusing solely on increased food production toward becoming an integral component of poverty-reduction strategies. [more]

Thank you

The articles included in this news digest have been generated from online news sources and the daily graphic newspaper published within last week. For more information on any of these articles, please contact Adwoa Kwarteng at A.Kwarteng@cgiar.org
If you would like us to add your colleagues to our mailing list, please send their names and emails to us at IFPRI-Ghana@cgiar.org and we will be happy to do so. If you wish to no longer receive these updates, please reply to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line, and we will remove you from the mailing list.

The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have partnered up to launch a four-week Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Programme, running from April 15^th – May 10^th, 2013 bringing together mid-level personnel engaged in managing the food, feed, and agriculture system in the private sector, especially from companies seeking to make new or upgrade investments as well as a few from the public sector.

With help from The University of Ghana, The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), the 4-week long programme will use conventional learning techniques for principles of good business practice and case studies as problem-solving tool.

The launch of the event will take place on April 15^th which will include a keynote address by Hon. Kofi Humado, Minister of Food and Agriculture, and opening remarks by Mr. Johnson Adasi, Director of SME & Technology, Ministry of Trade & Industry, Prof. Franklyn Manu, Rector of GIMPA, Dr. Joe Taabazuing, course coordinator at GIMPA, and Dr. Shashi Kolavalli, Leader, Ghana Strategy Support Program of IFPRI.  For more details, click here!

It examines how climate change will affect food security threats and explores increased efforts needed to achieve sustainable food security in the region.  It presents likely scenarios combining economic and biophysical characteristics to explore any possible consequences for food security, agriculture and resource management by the using numerous scenario maps, figures, models with detailed analysis.  It provides recommendations and serves as a vital tool for shaping policy and for further research on consequences of climate change for national governments, other decision makers and researchers.

For more information about the publication and country summaries, click here or visit IFPRI's press room!

Food and Agriculture in Ghana – a Sector in Difficulty
For some time now, there has been an on-going debate about the performance of the food and agricultural sector in satisfying the nutritional and economic needs of the nation. One assessment suggests that the sector has performed creditably and what is required of it now are more resources to accelerate development. This view is typified by The State of The Nation Address delivered by President John Mahama on 21st February, 2013. Although it is acknowledged that there have been some improvements in the well-being of Ghanaian consumers (of staple food) and agricultural producers, there can be no doubt that large sections of the rising population continue to suffer deprivation of hunger and rising poverty. This contrasts sharply with the glorious picture painted by statements such as those expressed in the latest two State of the Nation addresses. [more]

Reports

Prospects of Transforming Subsistence Agriculture into Sustainable Livelihoods; A case-study of the Ribb sub-Catchment, Ethiopia
Uppsala University, Department of Earth Sciences, Master Thesis
This study assesses the importance of agricultural transformation in achieving sustainable livelihood in rural Ethiopia. By focusing on the different agricultural transformation components, the study analyze different farming typologies at household level. Through the process of smallholder commercialization, households can transform into more desired farm typology which can assist them to achieve food security and reduce poverty. Based on households production objective, the result suggests that households in the study area belong to four major farm typology i.e., below-subsistence, subsistence, constant improving and commercial level farm typologies. By applying an ordered logit regression model, the variables having high significance level and determine households to transform from lower farm typology (below-subsistence level) to higher (commercial level) are topography, livestock holdings and irrigation. Farm land size, land fragmentation and non-farm income are also determining factors in smallholder agricultural transformation. In addition, the result show that weak institutions, poor access to markets and credit, inadequate infrastructure, poor soil fertility and land degradation have constrained households to transform to smallholder commercialization. [more]

Urbanization and Changes in Farm Size in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia from a Geographical Perspective, a Review of the Literature
A Foresight Study of the Independent Science and Partnership Council
The past century has entailed a relatively speaking rapid redistribution as well as growth of urban populations, with the urban population surpassing the rural one for the first time in 2008. Processes of urban growth and their implications for farming and changes in farm sizes especially are likely to be shaped both by global influences as well as more localized aspects. Spatial perspectives related to the distribution of people among urban areas of different size, the nature of production systems and how these are shaped by the proximity to urban areas are relevant in this respect. The study assesses the available empirical data on urbanization trends and changes in farm size in the context of South Asia and Sub- Saharan Africa on the basis of these perspectives. [more]

A Practical Guide for Ex-ante Impact Evaluation in Fisheries and Aquaculture
Guidelines: AAS-2013-04
This guide provides a framework for ex-ante evaluation of fisheries and aquaculture projects in developing countries. Ex-ante impact evaluations check the potential of a project or program to deliver benefits from proposed interventions. Providing extensive annotated literature citations, this guide is designed for use by practitioners who may not be fisheries or aquaculture specialists. The guide uses concepts from results-based management, organized into five modules that structure the investigation and provide insights regarding alignment of the proposed intervention with stakeholder interests, feasibility of design, potential constraints to implementation, possible impact pathways and distributional effects of the intervention. Separately published case studies of investments in Bangladesh, Malawi and Ghana illustrate application of the guide. [more]

Impact of Farmer Field Schools on Social Wellbeing of Farming Community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
The Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 23(1): 2013, Page: 319-323
The paper focuses on the impact of farmer field schools (FFS) on social wellbeing of farming community. For this purpose, six districts from the central region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi and Kohat were selected. Data were collected on various aspects of social wellbeing of farming community from 240 randomly selected FFS farmers and 60 extension field staff respondents. The data were analyzed using a paired t-test for comparison of pre and post FFS scenarios. The results show that decision making was ranked 1st with mean values 3.38, 3.94 closely followed by confidence building and spirit of self help which were ranked 2nd and 3rd with mean values 3.41, 3.94 and 3.40, 3.92 in pre and post-FFS scenarios, respectively. Similarly, field staff respondents ranked spirit of self help by farmers as 1st with mean values 3.31, 4.04, decision making as 2nd with mean values 3.27, 3.91, and confidence building as 3rd with mean values3.39 and 3.97 in pre and post-FFS scenarios, respectively. This situation shows a highly significant difference between the pre and post FFS scenarios. Hence, it can be concluded from the study that FFS had a significant impact on all aspects of social well being of farming community as a result of various project activities. [more]

Thank you

The articles included in this news digest have been generated from online news sources and the daily graphic newspaper published within last week. For more information on any of these articles, please contact Adwoa Kwarteng at A.Kwarteng@cgiar.org
If you would like us to add your colleagues to our mailing list, please send their names and emails to us at IFPRI-Ghana@cgiar.org and we will be happy to do so. If you wish to no longer receive these updates, please reply to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line, and we will remove you from the mailing list.