Agricultural Issues
Government, FAO sign MoU to Develop Agriculture
The government and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) yesterday signed two financial agreements totaling $31.6 million for the development of agriculture and sustainable environment. Under the first agreement, the FAO would contribute $3.6 million for the implementation of a Country Programming Framework (CPF) to support more strategic and focused engagement between the government and the FAO through its technical co-operation programme. [more]
Government to Pilot Tunnel Farming for Youth in Agriculture
Government says it is looking to develop tunnel farming as part of moves to overhaul the youth in Agriculture programme. Tunnel farming involves growing crops in a controlled environment in tunnels or domes. [more]
MOFA Debunks Agricultural Decline
The Ministry of Agriculture has debunked claims by the minority in Parliament that Ghana’s agriculture sector is declining. The Members of Parliament on the minority side on Friday, August 12, 2013, cited the poor agricultural growth rate, stagnant food and agricultural production and failed policies as the cause of the collapsing fortunes of food and agriculture in the country. [more]
Stop Playing Politics with Agriculture; Farmers tell Politicians
The President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Mohammed Adam Nashiru, has expressed disappointment at the politicization of the problems bedeviling the agricultural sector. He said the problems of agric have such dire consequences for the security of the nation that discussing them ought to be devoid of partisan considerations and plain misinformation. [more]
The cost of Feed Keeps Rising–USDA
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) says prices of feed in Ghana have been increasing rapidly due to the rising cost of corn, making poultry industry players suffer. According to the Department, the average price of a 100kg bag of white corn in 2011/2012 was GHC75 ($39), up from GHC55 ($28) in 2010/2011. This was contained in the USDA 2013 report that reviewed Ghana’s poultry industry. [more]
Food Crisis/Security
Africa: Technology and Innovation Aim at Greater Food Security
In the face of global climate change and currency devaluation, improved strategies are being used to combat high international poverty and malnutrition rates, and to increase global food security. The administrator of the the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Dr. Rajiv Shah, this week announced two new innovation labs at Feed the Future, the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative. [more]
Gender Issues
Ghana: Women Farmers Benefit from Agric Project
WOMEN farmers in the Northern Region are among 35,000 smallholder farmers who are being supported by an agricultural initiative aimed at increasing their productivity and improving their incomes. The Agricultural value-Chains Mentorship Project (AVCMP) is an initiative of the Alliance for Agricultural Revolution in Africa (AGRA) With funding support from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). [more]
Local Government/Decentralization
Workshop on Decentralization Opens in Tamale
A workshop to build the capacity of national and district level stakeholders in promoting public participation in local governance using effective social accountability tools opened in Tamale on Monday. The five-day workshop is organized by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in collaboration with the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) under the theme: "Promoting Social Accountability through Citizen Participation in Local Governance." [more]
Reports/Articles
An Overview and Discussion of Solution Proposals for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Sub-Sahara Africa
Sustainable Agriculture Research; Vol. 2, No. 4; 2013
The development of the agricultural sector and the improvement of the food security situation are seen as essential components to sustainable development in Sub-Sahara Africa. However, continuing population growth, impacts of climate change and environmental degradation add to an unprecedented combination of pressures that threaten existing efforts and solutions. This article discusses the relation between the challenges of making agriculture more sustainable and meeting food security needs. [more]
Optimizing Opportunities for Sustainable Development through Organic Agriculture in Nigeria
IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science. Vol. 4, Issue 1 (Jul.-Aug. 2013), PP 07-11
Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms, minimizing pollution of air, soil and water, and optimizing the health and productivity of interdependent communities of plants, animals and people. This paper intends to highlights the potentials or opportunities that exist in Nigeria that can be exploited and optimized for sustainable development through organic agriculture.[more]
Thank you
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