Hello all,
It is a new week and you are warmly welcome to the week’s news digest. Please find below a summary of last week’s agricultural news articles on Ghana.
Agricultural Issues
60 Year Old Alhaji Awudu Karim Adjudged 2013 National Best Farmer
A sixty-year old, Alhaji Awudu Karim, from the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East region has been adjudged the National Best Farmer for 2013. For his prize, Alhaji Karim gets a three-bedroom fully furnished house to be built at a place of his choice, a 5kv generator set, one jumbo polytank, a one year life and property insurance and a fully paid trip abroad among others.
Shea-nut Farmers Worry over Trees
Shea-nut farmers and buyers in the Northern Region have expressed worry about the reckless felling of shea trees in the area. Mr. Zakaria Iddi, National Coordinator Shea nut Network Ghana who expressed this, said if the practice is not stopped it could worsen the poverty situation in the north since shea is only source of income to many households.
Ghanaian Government Promises More Investment On Agriculture
The Ghanaian government on Friday vowed for more investment on agricultural infrastructure to reduce post-harvest loss. Ghana’s Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur pointed out that 40 percent post-harvest loss in Ghana was unacceptable. He made the remarks when he was presented at the annual National Farmers’ Day celebration, held at Sogakope about 114 km east of the capital on Friday under the theme of “Reducing Post- Harvest Losses for Sustainable Food Security and Nutrition.”
Ghana Has Recorded Food Surpluses
The country is not only food sufficient, but has recorded surpluses in majority of its staple foods, despite cries by many Ghanaians over the high cost of agricultural and other food items, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Clement Kofi Humado, has announced
Ghana’s Demand for Fish Outweighs Supply
Mr Nayone Bilijo, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, on Tuesday said Ghana’s fish supply was in deficit of about 50.2 per cent to national requirements. He said in 2012, the total fish production was 482,000 metric tons while fish requirement for the period was 968,000 metric tons…“It is worrisome to note that in spite of the 50.2 per cent shortfall in our domestic fish requirement, post- harvest loss in the sector is estimated in the region of 37 per cent,” he said.
Ghana Cultivates High Yielding Perfumed Rice
Six hectares of land in the inland valley at Pramkese in the Kwaebibirem District has been cropped with high yielding perfumed rice. Speaking at Abaam during the districts’ celebration of the 29th Farmers’ Day, Mr Emmanuel Osae, District Chief Executive (DCE), said it was expected that 300 maxi bags of rice would be realised after harvest.
Controls On Rice Imports Brought Sanity
The latest development with regards to rice importation policies whereby rice imports have been restricted to Tema, Takoradi Ports and Kotoka International Airport only has brought some sanity to an insane situation, but is it enough? The so-called “Rice-war” in Ghana is nothing new and has been raging for many years. At the heart of this “war” lies the fact that…
With Reformed Policies Africa’s Potentials In Agric Would Be Realised
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has announced a five-year project that seeks to increase incomes of smallholder farmers through the creation of an enabling policy environment in Africa….Over a period of five years, AGRA aims to motivate at least 25 significant policy or regulatory reforms in selected countries, leading to measurable increases in private sector investment in local agribusinesses.
Ghanaian Farmers Get Equipment to Tap Water from Black Volta River for Legumes
Farmers in five districts along the Black Volta River in the Upper West Region would be supported with equipment to tap water from the river for legumes and vegetable farming during the dry season. Five hundred farmers would benefit from the venture intended to arrest the annual migration of the youth to the southern parts of Ghana, especially during the dry season.
Farmers Receive Tractors From EDAIF
The Export Development and Agricultural Investment fund (EDAIF) has presented a tractor with it accessories valued at GHC-142,500.00 to the Ministry of Food and Agricultural in support of this year’s Farmers Day Celebration… Making the Presentation the Agricultural Manager of EDAIF Abdul-Baaki Kadri noted that farmers play a very important role in the socio economic development of this nation therefore its essential to recognize their work.
Cocoa Extension Officers Get Training
About 400 cocoa extension officers drawn from various parts of the country took part in an extensive capacity building programme to enhance their skills in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital. The educative programme was funded by World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), with Solidaridad, an international development organization which supports sustainable agriculture value chains, acting as the facilitators.
GNAFF Endorses GMO
Members of the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen (GNAFF) have declared their commitment to the promotion of technologies that would be benefit smallholder farmers and fishers in the country. At a press conference held yesterday in Accra, members of the association could not fathom why some organizations had taken a position to prevent the passing of the Bio-safety Act 831 of 2011 and the Breeder’s Bill.
Landscapes Approach Could Alleviate West Africa Climate Change Woes
An integrated approach to land management that ensures sustainable policies could help agriculture-dependent West Africa cope with the looming effects of climate change, a panel of experts proposed…Climate change is already affecting the livelihoods of West African smallholder farmers who rely on rain-fed agricultural techniques, and it is expected to make food shortages more acute as the region’s population continues to grow…
Contest for Blogs on Agriculture Launched
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) is accepting submissions for the YoBloCo awards. The contest aims to raise youth awareness and improve their capacity on agricultural and rural development issues using ...
We Have Been Denied Needed Attention For Far Too Long
The 2013 Best Farmer for the Ashanti Regional Chief Executive Officer of FOSUKA Farms, Mr. Kweku Fosu has opened a can of worms when he disclosed that farmers in the country have been denied the needed attention that they require for far too long… The farming industry, according to Mr. Fosu, has been denied the needed attention and respect, and has been made to appear as if it is a profession for the less privileged and the uneducated in the country.
Ghana: GMOs, Economic Bait We Must Avoid
At the heart of the debate on GMOs is the socio-economic issue of food security and the politics of who controls our agriculture, our food supplies, our imports and our farm inputs. Inasmuch as data and information available online, concurs with the school of thought that GMOs do not pose any health hazards to consumers, the fact remains that multinational conglomerates supported by the WHO and the EU who….The danger is that we would be creating jobs, markets, and downstream industries for GMOs in advanced economies while our farmers continue to linger in poverty and…
Food Crisis/Security
Fight Food Insecurity - Abokobi MCE Appeals
Food insecurity continues threaten the country due to lack of mechanisms to reduce post-harvest losses, according to the Chief Executive (MCE) of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Abokobi, John Kwao Sackey. The head of the assembly explained that 30 per cent of the produce of farms goes to waste due to wrong harvesting methods, packaging and transport.
Africa Still Suffers High Food Crop Losses
Yaounde, Cameroon - Bad roads, poor storage and weather destroy a fourth of food crops grown on a continent plagued by food insecurity. A new day has just started and I am standing at one of the largest farm markets north of the Cameroon capital Yaounde. Trucks that have journeyed all night are off-loading their cargo of tomatoes, carrots, green beans, bananas, and an assortment of vegetables…
Reports/Articles
Experiences in Designing a Mobile GIS Mapping Tool for Rural Farmers in Ghana
S Chakraborty, T Tong, J Chen, A Aman, T Mufti… - 2013
The task of balancing problems associated with population growth and food production has often been impaired by a lack of accurate information on food supply availability in any given region or time. Such data has conventionally been gathered by legions of field workers who must travel to individual farms and collect information by hand.
NERICA Adoption and Impacts on Technical Efficiency of Rice Producing Households in Ghana: Implications for Research and Development
BO Asante, AN Wiredu, E Martey, DB Sarpong… - American Journal of …, 2014
In an effort to enhance agricultural development in Ghana, rice producers have witnessed myriads of improved agricultural technology development and dissemination. Notably among them is the Multi-national NERICA Rice Dissemination Project (MNRDP). However the empirical evidence linking these technologies to productivity indicators is limited... [35 ... The project was intended to ultimately contribute to poverty reduction and food security among rice producers in the country…
The Cultivation of Wild Food and Medicinal Plants for Improving Community Livelihood: The case of the Buhozi site, DR Congo
IB Karhagomba, T Mirindi, TB Mushagalusa… - Nutrition Research and …, 2013
Field investigations and semi-structured focus group interviews conducted in the Buhozi community showed that 27 health and nutrition problems dominated in the community, and could be treated with 86 domestic plant species. The selected domestic medicinal plants (MP) and wild food plants (WFP) species were collected in the broad neighboring areas of the Buhozi site, and introduced to the experimental field of beans and maize crops in Buhozi. Among the 86 plants introduced, 37 species are confirmed as having both medicinal and nutritional properties, 47 species with medicinal, and 2 species with nutritional properties.
Participatory Evaluation of Drought Tolerant Maize Varieties in the Guinea Savanna of Ghana Using Mother and Baby Trial Design
S. S. J. Buah*, J. M. Kombiok, R. A. L. Kanton, N. N. Denwar, A. Haruna, A. N. Wiredu and M. S. Abdulai
Maize (Zea mays) is a major food crop in Ghana but grain yields are low as a result of drought and low soil fertility. This study evaluated drought tolerant maize varieties in 2008 and 2009 in the Guinea savanna of Ghana using researcher-managed mother and farmer-managed baby trial design. Mean grain yields ranged between 2574 and 3462 kg/ha for the mother trials and 1460 and 2328 kg/ha for baby trials.
Irrigated Agriculture and Poverty Reduction in Kassena Nankana District in the Upper-East Region, Ghana
R. D. Dinye Centre for Settlements Studies, College of Architecture and Planning, KNUST, Kumasi
In northern Ghana, where the climatic conditions do not allow for an all-year-around rain-fed agriculture, irrigation is a necessary complement to enhance livelihoods security and poverty reduction. The knowledge gap regarding the contribution of existing irrigation facilities to poverty reduction occasioned the case study of the Tono irrigation scheme located in the Kassena Nankana District in the Upper East Region of Ghana. A treatment and control experimental approach was adopted in the investigation.
Constraints in the Application of Biotechnology to Cassava Production in Nigeria
Alamu, Salawu Abideen Economic Policy Research Department (EPRD), Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER)
Biotechnology has potential to enhance the production of agricultural and industrial products for achieving food security and economic development. In agriculture, biotechnology enhances the production of high yielding and disease resistance crops necessary for achieving food security and industrial development. This paper examines the constraints in the application of biotechnology research to the production of cassava in Nigeria. The study utilized primary data collected through questionnaire administration and interview from three research institutions working on cassava biotechnology in Nigeria.
Analysis of Trade-offs in Agricultural Systems: Current Status and Way Forward
CJ Klapwijk, MT van Wijk, TS Rosenstock… - Current Opinion in …, 2014
Zimbabwe and other Southern African countries continue to experience erratic rainfall due to climate change. The Government and Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) have worked together to develop strategies that address household food insecurity faced by these communal farmers, especially from the year 2000. Conservation agriculture was introduced to boost the crop productivity in South Western Zimbabwe and other regions nationwide. The study sought to identify the challenges and opportunities of conservation agriculture in boosting household food security in Matobo district in Zimbabwe. Food security and efficiency in agricultural productivity are the drivers of the conservation agriculture.
Nutrient Intake, Morbidity and Nutritional Status of Preschool Children are Influenced by Agricultural and Dietary Diversity in Western Kenya
MK Walingo, BN Ekesa - Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 2013
A cross sectional survey was set up to assess the influence of agrobiodiversity and dietary diversity on morbidity, nutrient intake and the nutritional status of preschool children in Western Kenya. About 34.8% preschool children were severely stunted, 21.5% severely underweight and 8.3% were severely wasted.There was a positive and strong relationship between agricultural biodiversity, dietary diversity and caregivers’ level of education. Morbidity level and dietary diversity had significant influence on underweight levels and stunting. Consideration of agrobiodiversity in terms of dietary diversity can improve the nutritionand health status of a preschool child.