Below are some current developments on Agriculture in Africa:
Agriculture Issue
Kufuor Advocates Effective Education on Climate Change
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday called on world leaders to scale up education on climate change as its neglect could have negative repercussions on survival. He said: "It does not really matter, whether developed, developing, or underdeveloped countries, all we need is to intensify education on this issue as our very survival depends on changes that we are experiencing on daily basis."… The former Ghanaian President said the survival of future generations could also hang in the balance if frantic efforts are not made to ensure compatibility of change and action. "Right now, farming, and agriculture in general depends heavily on climate and if we don't take lasting measures then coming generations could face serious avoidable calamities."
African Voices Must Count at UN Climate Change Conference in Paris
No nation is immune to the impact of climate change but it is the world’s poorest that will be hit the hardest. A fair and inclusive global agreement to combat climate change is a moral imperative. Time is of the essence for Africa. This week, world leaders gather in New York for the Climate Summit in an attempt to breathe new life into climate talks which are now approaching their 21st round…Persistent drought and flooding are already exacerbating food and water security, threatening livelihoods and health. Severe droughts in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel between 2011 and 2012 saw crops fail and livestock die, leaving 13 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Eurobond, Cocoa Loan Influence Ghana’s Fitch rating
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) talks with Ghana on a bailout programme, the recent Eurobond issue and the cocoa syndicated loan has caused international rating agency Fitch, to affirm Ghana’s rating at ‘B’. In March 2014, Fitch downgraded from ‘B+’ to ‘B’, Ghana’s outlook on long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) . In addition, Fitch cast doubts over the country’s ability to service its debts in the future in time, saying that Ghana’s fiscal position had worsened further. Shortfalls in revenue collection and a huge budget deficit also informed Fitch’s decision at the time… A recent Eurobond (USD1bn) and the annual Ghana Coco Board syndicated loan (USD1.7bn) have alleviated some short-term pressures on reserves and the currency. However, a lasting reduction in funding pressures, for both the...
Kufuor Speaks On Poverty, Food Insecurity In African
History shows that investments in agriculture can be a catalytic force in the fight against hunger, poverty and malnutrition and a well-performing farm economy can be an instrument for achieving sustained structural economic transformation. Agricultural growth was the precursor to industrial growth in Europe and, more recently through the Green Revolution, in large parts of Asia and Latin America. The Green Revolution bypassed Africa. When I was elected President of the Republic of Ghana in 2000, agriculture was a mainstay of the nation’s economy, accounting for 35% of its GDP, 55% of employment and 75% of export revenues. But it was a lagging, orphan sector, suffering from decades of neglect and lack of investment. Ghana’s agriculture had sadly changed little from the kind practiced generations ago. Farmers were still eking out a…
Collapse of 60 timber companies lead to 70,000 job loses
About 70,000 jobs have been lost in 10 years in the timber sector, following the collapse of 60 companies. Revenue generated from the sector has also dropped from 200 million Euros annually to 120 million. The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Timber Millers Organization (GTMO), Dr Kwame Asamoah Adam said this when he addressed the media on challenges in the sector in Accra, “Any collapse would open the floodgates to illegal loggers who will plunder forest resources and massively degrade our lands,” he warned. Part of the reasons for the challenges in the sector, he said, was due to the increasing cost of doing business, especially electricity, which contributed between 15-20 per cent of production cost. Electricity supply, he lamented was irregular, leading to loss of production time and equipment breakdown.
African Cashew Alliance cancels Expo over Ebola
The African Cashew Alliance (ACA) has announced the cancellation of the 2014 ACA World Cashew Festival and Expo due to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The festival and expo was scheduled for November 11- November 14 in Accra. “Given the recent ban on international conferences in Ghana, and recognizing the importance of supporting the prevention of a wider spread of Ebola, ACA is sad to announce the cancellation of this year’s edition of the world’s premier cashew industry conference, previously scheduled,” a statement from the organizers said. ACA Managing Director Roger Brou commented: “After careful consideration of the many factors surrounding the Ebola epidemic of the recent months, we have come to realize that the obstacles related to hosting the 2014 conference in Ghana are overwhelming.”
Ghana Still Facing Malnutrition Problems – MOFA
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture says Ghana still faces malnutrition problems despite some successes chalked up in the sector. Malnutrition is said to be on the increase in the three regions of the north. The Minister of Food and Agriculture in a speech read on his behalf said food security is important to stem the problem. This was at the opening of a two day workshop to draw up strategies to deal with malnutrition.
Nestle Nespresso to Boost Coffee Production in Africa
Nestle Nespresso is to invest about $500 million in Ghana and many other countries in Africa to boost the production of coffee on the continent. The investment, which will be carried out over a seven-year period forms part of efforts by the company to expand its reach on the continent. Nestle Nespresso is the producer of worldwide premium portioned coffee and the move is expected to increase farmer’s yield… Mr. Debayle explained that Nespresso intended to use its presence in the country to stimulate the appetite of coffee farmers in the country to help increase their yield and quality to meet the expectations of the company. He said the company was doing a lot in other African countries, particularly Ethiopia and expressed the hope that the same support would be extended to Ghana to boost its production.
Concerns in Agricultural Biotechnology Up in Nigeria
The last few weeks have seen several write-ups on the pages of newspapers in Nigeria about genetically modified crops (GMCs), food (GMF) and other products (GMPs). These are in reaction to the recent briefing by the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, on regulating the use of genetically modified crops and products in the country. In the Guardian Newspaper of Tuesday, May 20, 2014, Gbadebo Rhodes - Vivour, a Massachusseetts Institute of Technology-trained (MIT) architect, writing under the title, “GMO/hybrid seeds: Inviting cancer to our land, passing a death sentence on Nigerians,” gave a completely wrong and unscientific analysis on genetically modified products. The author completely lacks knowledge on the issues he discussed. For example, he referred to two methods used by scientists to modify genes, “one is marker assisted: A specific gene is spliced and bred with the same organism such as tomato. The other method is transgenesis, during which genes from another organism, such as bacteria, are moved into the genes of corn.”
Reports/Articles
Farm Households’ Livelihood Diversification into Agro-processing and Non-agro-processing Activities: Empirical Evidence from Ghana
JKM Kuwornu, M Bashiru, M Dumayir
This study seeks to identify the types of agro-processing and non-agro-processing activities in the Upper West Region of Ghana and the factors influencing households’ choice of diversification into each of these groups of activities as livelihood strategies. The study employs the multinomial logit model to identify the determinants of diversification. Data were obtained from a survey conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in December, 2012 covering production activities for the 2011 agricultural year. The Primary data were collected from two hundred and fifty (250) food crop farmers selected using a multistage sampling procedure. The empirical results indicate that households in the Upper West Region diversify their livelihoods activities to agro-processing and activities not related to agro-processing….
What Can Trade Facilitation Do for Ghana?
E Nilsson - 2014
The concept of trade facilitation has gained increased attention during the past decade. In today’s globalized world, the relative cost of inefficient trade procedures has increased. The underlying aim of this study is to investigate whether inefficient trade procedures affect exports. More specifically, whether Ghana can increase its export volumes and/or export diversification by engaging in trade facilitation. It is also investigated whether the impact on agricultural products differs in comparison to other product groups. The gravity equation and bilateral data on sub-Saharan Africa and the EU27 is used in order to quantify the impact of inefficient trade procedures on exports. This study makes use of the official cost to export a standardized 20-foot container as a proxy for trade procedures. The regression analysis suggests that Ghana, by engaging…
Management in Public Utility Companies in Ghana: An Appraisal of Ghana Water Company Limited
K Kessey, I Ampaabeng - International Journal of Management and Sustainability, 2014
Urban water provision system in Ghana covers 70 percent of the resident population but it is estimated that only 40 percent of residents connected to the supply system have regular supplies. The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) which is responsible for production, distribution of potable water, billing and revenue collection from consumers is beset with many challenges. It faces several management challenges manifested in poor service delivery in terms of quantity and quality, poor cost recovery, weak capacity for operation and maintenance and poor financial management. This state of affairs has compelled the Government of Ghana to initiate reforms of the water sector including reengineering of the systems and possible Private Sector Participation in urban water provision. Presently, government has started physical…
Irrigation Farmers Motivation for Participating in Social Networking in North Central Nigeria
JO Ifabiyi, GB Adesiji, SE Komolafe, BO Ajibola - Ethiopian Journal of Environmental …, 2014
The study focused on the motivation of farmers in participating in social networking on the use of irrigations in north central Nigeria. For the purpose of the study, social networking for this study consist of water users Association, Cooperative Societies, Agricultural Agency, Farmers Group, Family, Neighborhood, Religious Group, Community Based Organizations, Non- Governmental Organization and Input Suppliers that are operating within the lower Niger River Basin Authority Irrigation sites at Shonga, Oke-oyi and Ejiba in North Central Nigeria. One hundred and ninety four irrigation farmers were randomly selected from three irrigation farming areas in two states of Kwara and Kogi in north central Nigeria. Data were obtained using a structured questionnaire. The Motivation for undertaking irrigation and their level of….
Post-Adaptation Vulnerability of Cereals to Rainfall and Temperature Variability in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria
S Ishaya, SM Hassan, SE James - Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and …, 2014
This study assessed the vulnerability of cereals yield to climate change using an integrated and multi-scale quantitative approach. The objectives of this study include determining the level of climate variability, assessment of cereals yield sensitivity index, determining climate exposure index, determining adaptive capacity of farmers, assessment of the post adaptation vulnerability of cereals yield to climate change. Socioeconomic data were obtained through administration of questionnaires. Thirty years data of temperature and rainfall as well as fifteen years data of annual cereals yield were used. Mean and standard deviation, standardized coefficient of skewness (Z1) and kurtosis (Z2), simple linear regression and time series statistics analysis were used in this study for the analysis of data. Finding depicts that the exposure index of ….
Influence Of Farmer Groups Capacity On Their Ability to Advocate for Government Agricultural Services in Khwisero Sub-County Kenya
KJ Mwanzia - 2014
Farmer groups have been in existence since 1920's. They have been used as a strategy to address many development issues in different societies. In Kenya, the concept of farmer groups (FGs) has been employed in delivery of agricultural services. Today the agricultural extension services are demand driven hence it is important to investigate whether the FGs have the capacity to engage the government in provision of such services. This study sought to: determine the level at which size and status of farmer groups influence their ability to advocate for government agricultural services; examine the extent to which farmer group management influence their ability to advocate for government agricultural services; Investigate whether the financial status of farmer groups influence their ability to advocate for government agricultural …