Below are some current developments on Agriculture in Africa:
Agricultural Issues
Plant Breeders Bill Suffers Setback- Food Sovereignty of Ghana (FSG)
Food Sovereignty of Ghana (FSG), has observed that the move by International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) - compliant Plant Breeders Bill (PBB), has suffered a major setback. FSG, an advocacy movement dedicated towards the promotion of people’s right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable says: “This is a significant victory given the level of push back our campaign received from the MPs (members of parliament) and the entire apparatus of state of the Mahama Administration. This does not mean the end of the story. The real struggle for a sensible law now begins.”… “We would like to see in any future bill, a clear statement of farmers’ rights and absence of any form of criminalisation of farmers…
Is Ghana in Search of Sustainable Agriculture?
With the spotlight now on the critical issue of climate change due to global warming, it has become highly imperative to critically examine the issues of food security, and evaluate our agricultural practices in Ghana. There is the controversial issue of the Plant Breeders’ Bill relating to accepting Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or scientifically engineered seeds in Ghana. The bill seems to have been laid to rest after much media kerfuffle. What is essential is to consider the bio-ethics and the sustainability of such ‘cloned’ seeds. Many eye-brows have been raised against the impropriety of such underhand methods of the foreign proponents of GMOs, because they seek to create a dependency syndrome with high economic and financial implications so that we have no capacity to….
Bilateral Agreements Signed Between Ghana And Togo
Ghana and Togo have signed Bilateral agreements in the areas of Agriculture, Transport, Maritime Security, Energy and Water. Ministers of State from both sides signed the MOU which was witnessed by the two leaders President John Mahama and Faure Gnassingbe of Togo. This came to light at a news conference at the Flagstaff House addressed by both Presidents. According President Mahama, the joint projects to be undertaken by Ghana and her neighbour Togo is to further activate the existing economic and social relations between the two countries. President Faure Gnassingbe is on a three-day working visit to Ghana. Among his entourage is the Chairman of Togo's main opposition party Union of Forces for Change Gilchrist Olympio.
Bushfires: The Nightmare of Rice Farmers in Northern Ghana
As Tani washed the dishes after lunch, she prayed silently that the task of rice harvesting which was begun the previous week, would be completed successfully before the bush fires set in. For the past 20 years she and her husband had cultivated rice at Gbiligu, near Nasia in the Northern Region. The crop is usually harvested between November and December but could go on to January if the work went on slow or the fields under cultivation were too large. In these parts, harvesting is often done manually mainly with the use of sickles or sharp knives, because in addition to scarcity the services of combined harvester machines are much too expensive for the average farmer… Bush fires have always been the biggest enemy of rice farmers in the north; many farmers have lost their produce to….
Tackle the Bias in Agric Sector – SEND-Ghana
SEND-Ghana, a policy research and social enterprise advocacy group, has called on government to implement agricultural programmes with a gender eye to curb the inherent inequalities in the smallholder agricultural sector. Programme Officer of the organisation, Daniel Adotey Akai, who spoke to the B&FT on the sidelines of a dialogue session for actors and policymakers in the sector, said there is a striking bias against women smallholder farmers even though they take up the vast majority of the country’s agricultural space and that government must act to avert the trend…There are some inherent inequalities in the agricultural sector that government must tackle in the interest of food security; we currently have a situation where men farmers tend to enjoy the various…
Researchers Call for Action to Preserve Pollinators
Ghana is bound to lose at least 90 per cent of her cocoa and a large percentage of other crops if efforts are not made to save the dwindling population of crop pollinators, especially bees. Bees have been known to be the major agents of pollination globally and are responsible for at least 95 per cent of this activity in the process of fertilization in plants. However as critical as their role is in ensuring food security, sustainable livelihoods and quality nutrition of humans among other things, their colonies are being destroyed by negative human activities such as illegal logging, mining, agricultural activities, overuse of pesticides and deforestation…the extinction of bees would mean low crop yields, poor quality of pollinator-dependent crops, dwindling family income, poor diets and lack of …
Ellembelle District honours 19 Outstanding Farmers
Some 19 outstanding farmers were on Friday presented with awards at the seventh Ellembelle District Farmers Day at Menzezor with Mr. Isaac Amo Quando of Nyamebekyere emerging as the overall District Best Farmer. Mr. Quando was presented with a certificate, a T-shirt, two wellington boots, one full piece of cloth, one sewing machine, three bags of wheat bran, five cutlasses, two knapsack sprayer, one high density mattress, double decker refrigerator and two bar of key soap. Other award winners were, Mr. Isaac Somia of Kikam, District Best Poultry Farmer, Mr. Abdul Alhassan of Ayinase, District Best Ruminant Farmer, Mr. John Ndoli of Menzezor, District Best Pig Farmer and Mr. Nuhu Abubakar Khudus of Kamgbunli, District Best Rice Farmer.
Nsiah Emerges Best Farmer in Tarkwa-Nsuaem
A 64-year-old farmer, Paul Nsiah, from Abomponiso, has emerged the Best Farmer in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem municipality. At the celebration of the 2014 edition of the National Farmers' Day at Bonsa, Nsiah was presented with a 32-inch plasma television set, a packet of roofing sheets, as well as a mist blower and a sewing machine. He also took home four machetes, two pairs of Wellington boots, two shovels, a full piece of wax print, a wheelbarrow, four bags of fertilizer, four plastic chairs, a T-shirt, a certificate and one Rosette badge. He cultivates cocoa, oil palm, cassava, plantain, maize, beans and vegetables. He has a fish farm. He also breeds goats, local fowls, and is engaged in agro forestry. The theme for the celebration was, "Eat What You Grow."
Ghana to Host 2nd International Agrofood Fair
All is set for the second edition of Agrofood and Plastprintpack West Africa slated for the Accra International Conference Centre from December 2 to 4, 2014. Exhibitors from 11 countries will present their latest innovations to highly professional visitors, who can also attend a seminar on packaging and food safety facilitated by the German Technical Cooperation (gTz). “Agrofood and Plastprintpack West Africa is an ideal forum for international producers and traders in the food and agro sector to establish business contacts. And it is the perfect venue to share knowledge and experiences on the potential and challenges of the West African and Ghanaian agricultural sector,” the German Ambassador to Ghana, Dr. Ruediger John, said in a message.
Lack of Funds Affecting Fish Cage Farming
Fish cage farming in the Upper Manya Krobo District is being threatened by lack of funds and frustrating permit procedures in its establishment. The Upper Manya Krobo Disrict which has some communities along the Volta Lake like Akateng, Bukunor and Akotoie has a wide range of people involved in fish farming. The introduction of fish cage farming in the country by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MOFAD) was a step to support sustainable management of the fisheries resources and help increase production of farmers. Despite the existence of water resources for the development of the fish cage farming, the expectations of the MOFAD is not being realized in the Upper Manya Krobo District for many reasons… For investment into a fish cage farming with cage seize of five by five meters square of three meters deep, one needed about GHC 35,000.00
Nandom District Assembly Promoting Dry Season Farming
The Nandom District Assembly is taking advantage of the availability of water in the Black Volta River to promoting dry season farming in the area. The farmers, who were normally idle after harvesting their crops and consumed what they had produced for the year, were now counting their blessings with the Assembly’s dry season farming project. The Assembly has purchased some heavy duty water pumping machines and equipment to support farmers to cultivate bambara beans, vegetables and maize to enhance their livelihoods. The project is being implemented in communities along the Black Volta River including Ketuo, Gengenkpe, Naapaal, Sonne and Dabateng. He said it was the intention of the Assembly to extend the project to all communities along the Black Volta River, aimed at engaging the youth in food crop production to improve their income levels and health status.
New Nutrition Programme Launched in Bongo District
A new nutrition programme aimed at improving the nutritional status of school children was on Friday launched in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region. Under the Programme, Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) would be used as a tool targeting 22 communities where the Ghana School Feeding Programme was ongoing. MIHOSO International, an NGO, is charged with the responsibility to implement the programme in the District, and it is funded by the Dubai Care Nutrition Project. Launching the project at a Stakeholder’s meeting in Bongo, the Deputy Director of MIHOSO International in charge of Policy Planning , Monitoring and Evaluation , Mr. Pontius Ninwiiri, explained that the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) was set up to among other reasons, reduce hunger and ….
Environmentalists Call for Intensified Awareness
Environmentalists in the Northern Region have called for intensified environmental awareness creation and the implementation of the laws to check environmental pollution in the region. “The chiefs, elders, opinion leaders and assemblymen and women must religiously be involved in the crusade to protect water bodies. “They should be brought on board to be able to overcome the challenges facing sanitation and water supply situations in the region,” they said… Some farmers also cultivate along the river banks, spilling agro chemicals into the rivers while more people dispose refuse in and along water bodies. High fluoride and iron contents in certain water bodies were other issues of concern.
Atewa Forest to Become a National Park
Ms. Barbara Asamoah, Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has hinted that the Ministry intends to raise the status of the Atiwa Forest to the standard of a national park. She called for the involvement of all stakeholders in the forest and water sectors to join the initiative and ensure that, a real change is achieved for the benefit of the environment and the people. Ms. Asamoah made the call at the launch of “Living water from the mountain-Protecting Atewa Water Resources”, a project initiated by a Non- Governmental Organization (NGO) “A Rocha Ghana” and funded by the Dutch Government. She called on communities around the forest to play an active role in ensuring sustainable management of the project to enable them benefit from the natural resources in their localities.
Biosphere Reserves Workshop Opens in Accra
A two-day Regional Workshop on “Support for the Management of National Biosphere Reserves for Effective Biodiversity Conservation” in West Africa opened on Friday in Accra. The Workshop, which was organized by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), brought together 25 participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Togo and the Ivory Coast; however representatives from Liberia could not attend due to the on-going Ebola epidemic. Biosphere reserves are sites established by countries and recognized under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science. Biosphere reserves are thus globally considered as sites of excellence where new and optimal….
Food Security/Crisis
Soil Fertility Decline in Sub-Saharan Africa Prompts Climate Adaptation Project
An empirical assessment of Sub-Saharan Africa's soil fertility confirms that the region faces a significant decline in soil fertility, which could worsen food security if no appropriate action is taken. This has been the focus of discussions at a two-day regional workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop, organized by the United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), in partnership with the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany, is on the theme "Advancing Integrated Soil and Water Management for Climate-Adapted Land Use in Low-Fertility Areas of Sub-Saharan Africa".
Ghana-Togo to Collaborate to Ensure Food Security
Ghana and Togo have agreed to collaborate in the areas of agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries to ensure food adequacy and security in the West African sub-region. They have also agreed to collaborate in the areas of electricity, trade and water supply to kick-start the integration process of the Economic Community for West African States. President John Dramani Mahama who announced this at news conference with Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe said the collaboration formed part of their closed door discussions in Accra. Togolese President Gnassingbe, who is on a three-day state visit to Ghana would among other things visit the West Hills Mall in Accra, attend the Atta Mills memorial lectures at GIMPA and jointly inaugurate a railway project with …
Group of Twenty (G20)’s Commitment to Food Security Appalling – ActionAid
An international development organisation, ActionAid has described the commitment of the group of twenty (G20) industrialised and emerging nations commitment on food security as disappointing at the just ended Brisbane 2014 G20 Summit in Australia. According to the communiqué, the G20 countries hope to strengthen growth by lifting investment in food systems, raising productivity to expand food supply, and increasing incomes and quality jobs though the G20 Food Security and Nutrition Framework. Possible actions to increase investment in food systems include promoting infrastructure investment by public-private partnerships for food value chains, increase development finance and overcome agricultural market failure in developing countries.
Reports/Articles
Influence of NPK 15-15-15 Fertilizer and Pig manure on Nutrient Dynamics and Production of Cowpea, Vigna Unguiculata L. Walp
OS Olusegun - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 2014
A constant challenge for farmers in Nigeria is how to increase crop production in the face of low inherent nutrient status and rapid soil fertility depletion. This has attracted studies on how to build up nutrient capital in soil. Influence of NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer and pig manure on nutrient dynamics and production of cowpea vigna unguiculata L. Walp were evaluated at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria in experiments consisting of six treatments laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The treatments consisted of 60kg NPK 15-15-15, 4t/ha Pig manure (PM), 8t/ha Pig manure, 4t/ha PM+60kg NPK 15-15-15, 8t/ha PM+60kg NPK 15-15-15 and no fertilizer as control…
Does Climate Information Matter?
A Tall, A Davis, S Agrawal
This report summarizes a new contextual and gender-responsive monitoring and evaluation framework (M&E) to assess the added value of climate information and advisory services for smallholder farming communities across the developing world. The proposed M&E is based on three primary goals for conducting an evaluation of climate services for farmers: 1) to inform design of a new climate service project; 2) to identify gaps in climate service delivery, and improve project effectiveness and service delivery quality; and 3) to assess impact of provided services for farmers, hypothesized to benefit from the climate service. In order to meet these goals, we developed a multi-step process for climate service impact evaluation, including a pre-assessment (PA) toolkit of ethnographic and evaluative tools, followed by guidelines for baseline data collection, monitoring, and evaluation of climate service projects.