Below are some current developments on Agriculture in Africa:
Agricultural Issues
Ghana cocoa revenues and expenditures on the web
IFPRI in collaboration with the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is making available information on revenues and expenditures in the cocoa sector on the web: (https://thedata.harvard.edu/dvn/dv/IFPRI/faces/study/StudyPage.xhtml;jsessionid=68529307fd87839205537ae66402?globalId=doi:10.7910/DVN/27970&studyListingIndex=0_68529307fd87839205537ae66402) Information is now available for the period from 1996/97 to 2012/13. This information will be updated annually. For information on budgetary processes and expenditures, please see: http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp01213.pdf
Improve Local Rice to Reduce Imports; MoFA Urged
Ghanaian rice farmers have called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to find ways to improve quality of local rice to encourage and ensure its consumption and reduce the import of the cereal in to the country. Yahaya Nuhum, a rice farmer, in an interview with Times Business on the sidelines of the Local Rice Bazaar held yesterday argued that improved local rice would encourage more consumption and encourage farmers to cultivate more. “A boost in production and improvement in the packaging of the local rice would encourage increase domestic patronage, thereby reducing the importation of rice,” he said
Prisoners to grow their own food
The Ghana Prisons Service has embarked on farming and other projects aimed at providing adequate food to feed inmates in prisons across the country. This move, according to the prison service followed the inadequate subventions from the government for the welfare of inmates The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service Vitalis Aryeh, told Citi News that the service is strongly embarked in farming amongst others to feed the inmates and also aid exportation “Apart from prisons at the center of cities and towns that don’t have lands, any other prisons that have land around it is used by its inmates to farm,” he disclosed. Mr. Aryeh bemoaned that the monies received by the prison service is inadequate, adding “ the service currently receives one cedi 80 pesewas which is used to cater for the three square meals daily for each inmate and it does little to cater for the nutritional value of the inmates,”he added.
Ghana: WVI Holds Performance Review Meeting On Satisfy Project
World Vision International WVI and Atebubu Development Programme ADP have organized a day's performance review meeting with stakeholders on the Systems Approach to Improve and Sustain Food Security (SATISFY) project. SATISFY is a five year food security program implemented by the World Vision International and funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development DFATD of Canada with the overall objective of improving the food security status of men and women in poor rural communities of the Atebubu-Amantin and Kintampo South districts of Ghana. Welcoming the stakeholders, the manager of the ADP, Mr. Joseph Kwogyenga, said his outfit's involvement in food security was underpinned by its child centered focus.
President Mahama Marks Two Years in Office
President John Dramani Mahama marked two years of his Presidency yesterday by joining a young cocoa farmer at Assin Sienchem in the Central Region to work on his farm. For about an hour, the President, supported by the Chief of Staff, Mr. Prosper Bani, and the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Fiifi Kwetey, helped to break fresh cocoa pods on Mr. Samuel Torbi’s farm. Mr. Torbi, 35, who is currently the Assin North Municipal best cocoa farmer, owns a 13-acre cocoa farm. He began his agricultural business with a small-scale vegetable farm before went into cocoa farming. Significantly, Mr. Torbi, who comes from a family of cocoa farmers, started the farm at 21, just after completing senior high school. He is a member of the Assin Young Farmers Association, a group with a current membership of about 4,000.
Mahama’s Visit was a Blessing – Cocoa farmer
Samuel Torbi, the young cocoa farmer who was visited by President John Mahama as he marked his second anniversary as President of Ghana has said the Presidential visit was a blessing to his life. The President visited the 2013 National Best Young Cocoa Farmer on his farm in Assin Sienchem in the Central Region, Wednesday January 7 as part of his campaign to encourage young people into farming. Speaking to Starr News’ Western regional correspondent Kwaku Baah Akyeamfuor, Torbi said the President’s visit will encourage many young people in his area to go into farming.
Youth Advised to Invest in Coconut Farming
The owner of Mega Farms, Mr. Samuel Obuobi, has described coconut farming as very lucrative, and has, therefore, advised the Youth to invest in the sector. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), he indicated that the demand for coconut had increased over the years, and that had affected the price and the profitability of the product. Mr. Obuobi observed that coconut can be eaten fresh or dry, and so at any time of the year, the farmer is assured of some income. He said, coconut farming needs capital and adequate time to cultivate, but the earnings are good. Mr. Obuobi said, he has customers coming from mostly Accra, Suhum and sometimes Koforidua, to buy from his 10-acre farm at Nsawam, and the price often depends on the size of the fruit and the demand on the market.
CRI Trains Yam Farmers on New Techniques
A field day has been organised for yam farmers selected from Ejura and surrounding communities to educate them on new techniques to help improve their production. It formed part of activities of a five-year yam agronomy research project being undertaken by the Crop Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The project is funded by the government through the West Africa Agriculture Productivity Programme (WAAPP). The Director of the CRI, Dr Stella Ama Ennin, said the objective of the project was to focus on yam agronomy to improve yam production.
Ministry Pushes for Specialised Fisheries Court
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture is pushing for a specialised court to deal with those who infringe on the laws and regulations governing the fisheries sector in the country. It has, therefore, appealed to the Chief Justice to set up fisheries courts to help prosecute cases of abuse, especially those by foreign vessels. The Communications Specialist of the West Africa Regional Fisheries Project (WARFP), Dr Ato Conduah, disclosed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra. "We are appealing to the Chief Justice to set up these fisheries courts. The Attorney General’s Department is ready to prosecute such cases so that such violations of our fisheries laws by foreign entities who are not licensed to operate in Ghana would be dealt with to ensure that our natural resource in the sea is preserved for Ghanaians and Ghanaians only, except where a foreign entity is licensed to come and participate…
Reports/Articles
Improving the Food Policy Process: Lessons from Capacity Strengthening of Parliamentarians in Ghana
JS Chhokar, SC Babu, S Kolavalli - 2014
Evidence-based policymaking has been a critical aspect of development strategy for more than 20 years in developing countries. Yet the assumption that policymakers will automatically adopt and use evidence made available to them in the process of policymaking may not be valid in all contexts. Strengthening the key actors and players of the policy process is one way to improve evidence informed policymaking. In this paper, we document an approach to capacity strengthening of parliamentarians in Ghana and attempt to gauge to what extent and under what conditions such investments could lead to better debates and informed policymaking to promote growth and poverty reduction. We traced a group of Ghanaian parliamentarians to draw lessons after their study and exposure visit to India. Exposure visits changed participants’ knowledge, outlook, and thinking toward agricultural policies. While knowledge gained was useful, participants, on their return, faced significant inertia of the policy system to move their ideas forward….
Beyond Agriculture versus Nonagriculture Decomposing Sectoral Growth–Poverty Linkages in Five African Countries
P Dorosh, J Thurlow - 2014
The development debate in Africa south of the Sahara is often cast as “agriculture versus nonagriculture.” Yet this view overlooks the heterogeneity within these broad sectors and the synergies between them. We estimate sectoral poverty–growth elasticities using economywide models for five African countries. Our detailed treatment of nonagriculture complements an expanding literature disaggregating the growth–poverty relationship in agriculture. Although our estimated elasticities are higher for agriculture given the importance of farm incomes for the poor, the extent to which this is true varies by country. In fact, elasticities for certain nonagricultural sectors are much closer to those in agriculture. Overall, elasticities are typically higher for trade and transport services and manufacturing (agroprocessing). In some countries, growth led by these sectors is almost as effective at reaching the poor as….
Impact Simulation of ECOWAS Rice Self-Sufficiency Policy
I Fofana, A Goundan, LVM Domgho - 2014
Rice is a strategic commodity for food security in West Africa. Its consumption has grown rapidly over time as a result of population growth, urbanization, and increasing purchasing power. Dependency on imported rice exposes the region to external shocks stemming from the global market. Given its economic and social importance, most countries in West Africa have developed a national strategy for rice development alongside their agricultural sector-wide policy. In addition, the Economic Community of West African States is actively supportive of national strategies under a regional offensive to boost rice production and meet the challenge of rice self-sufficiency in the region by 2025. Our analysis uses economic models to forecast rice consumption, and then simulates the economywide impacts of achieving rice self-sufficiency in West Africa.
Households’ Coping Strategies in Drought- and Flood-Prone Communities in Northern Ghana
V Lolig, SA Donkoh, FK Obeng, IGK Ansah, GS Jasaw… - Journal of Disaster …, 2014
This study seeks to explore stakeholders’ perceptions, causes, and effects of extreme climatic events, such as droughts and floods, in the Wa West District of Ghana’s Upper West Region. A multi-stage sampling procedure is used to select 184 respondents. Data collection methods include individual questionnaire administration, focus group discussions, and a stakeholders’ forum in the Wa West District Assembly. While frequencies are used to show respondents’ perceptions of the severity of climate change effects, a treatment effect model is used to determine the factors influencing farmers’ choices of on-farm coping strategies over off-farm activities in both periods of drought and flood. Findings are the following: farmers perceive that climate change is real and has severe consequences. Consequently, they resort to both on-farm and off-farm strategies to cope with the effects of climate change. While men mostly adopt the former, women adopt the latter. Both strategies are, however, not viable for taking them out of poverty, though off farm activities are more effective….
Climate Change and Variability in Ghana: Stocktaking
FA Asante, F Amuakwa-Mensah - Climate, 2014
This paper provides a holistic literature review of climate change and variability in Ghana by examining the impact and projections of climate change and variability in various sectors (agricultural, health and energy) and its implication on ecology, land use, poverty and welfare. The findings suggest that there is a projected high temperature and low rainfall in the years 2020, 2050 and 2080, and desertification is estimated to be proceeding at a rate of 20,000 hectares per annum. Sea-surface temperatures will increase in Ghana’s waters and this will have drastic effects on fishery. There will be a reduction in the suitability of weather within the current cocoa-growing areas in Ghana by 2050 and an increase evapotranspiration of the cocoa trees. Furthermore, rice and rooted crops (especially cassava) production are expected to be low. Hydropower generation is also at risk and there will be an increase in the….
Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa: Effectiveness of a Multidisciplinary and Multi-Institutional Team-Work
N Maroya, R Asiedu, PL Kumar, D Mignouna… - Journal of Root Crops, 2014
The overall goal of the five year project “Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa” (YIIFSWA) funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria is to: (a) increase yam productivity by 40% for 2,00,000 smallholder yam farmers in Ghana and Nigeria and (b) deliver key global good research products that will contribute to the 10-year overall vision to sustainably double incomes from yams for 3 million smallholder yam farming families and contribute to ensuring food security for producers and consumers. Implemented by scientists of twenty specialized partner organizations, comprising research institutes, Universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations, YIIFSWA has impacted yam value chain stakeholders through research and development interventions…. These include: a baseline survey conducted in key yam growing areas in Ghana and Nigeria, training of yam producers on adapted yam minisett technique and production of seed….
Characteristics and Adaptive Potential of Sweet potato Cultivars Grown in Uganda
SD Ddumba, J Andresen, SS Snapp - 2014
This paper reviews the characteristics of sweet potato cultivars grown in Uganda using published literature and highlights the role of farmers’ involvement and other stakeholders in sweet potato production. Sweet potatoes have a high potential in improving food security in East Africa due to their general high tolerance to heat and water stress, rich vitamin A content, and relatively short growing period. Being known as a reserve crop, sweet potato is either mono-cropped or inter or relay cropped with other crops. In order to select a variety to grow during a given season, farmers use characteristics such as yield, time to reach maturity, root color, root size, root shape, root quality, sweetness, pest and disease resistance, and marketability. Among the non-orange fleshed sweet potato cultivars, NASPOT 1, Tanzania, Tororo-3, New Kawogo and Bwanjule rank highly in terms of the characteristics…
Adoption of Integrated Pest Management by Farmers in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria
AN Obiajulu - Journal of Life Sciences and Technologies Vol, 2014
The study assessed the level of adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) among the farmers in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Questionnaire was used to illicit responses from the 140 farmers randomly selected from the area. It was observed that only 16.43% of the farmers had adopted IPM approach in their pest control operations in the area. The results of multiple regression analysis on the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers revealed that age, among other factors, positively influenced the farmers’ level of adoption of IPM. It further showed that years of experience in pesticide application is one of the factors that had negative influence on the adoption of IPM technology. Poor extension services and poor knowledge of 1PM innovation were among the identified constraints to IPM adoption in the area. The paper suggested active farmers’ participation in the on-going FADAMA III project aimed at assisting the farmers with financial and other agricultural inputs and vigorous extension practices aimed at disseminating agricultural innovations like IPM to the farmers.
The Role and Impact of Rural Banking on SME’S (Small Medium Enterprise) in Ghana
D Ackah, MP Kondegri, MR Agboyi - Global Journal of Management Studies and …, 2015
The existence of rural banks has made banking available to the ordinary Ghanaian and nullified the perception that it is an organization for the educated and privilege few. This has stimulated banking operation and led to increase in the growth of SME sector. This study examined the role and impactof rural banking on SME’s (small medium enterprise in Ghana). The Purposive sampling procedure was used to select ten members of staff of Union Rural bank to form the sample. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources of data collection and questionnaire served as the main primary data collection instrument. From the analysis it was clear that the role and impact of rural banking on SME’s has been tremendous. The bank has monitoring measures in place to ensure that the rate of default is minimized. The bank also provides business advisory services to the business operators. Occasional default by some clients, insufficient funds to meet demand for advances and lack of logistics for ensuring effective monitoring of the loan scheme are the main challenges that the bank encounters with the loan facility.