Below are some current developments on agriculture in Africa:
Agricultural Issues
Ecobank Scales up Agric Credit
Ecobank Ghana has stepped up its support in the agricultural sector with a credit facility of GH¢152 million in 2014 to help the sector unlock its potential. The bank has extended more than GH¢22 million in the last four months to smallholder farmers who are into the cultivation of soya, maize and rice and other in the value chain. Speaking at the second Ghana Agribusiness Investment Summit in Accra, the Executive Director of Domestic Bank of Ecobank Ghana, Mr. George Mensah-Asante, called for increased support to small scale agriculture farmers to enable them contribute to the economic development of the nation. That, he said, was necessary because the small scale agricultural sector had remained the bedrock of most developing economies of the world. Through our facilities, farmers have had increased access to modern technology, improved seeds and fertilizers,” he said.
Sinapi Aba Turns to Agric Financing
Microfinance company Sinapi Aba has turned attention to agriculture FINANCING as a way to contribute to making the sector unlock its potential. Last year, the microfinance institution, which has predominantly been funding commerce and personal FINANCE, devoted about GH¢10 million to the sector, FINANCING not only farmers but also input suppliers, aggregators (marketing firms), processors and other players within the value chain. “Our interest in agriculture has come about because we realize a large portion of the population are into agriculture. Out of the number, about 80 per cent are in the informal sector. Therefore, as a company with a mission to transform lives, we needed to look at this sector so that we can help them to create businesses from agriculture, to generate income and improve their lives,” the Chief Programme Officer of the company, Ms. Joyce Owusu Dabo, told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS at the second Ghana Agribusiness INVESTMENT Summit in Accra.
Halt Sale of ADB House, Freeze IPO; Government Directs Management
The government has directed the management of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) to halt any processes that will lead to the sale of the bank’s headquarters (ADB House) in Accra until further notice. It has also been asked to put on hold its decision to put out an Initial Public Offer (IPO) prior to further consultations with all stakeholders, including the unionized workers of the bank. Subsequently, it said matters of conflict of interest, management issues, among other allegations raised against the management will accordingly be subjected to some further interrogation and examination by the industry regulator, the Bank of Ghana (BoG), and probably an external partner. The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, announced this at a news conference
ADB Staff Agree not to Wear Red Arm Bands Monday
Staff of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) have agreed not to wear red arm bands in protest over the sale of the bank’s headquarters, poor performance and the decision to enlist on the Ghana Stock Exchange. This is meant to be a compromise in their stand-off with the management of the bank. “We have agreed to hoist red flags anywhere that we register our protest but we will not wear them on our bodies as a sign of goodwill” and in view of government's intervention in the industrial stand-off, General Secretary UNICOF told Joy News. Workers of the ADB insist they will not back down on their demand for the dismissal of the managing director and the dissolution of the board. Leaders of the workers are not convinced of government’s intervention which has resulted in the suspension of plans to sell off the bank’s headquarters and enlistment on the Ghana Stock Exchange.
National Farmer Database Project Stalls due to Lack of Funds
The National Farmer Database project which was being developed by the Agricultural Extension Services Division of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to capture data of Ghanaian farmers has stalled because of lack of funds. The project has so far captured the data of 80,000 farmers. A source at the Agricultural Extension Services of the ministry told the Daily Graphic that the programme had, for some time now, been bedeviled with cash flow problems. About two years ago, the project captured about 80,000 farmers from all parts of the country onto the system but no additional data has been captured since then. The source said it would be in the interest of farmers for the database development to be completed to serve as a basis to identify the needs of all category of farmers under the ministry to easily provide incentives for them.
Cocoa Farmers get Inputs Centre in Brong-Ahafo
Farmers have been urged to patronize the Produce Buying Company (PBC) services of Cocoa Rehabilitation and Intensification Programme (CORIP) for improved cocoa production. Mr. Yaw Agyei Sakyi, Brong-Ahafo Regional Manager of PBC, gave the advice during the launch and opening of a farmers’ Inputs Shop on Wednesday in Sunyani which was attended by over 400 PBC farmers. The Rural Service Centre, also called the ‘Akuafo Yiedie Fie’ (literally meaning farmers well-being house), would sell agricultural materials under the supervision of Wienco, a local agricultural organization, not only at approved prices but also under the certification of Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG). Mr. Sakyi said the patronage of the CORIP would also bring about enhanced livelihood and community development of farmers. He said in 2012, PBC/Touton collaboration rolled out a certification programme under which farmers benefited and continued to benefit from a number of training programmes to enhance their farming activities.
Fisheries Management Project launched in Takoradi
A sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SFMP) that seeks to rebuild Ghana's small oceanic marine fish stocks has been launched in Takoradi in the Western Region. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding the $24 million project that is expected to run over a five-year period. The SFMP is focused on transforming agriculture, with special emphasis on the fisheries sector. The USAID has in addition signed an agreement to co-operate with the Coastal Resources Centre (CRC) of the Graduate School of Oceanography of the University of Rhode Island (URI) in the United States of America, in the implementation of the project. The project is aimed at rebuilding the marine fisheries stocks and catches through adoption of responsible practices. It also seeks to contribute to the government's development objectives towards improved food security, economic growth and poverty reduction.
Crop Research Institute asked to Tackle Food Security Challenges
Mr. Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Environment Science Technology and Innovation, has urged the Crop Research Institute (CRI) to continue its efforts towards tackling the nation’s food security challenges. He said although the Institute had over the years worked tirelessly to introduce improved food crop varieties to increase food production, more is needed to be done to progressively raise crop yield and reduce food imports. He told a meeting with the staff and management of the CRI at Fumesua that the government is deeply concerned about the huge import bill of food staples like rice and maize. Mr. Ayariga, who was touring research institutions under his Ministry in the Northern sector, said it is time they work closely with key stakeholders in other sectors to achieve adequate food security. He urged them to be innovative and develop appropriate technologies that would meet the local needs and serve as alternative to those imported from outside.
KNUST gets Central Research Laboratory
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has established a central laboratory to function as a shared facility for use in both basic and applied science research. The six million euro facility would provide research scientists of varied backgrounds, government and research agencies, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agro-chemical and chemical industries in Ghana and abroad access to a state-of-the-art equipment. These were bought by the university through its internally generated funds. Champion Divine Clinic, a Kumasi-based herbal hospital and pharmaceutical company, contributed 25 per cent of the GH¢1.250 million that was used to construct the structure housing the equipment. Mr. Mahama Ayariga, the Minister of Environment, Science Technology and Innovation (MESTI), applauded KNUST for the project. He said it would not only promote efficient use of resources but also enhance collaboration and interaction of ideas among researchers.
Reports/Articles
Customary Land Ownership and Gender Disparity - Evidence from the Wa Municipality of Ghana
ED Kuusaana, JK Kidido, E Halidu-Adam
Studies draw attention to gender inequalities in land tenure. While some insist that gender inequalities in land tenure exists others do not. This paper discusses a study that examined gender issues in customary land ownership in the Wa Municipality. It sought to understand and find ways of bridging the gender gaps, if any. A survey covering 151 respondents comprising Chiefs, Tendamba, women and family heads was undertaken. The research revealed significant disparities between men and women regarding access to and ownership of land. Only 38% of female respondents owned land as compared to 68% of the male respondents. This was mainly attributed to the patrilineal system of inheritance. It also revealed that the inequality in access to land was due to financial constraint and, rapid urbanization as well as the high illiteracy…
Diseases of Plantation Forestry Trees in Southern Ghana
AM Mamle, R Jolanda - International Journal of Phytopathology, 2015
Ghana is on the verge of exhausting its timber resources and has embarked on reforestation. However, the establishment of pure stands of high value indigenous tree species such as Odum (Milicia excelsa and M. regia), Mahogany (Khaya and Entandrophragma species) and Kokrodua (Pericopsis elata) were not successful as a result of insect pest and disease problems. These failures, together with the need to establish plantations partly account for the widespread planting of teak (Tectona grandis), cedrela (Cedrela odorata) and other introduced tree species. Disease outbreaks in Tectona grandis, Cedrela odorata and Ceiba pentandra have been observed with the expansion of plantation estates. A study was therefore conducted to identify key diseases occurring in tree plantations, determine their distribution and evaluate management strategies to contain them. Diseases encountered include root rot caused by Armillaria hemii on T. grandis and Cedrela odorata, leaf spot and dieback on Ceiba pentandra seedlings and saplings caused by ….
Vegetation Dynamics And Their Relationships With Precipitation in Africa For Drought Monitoring Purposes
W Camaro - 2015
Drought affects more people than any other natural disaster and results in serious economic, social and environmental costs. The development of effective drought monitoring and early warning has been a significant challenge because of the unique characteristics of drought [1]. In fact, considering the multifaceted nature of drought phenomena (i.e. hydrological, meteorological, and agricultural), a comprehensive and integrated approach is required to define effective Early Warning Systems (EWS), which are thus based on the monitoring of different drought-related parameters and complex drought indicators. In such a context, several studies have shown how temporary changes of vegetation indices and their anomalies are strongly correlated with precipitations, especially in arid and semi-arid environments….
Managing Change and Building Resilience: A Multi-stressor Analysis of Urban and Peri-urba Agriculture in Africa and Asia
Jon Padgham et al
Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is increasingly being promoted as a multi-focal strategy for enhancing urban food security and advancing climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in cities. The extent to which this potential can be realized is circumscribed by access to adequate land and water resources, the degree of recognition of UPA within the urban policy domain, and the ability of producers to effectively navigate the myriad risks associated with food production in urban and peri-urban environments. This paper argues that UPA faces significant interlocking stresses stemming from marginalization of land and water resources, increasing exposure to climate risks, and ineffective policies and poor governance that undermine its long-term potential to address urban food security and climate change adaptation concerns. This paper examines key environmental and governance dimensions of UPA in the context of rapidly growing cities in Africa and Asia, and advances understanding of how increasing urban pressures on land and water resources, and intensifying climate risks, are undermining…
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