Below are some current developments on agriculture in Africa:
Agricultural Issues
WACCI Launches Vegetables Innovation Lab
The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), has launched a Vegetables Innovation Laboratory (VIL) as part of efforts to beef up vegetable production and food security in Ghana and the sub-region. The VIL thematic areas include genetic improvement, vegetable production and quality control, processing, value chains and socio-economic research, policy research and knowledge management systems. At the launch in Accra as part of a two-day workshop on Tomato Value Chain in Ghana at the University of Ghana, Professor Eric Y. Danquah, the Director, WACCI/Biotechnology Centre, said the lack of breeders in Ghana was hampering the growth of the tomato industry in Ghana. He said currently the Crops Research Institute at Fumesua had only two vegetable breeders who lacked expertise in the use of technologies needed to accelerate the development of superior tomato varieties for a changing sub-region and emerging markets for the benefit of Ghanaians.
Private and Public Vegetable Exporters Advised to Collaborate
Mr. Kwesi Korboe, Technical Advisor, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, has called for collaboration between the public and private sector in ensuring that vegetable exporters comply with regulations of the European Union (EU). He said currently Ghana exports about 4,000 metric tonnes of vegetables and this could improve when the private and public sectors work together to meet the EU standards. “Private and Public sectors collective engagement will help for this goal to be achieved extensively,” Mr. Korboe said in Accra on Wednesday, at the sixth GhanaVeg Business Platform Meeting Agenda. He encouraged exporters to certify their products and ensure that farmers adhere to traceability and production issues, which is one of the major challenges the export market is facing. “Develop systems because it is a potential to grow for foreign exchange to come to the country through your activities,” he advised. Mrs. Sheila Assibey-Yeboah, Deputy Programmes Leader, GhanaVeg, noted that her outfit is driven by a strong belief in healthy and quality vegetables from Ghana through new ways of doing business.
Ghana’s Agricultural Bank Said to Delay IPO on Labor Issues
Ghana’s state-owned agricultural bank delayed an initial public offering for the second time in three years amid a dispute with labor unions, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The Agricultural Development Bank wants more time for talks with unions and will make an announcement on Wednesday, said the person, who asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to comment. Workers are questioning why the ADB left its headquarters to become a tenant in a new office block and demanding answers to why ADB’s capital fell below regulatory minimums, Tony Akiasu, the chairman of a union for junior workers, said June 2. Labor Minister Haruna Iddrisu and ADB Managing Director Stephen Kpordzih, declined to comment on Monday. Kpordzih said he doesn’t want to respond to an e-mail request he received seeking comment on allegations made by unions.
ADB to Lose Potential Shareholders over IPO Suspension
ADB bank risk losing prospective shareholders and investors to other institutions offering profitable investment avenues following the suspension of the bank’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) This is according to Investment Banker, Mahama Iddrisu. ‘’The general economic conditions are very tough for the ordinary Ghanaian so if the offer is delayed, it means that there are so many investment avenues for now so for the many who cannot wait, they will invest their funds elsewhere.’’ ADB was hoping to raise a total of 398,454,178 cedis through its IPO to enhance the operations of the bank but had to postpone it last week over a number of legal and political challenges amidst agitations from some of its workers. Prominent among them is the suit by the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South constituency, Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah who has filed a suit at the Supreme Court insisting the Bank’s initial Public Offer should first be approved by parliament. This is the second time the bank has had to put its IPO on hold….
Mushroom ‘Helps Keep Fat Off’
A mushroom used for centuries in Chinese medicine reduces weight gain in animals, say researchers in Taiwan. The study, published in Nature Communications, suggested Ganoderma lucidum slowed weight gain by altering bacteria in the gut. The researchers suggested the mushroom could eventually be used in the treatment of obesity. Experts said the science was good, but putting mushroom extract in cans of cola would not help people lose weight. G. lucidum has traditionally been sold for “health and longevity” say researchers at Chang Gung University. They analyzed the impact of the fungus on mice being fed a high-fat diet. Those on just a high-fat diet reached 42g after their first two months whereas mice that were also fed a high dose of mushroom extract reached only 35g. Mice were still much slimmer if they were fed a normal diet.
Farmers Decry Delay in Payment of Subsidized Fertilizer
Smallholder farmers that mostly cultivate maize, rice, sorghum and millet are currently in limbo due to the current delay in solving payment issues with the fertilizer subsidy programme. The Chairman of the National farmers and Fishers Award Winners Association of Ghana, Mr. Davies Korboe, at a press briefing this week recalled how farmers were overjoyed when the Minister of Food and Agriculture Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, announced that 180,000 metric tonnes of granular fertilizer was to be subsidized for the 2015 farming season, with seven companies contracted to supply the product. Mr. Korboe however said that one of the companies, Yara (GH) Limited, pulled out without any assigned reason -- but the association’s intelligence suggests that it was primarily due to the payment delays for the companies involved by government. Furthermore, the Chairman of the Association said the checks suggest that the fertilizer distributors are currently battling with issues such as exchange rate differentials with the Ministry of Finance, thereby jeopardizing the quantities supplied under the programme.
Teams to Investigate Diversion of Cocoa Inputs
Government is to set up an effective team to investigative the diversion of cocoa inputs, and anybody found guilty will be punished, President John Dramani Mahama has said. “Government will punish people engaged in diversion of cocoa inputs in the farming communities. The practice is stifling increased production of the crop and endangering the hard work of cocoa farmers. If we fail to report wrongdoing, we will be retarding the country’s development,” he said. President Mahama, who was speaking at Subin Camp in the Adansi South district of the Ashanti Region, called on the public to expose and report such corrupt activities in the farming communities. He attributed the reduction in cocoa production to over-aged cocoa trees -- adding that Cocobod is providing 50 million improved cocoa seedlings to farmers, and urged them to use the facility to increase production. The Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) is supplying 50 million hybrid seedlings that have high yields and are resistant to diseases freely to farmers to replace aged cocoa trees on their farms.
Seed Trade Association of Ghana Launched
The Seed Trade Association of Ghana (STAG), an umbrella body of enterprises in the seed value chain, has been launched to advance the diverse interest of members. STAG brings together Ghanaian and private international companies registered in Ghana and operating in the supply, production, processing, distribution and marketing of improved seeds of assorted cereals, legumes, vegetables, roots and tuber varieties. Mr. Kwabena Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of STAG, said the Association, launched during a stakeholder dialogue on seed regulations, aims at representing the interests of the seed industry in Ghana and to help boost the yields of farmers. He said the seed industry is a specialized area and there is the need for stakeholders to unite and dialogue with government on regulations and policies that would move the industry forward. Mr. Adu-Gyamfi said the launch of the Association would also allow members to work collectively to deal with the problems of materials, training and finance.
Out-going US Ambassador Calls for Modification of 'winner takes all'
Mr. Gene Cretz, the out-going United States (US) Ambassador in Ghana, has called for modification of the 'winner takes all' electoral system in Ghana. He pointed out that the system was not good for a healthy democracy. He said in the US the 'winner takes all' had been stabilized, which had led to stable electoral processes; “with give and take forming the basis of policies.” Mr. Cretz made the remark on Tuesday in Accra, during a press roundtable to bid Ghanaians farewell after a three-year duty tour. He urged the Electoral Commission to reflect on its past activities and make reforms so that past mistakes were not repeated in future elections… In this direction, he said, the US introduced “the Feed the Future Initiative,” which focused on helping farmers in the northern region to increase food production, utilize resources more efficiently, and bring their farm produce to market centres. He said in the Western Region, they had partnered with experts at the Universities of Cape Coast and Rhode Island to launch two new projects aimed at rebuilding marine fisheries stocks. Mr. Cretz said through these programmes they …
Ghana Commodities Exchange Launched
Smallholder farmers and actors along the country’s agricultural value chain look set to rake-in more returns on their investments following launch of the Ghana Commodities Exchange Project. The Exchange is a common market for trading local commodities in a transparent and uniform manner with a view of improving the livelihoods and profitability of the most dominant sector in the national economy. President John Dramani Mahama, who launched the project in Accra, said the initiative is a positive step toward achieving government’s vision of a revitalized agric sector that will help support efforts at boosting and diversifying the country’s export trade, as well as maximize the huge potential of the sector as a key economic trigger. “Agric is a dominant sector of the economy that offers informal employment to the vast majority of the country’s population; and that is why we need a platform that is backed by a warehouse receipt system as a springboard for national economic growth and prosperity.
'Implement Forestry Law'
Mr. Jacob Lambon, Northern Regional Meteorological Director, has called for implementation of the forestry law to reduce the high rate of illegally felling trees -- which affects climate change and agriculture activities in the country. The continued destroying of forestry affects soil fertility, leading to low crop production that compels farmers to use fertilizers which are harmful to humans. He was speaking at the 2015 pre-season forum organized by SNV, Netherland Development Organization, with funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The forum was aimed at supporting the rice industry in Ghana to increase production of quality paddy and milled rice by facilitating business linkages that respond to the need of value chain actors to stimulate growth in the local market. It is also to create a platform for the producers, buyers, input companies, financial institutions, the meteorological services, extension service providers and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to share the season’s information on quality expectations, sources of production resources, weather information, market trend and technologies to …
USAID Hands over Planters to Women Farmers in Upper West
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has handed over 100 multi crop planters to some women farmers in the Upper West Region to help them overcome the difficulty involved in planting crops. Each multi crop planter costs GH₵ 275.00 with USAID bearing 70 per cent of the cost. Mr. Andy Karas, USAID Acting Mission Director who presented the planters to the women farmers in Wa noted that agricultural production is the biggest focus of the “Feed the Future Agriculture Technology Transfer Project”, a United States Government’s Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative. He said USAID is partnering Mennonite Economic Development Associate (MEDA), Community Aid for Rural Development and Antika Company Limited in the implementation of the project in the Region. Mr. Karas said USAID is always searching for new and innovative science and technology initiatives to adopt to improve agriculture in the country, especially in the savannah zone and commended private sector partnership with USAID to achieve the objectives.
Maize Trade Receives Facelift in Brong Ahafo
Maize trade is expected to see a massive improvement. This follows the ongoing rehabilitation exercise at one of the largest trading points of the commodity in the country --Techiman Maize Market in the Brong Ahafo Region, B&FT has gathered. The reconstruction activity at the Techiman maize market includes erection of shelves and floor pavement to help manage and preserve the quality of maize at the market centre. The exercise forms part of an ongoing “market-oriented agriculture programme” being jointly implemented by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The project when completed will elevate the status of the market as an excellent maize trading centre in the country. The market is the sales point for farmers from the major maize production areas in Brong Ahafo like Atebubu,Wenchi, Nkoranza and Kintampo, and attracts traders from across the country as well as some other countries in the sub-region. Traders at the market have welcomed the development, describing it as “a necessary intervention” with the potential of transforming the maize….
IBIS to Track Climate Change Budget
IBIS Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), will this year undertake a programme to track budgets of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) towards mitigating the impact of climate change on the citizenry. Mrs. Safia Musah, Programmes Facilitator of IBIS Ghana, who announced this at a forum at Gbullung in the Kumbungu District, said the aim was to assess what government was doing in relation to mitigating climate change effects given that it (government) received as well as allocated substantial funding to the issue. She said it was also to ensure that MMDAs were accountable in the allocation and use of funds meant for climate change activities, as well as advocating for effective implementation of the climate change adaptation strategy and plan for enhanced environmental rights and sustainable livelihoods…
EDAIF Staff Urged to Get Closer to the People
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere has called on Export Trade, Agricultural and Industrial Development Fund (EDAIF) to decentralize its activities to the districts in order to get closer to the people with the fund. He said, the region has developed an agricultural development plan with the districts specializing in production and called on the fund to provide the needed support to individuals and groups engaged under the programme to enable them create employment. Mr. Antwi-Boasiako was speaking when the Chief Executive Officer of EDAIF, Dr Baafour Osei and some management staff of the fund called on him to introduce the Zonal Manager of the fund for the Volta and Eastern Regions to him in Koforidua. He explained that, the public sector is choked and so when government talks about creation of employment, the target is to support the private sector to expand and create more avenues for jobs. Mr. Antwi-Boasiako said, many of the youth in Region are engaged in oil palm, poultry, commercial mango and vegetable production, which calls for support…
Trade Ministry Engages Stakeholders on National Sugar Policy
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), is engaging stakeholders to solicit their input for a draft National Sugar Policy to help revamp the industry and make it a globally competitive one. The policy seeks to provide an enabling infrastructural and institutional environment for a globally competitive private sector sugar industry, to help reduce foreign exchange expenditure on imported sugar, contribute to rural industrial development and provide supplementary electricity through co-generation for the national grid. According to MOTI, Ghana imports substantial quantities of sugar and is the 18th most valuable product imported in 2013 and fourth largest food import after rice, fish, and poultry. In 2011, the country spent $ 187 million to import 494,000 Metric Tonnes (M/T) of sugar and by 2030 sugar consumption is projected to rise to 872,000 MT. Sugar is important in terms of food security as well as for foreign exchange and consumption is growing rapidly. The West Africa sub-region, to which Ghana could export duty-free, is also projected to experience more rapid sugar consumption growth than any other region in the next ….
Reports/Articles
Adaptation Strategies to Climate Variability and Change and Its Limitations to Smallholder Farmers
F Phillipo, M Bushesha, ZSK Mvena - Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural …, 2015
In sub-Saharan Africa, knowledge on adaptation strategies to climate variability and change are scattered and fragmented due to lack of standpoints adaptation framework. This paper intends to analyze differences in adaptation strategies across agro-ecological zones, and finding out factors dictating adaptation to climate variability and change to smallholder farmers. The paper is based on documentary review methodology in which journals and books on adaptation were used as the main sources of information. The collected information were analyzed by using content analysis. This paper found that smallholder farmers use a variety of practices to adapt to climate variability and change. These practices include: crop management, livestock management, diversification of strategies and land use management. Availability of extension services, climate change information and membership to social networks were among the factors identified dictating smallholder farmers adaptation to climate variability and change. The paper recommends to the Government of sub-Saharan Africa and development partners to come up with …
Muslim Women in Agricultural Education and the Labor Force
N Ludgate - 2015
Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education (InnovATE) is a USAID-funded project supporting the capacity development of agricultural training and education systems from primary school through secondary institutions as well as vocational and technical schools and universities. The InnovATE program, implemented by a consortium of US universities led by Virginia Polytechnic and State University and including Pennsylvania State University, Tuskegee University, and the University of Florida, aims to strengthen the range of institutions that train and educate agricultural professionals (InnovATE, 2013). In support of the InnovATE program goals, a series of special topic desk studies are commissioned to provide relevant background information to form the basis for identifying gaps in the Agricultural Education and Training (AET) programs and institutions in target InnovATE countries. This report explores Muslim women’s overall participation in the AET sector in selected Muslim-majority Countries (MMCs) stretched mainly across two continents (Africa and Asia).
Review of Evidence on Antimicrobial Resistance and Agriculture in Developing Countries
D Grace - 2015
This short paper aims to identify key evidence gaps in our knowledge of livestock- and fisheries-linked antimicrobial resistance in the developing world, and to document on-going or planned research initiatives on this topic by key stakeholders. The antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections in animals that are of most potential risk to human health are likely to be zoonotic pathogens transmitted through food, especially Salmonella and Campylobacter. In addition, livestock associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA MRSA) and extended spectrum beta lactamase E. coli (ESBL E. coli) are emerging problems throughout the world. In developing countries, AMR pathogens are commonly found in animals, animal food products and agro-food environments, but the lack of surveillance systems means there are no reliable national data on the level of AMR in animals and their products. While AMR pathogens in animals and their products undoubtedly contribute to AMR infections in people, the literature from developing countries is insufficient to draw firm conclusions on the extent of this contribution.
Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture: A Way to Develop the Economies of Arid Regions of the Developing Countries
HT El-Zanfaly - Journal of Environment Protection and Sustainable …, 2015
Choosing the most appropriate technology for wastewater treatment should be based on two issues: affordability and appropriateness that relates to the economic conditions of the community and to the environmental and social conditions, respectively. The community should be able to finance the implementation, operation and maintenance of the system. For a system to be environmentally sustainable, it should ensure the protection of environmental quality, conservation of resources, and the reuse of water. Social aspect mainly relates to factors that can affect the operation and maintenance of the system, and these include local community habits, public acceptance, life style, public health protection, government policy and regulations. The main driving forces for the selection of a treatment technology are performance requirements, site conditions, and wastewater characterization….
Agricultural Extension and Technology Adoption for Food Security: Evidence from Uganda
Y PANa, SCSM SULAIMAN - 2015
This paper evaluates causal impacts of a large-scale agricultural extension program for smallholder women farmers on food security in Uganda through a regression discontinuity design that exploits an arbitrary distance-to-branch threshold for village program eligibility. We find eligible farmers experienced significant increases in agricultural production, savings and wage income, which lead to improved food security. Given minimal changes in adoption of relatively expensive inputs including HYV seeds, these gains are mainly attributed to increased usage of improved cultivation methods that are relatively costless. These results highlight the role of improved basic methods in boosting agricultural productivity among poor farmers.
What Motivates Farmers to Adopt Organic Agriculture? A Case of Rainfed Organic Rice in Thailand
S Setboonsarng, BN Acharya - ORGANIC AGRICULTURE AND, 2015
Farmers can play a positive and constructive role in conserving the natural environment when appropriate incentives are in place for sustainable farming practices. This recognition is timely as public concerns on some of the harmful effects of conventional agriculture to the environment and health of producers and consumers have been growing in recent decades. High levels of fertilizer runoff in the form of nitrates have been found in waterways, including drinking water supplies in rural communities. Inappropriate use of pesticides and excessive levels of pesticide residues in food have also been of great concern to the general public, particularly in developing countries. Under the current agricultural trading system, farmers are rewarded only for crops and produce sold in the market. Hence, there is a tendency to maximize short-term benefits at the expense of long-term sustainable natural resource management. Farmers face a trade-off between financial gain and environmental quality.
Overview of the Scientific, Political and Financial Landscape of Climate-Smart Agriculture in West Africa
R Zougmoré, AS Traoré, Y Mbodj - 2015
The agricultural sector plays a key role in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). As the backbone of the economy, it affects society at many levels since national economies and people’s jobs, incomes and food security depend upon it. Climate change and variability pose a major threat to farmers in the region, which is already experiencing rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and increasing extreme events. The ECOWAS has put in place various policy instruments such as the Economic Community of West Africa States Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and its derived Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (RAIP) in order to promote a modern and sustainable agriculture based on effective and efficient family farms and the promotion of agricultural enterprises through the involvement of the private sector. Taking stock on member States’ expressed needs, ECOWAS would like to integrate a new type of public policy instruments into the RAIP: instruments for adapting the West-African agriculture to climate change, towards a Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) focusing on adaptation, mitigation and food & nutrition ….
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