Below are some current developments on agriculture in Africa:
Agricultural Issues
Distribution of Cocoa Inputs is Intact and Transparent - COCOBOD
The free supply of inputs to cocoa farmers by Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is intact and transparent, an intelligent operative of the Board has declared. The operative who spoke on behalf of Dr. Stephen Opuni, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the COCOBOD made the declaration at a press briefing organized by the Ashanti Regional Office of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED), at Tepa in the Ahafo-Ano North District of Ashanti Region. It was a reaction “to clarify and set the records straight” regarding an allegation by Nana James Kwabena Dankwa, chief farmer at Numasua (aka Camp Two), a cocoa-growing community in the Tepa Cocoa District, in a news item, aired on Radio Gold FM on Monday, August 31, alleging that “farmers from Tepa, Nyinahini and Obuasi have been deprived of the mass cocoa spraying exercise and distribution of some farm inputs”.
Barclays and TechnoServe Partner in Youth Agribusiness Initiative
Barclays Bank Ghana has partnered with TechnoServe Ghana African Youth Agripreneurship Programme (AYAP) in a bid to create and support viable agribusinesses by young people. The initiative in Ghana is anchored by the Department for International Development (DFID)-funded ENGINE programme and the Smallholder Business Development Programme - funded by the John Deere Foundation. The programme will target 240 businesses and create 470 new jobs after its successful implementation. The AYAP is aimed at equipping enterprising youth between the ages of 20-35 with business and technical skills to build sustainable agribusinesses.
EDAIF Supports Cassava Production and Processing
The Export Trade, Agricultural and Industrial Development Fund (EDAIF) has approved an amount of about GH¢10million for the implementation of Phase I of its Cassava Integrated Enterprise Development Project, which is aimed at large-scale production and processing of cassava for industrial use and export. The objective of the project, which will be implemented in phases, is to increase economic opportunities through sustainable and competitive cassava production, marketing and agro-enterprise development in Ghana. The approved funds for the first phase is to be utilized for the establishment of three factories: at Ejura in the Ashanti Region, Kintampo in the Brong-Ahafo Region, and Damongo in the Northern Region.
Pay Farmers the Right Price for Cocoa
Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the ranking member on Food and Agriculture in Parliament, has urged government to change its policy toward cocoa farmers by doubling the amount paid to farmers in order to boost cocoa production for the next crop season. “Government should be able to double the price of cocoa and be able to pay farmers as much as GH?700 a bag.” According to Dr. Akoto, currently government pays a farmer in the region of GH?345a bag; but he reckons this can be increase to GH?700 per bag of 64kg. Production of the country’s main export commodity may dip to below 500,000 metric tonnes from the current 900,000 metric tonnes if the interventions put in place are not critically appraised, he pointed out.
Drought-tolerant Maize Making Waves in Sub-Saharan Africa
Partners and funders of the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project would on Monday convene in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to take stock of the score-card, as a marathon maize project winds up after eight years. DTMA concludes its work in Africa on improved drought-tolerant maize, to help maize farmers in sub-Saharan Africa mitigate drought as well as contribute to a stronger food system in 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, through more than 200 improved maize varieties aimed at helping farmers cope with climate change and low-fertility soils through collaboration. A release copied to Ghana News Agency said DTMA has benefited from, and drawn on, rich partnerships with private and public institutions with …
Soya-bean Farmers Receive Funding
The Chamba Community Co-operative Credit Union (CCCU) has disbursed GH?136,350 to Soya Bean Cooperative Farmers at Chamba in the Nanumba North district of the Northern Region. This is to help facilitate soya bean production, which is high in nutrition and will improve upon their livelihoods. The Union last year disbursed GH?84,850 to eight farming groups -- each made up of 30 members - with a 20 percent interest rate to be paid within nine months. GHc36,900 was also distributed earlier this year to five other farmer groups in the Salaga District, and lately GH?4,500 has been disbursed to another group. The Union received support from Send-Ghana, a non- governmental organisation, through its Food Security through ….
Parliamentary Caucus to discuss Food Security
The Ghana Parliamentary Caucus against Hunger and Malnutrition will on Tuesday engage civil society organizations on ways to help the country progress towards a hunger-free and well-nourished society. Hunger Alliance Ghana (HAG), a non-governmental organization, told the Ghana News Agency that it was a vital ingredient in getting the necessary bold political commitment to fight hunger and malnutrition in Ghana. Ghana Parliamentarian Caucus against Hunger and Malnutrition is a voluntary group of Parliamentarians composed from both Majority and Minority groups committed to support the agenda of achieving a hunger free society in Ghana by 2025. The Hunger Free Society project is part of a commitment of Heads of States and Governments at the African Union XXIII General Assembly in June 2014.
Ghana Garden and Flower Exhibition Opens in Accra
The third Ghana Garden and Flower show opened in Accra on Thursday with a call on Ghanaians to attach importance to flower gardening. Mrs. Matilda Amissah Arthur, Second Lady, who made the call said it could help the country to create jobs and also become a foreign exchange earner. Mrs. Amissah Arthur, who chaired the function appealed to lovers of flowers to take a step further by embarking in the industry to keep Ghana green and beautiful. She also encouraged Ghanaians to make a stop at the exhibition site, have fun, admire the various types of flowers and participate in the exhibition. The five- day event is on the theme: “The World is Your Garden,” and it brought together an array of florist, horticulturalists, policy makers, home owners, garden lovers and real estate developers among others under one roof.
Dutch Vegetable Companies Explore Investment Opportunities in Ghana
A number of Dutch leading vegetable companies are in the country to explore investments and trade opportunities in the vegetable sector. The companies include Amatrex, Frugiventa, Kramer, Unitherm and Bejo Seeds. Mr. Andre Dekker of Bejo Seeds, speaking during the ninth GhanaVeg Business Platform meeting expressed optimism about the Ghanaian horticulture sector. The meeting was on the theme: "Ghana and the Netherlands: Growing Together." He said whilst in the country, the companies visited a group of carrot farmers in Mampong, where they currently produce 10 tons per hectare but with better seeds from some of the visiting companies and good seedbed preparation and planting with machines, they can easily increase yields up to 40 tons.
Anaemia identified as biggest nutritional disorder in Ghana
Mrs. Kate Quarshie, an official of the Nutrition Department of the Ghana Health Service, on Tuesday identified Anaemia as one of the biggest nutritional disorders in Ghana affecting about 66 per cent of children. “Anaemia will cost Ghana more than GHC1.9 billion and greatly decrease worker productivity if nothing is done about it,” she said, explaining that if the country tried to reduce anaemia by half it would improve productivity and have good consequences on national development agenda. Mrs. Quarshie said this at a round-table to engage parliamentarians on the effect of anaemia and malnutrition on productivity. It was organised by civil society organisations against malnutrition with support from World Vision Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation.
Vital Signs monitoring takes Root in Ghana -To Bridge Gap Between Agriculture and the Environment
A method to monitor agriculture, nature and human well-being to ensure food security, known as the Vital Signs Monitoring System, has been introduced in the country. The Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Water Research Institute (WRI) pioneered the system in collaboration with Vital Signs, which is a monitoring system for agriculture, nature and human well-being, to monitor rainfall, temperature and humidity of the country. Vital Signs was launched in Africa in 2012 with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Conservation International, which is spearheading the monitoring system in partnership with the Earth Institute at the Columbia University and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa.
New Law on Veterinary Charges Begins
The implementation of a new law on veterinary charges that will harmonise and standardise meat production, processing, inspection and conveyance in the country has began this month. This is in accordance with the Public Health Act passed by Parliament in 2012. The new law will apply in the operations of butchers in all 347 abattoirs, slaughter houses and slabs across the country. The Head of the Public Health And Food Safety Division of the Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Dr Bashiru Boi Kikimoto, announced this at a training workshop for veterinary meat inspectors and butchers in Ho. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the Meat Export Federation, Department of Agriculture and the Poultry and Egg Export Council, all of the United States America.
Netherlands Trade Mission Reaffirms Strong Ties with Ghana’s Horticultural Sector
The Dutch government in its bid to reinforce its commitment to help boost Ghana’s horticultural sector has wooed five leading companies into the country to help transform the vegetable sector. The companies would be exploring investments, trade opportunities and build partnerships with local farmers. The group were unveiled at the 9th GhanaVeg Business Platform under the theme: “Ghana and the Netherlands: Growing Together”. The mission includes one of the world’s leading vegetable seed companies, Bejo Seeds; a constructor of cold store facilities, Unitherm; as well as two mechanization companies, Kramer and Amatrex.
Send-Ghana Improves Livelihood in Northern Region
Send-Ghana has established a silo warehouse for the people of Nanumba South district in the Northern Region to improve storage-produce by the community’s farmers. Lack of storage facilities and poor road networks have been some of the key problems affecting produce from farmers in the community, which causes damage to their produce. Send-Ghana, as part of its Food Security through Cooperatives in Northern Ghana (FOSTERING) under the livelihoods security programme, put up the silo warehouse to enable the farmers have a hygienic place for storing their produce to prevent infestation of pests and insects. The project is aimed at reducing food insecurity and improving standards of living for people in the beneficiary areas, with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs Trading Development and Canadian Cooperative Association (DFATD AND CCA).
Reports/Articles
Gender Issues in Crop-Small Ruminant Integration In West Africa
J Osei-Adu, SA Ennin, BO Asante, A Adegbidi… - … Journal of Agricultural …, 2015
The role of gender in ensuring an enhanced integrated crop-livestock production system in West Africa cannot be underestimated. This paper is based on data generated from the baseline survey for the crop-livestock project from 960 households across Gambia, Mali, Ghana and Benin. It highlights the contribution of gender towards achieving an integrated crop-livestock system in West Africa. Results revealed that females play an active role in grain and fodder marketing such that 11.80%, 41.70%, 46.40% and 66.90% of legumes grain marketing in Gambia, Mali, Ghana and Benin respectively were carried out by females. Females were also active in drying, harvesting and sowing. Despite their active participation in production, their role in …
Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) To Achieve Information Literacy in Agriculture
A Nallusamy, S Balasubramaniam, SK Chellappan - … Journal of Agricultural Extension, 2015
Present world belongs to the era of information explosion. With the information edge on hand, the world is getting much competitive. Students are required to develop rigorous digital skills to suit themselves to the multi-faceted world. It is no coincidence that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools form the bulwark of this new age digital literacy. ICTs have been establishing themselves for so long as the futuristic tools of teaching and learning. In addition, ICT has become a polynary and systematic concept in the field of education. Thankfully, agricultural education is not left behind and it is getting more and more realized that agricultural information professionals must support agriculture by managing and improving access …
Drivers of Households' Land-use Decisions - A Critical Review of Micro-level Studies in Tropical Regions
E Hettig, J Lay, K Sipangule - 2015
This paper reviews 70 recent empirical and theoretical studies that analyse land-use change at the farm-household level. The review builds on a conceptual framework of land-use change drivers and conducts a meta-analysis. It turns out that the most frequently analysed scenario is the conversion of non-used forests or forested areas into land used for agricultural purposes – about a third of all considered scenarios. The second largest share is accounted for by studies that look into the conversion of non-used forests or forested areas into ranching. Most studies analyse land-use change using household and/or village data and, in doing so, often rely on relatively small samples of 100-200 observations…
An Assessment of Processors’ Awareness, Perception and Adoption of NIFOR Developed Improved Coconut Processing Technologies in Lagos State, Nigeria
L Igene, O Solomon, EG Orji, BE Akagbosu, M Osifo - International Journal, 2015
The study assessed the awareness, perception and adoption of NIFOR developed improved coconut processing technologies in Lagos state, Nigeria. A total of 120 coconut processors were sampled through a multi-stage random sampling procedure. Primary data which were obtained through administration of structured questionnaire were used for this study. Percentages, Weighted mean scores and Chi-square were used for presenting the data. The findings of the study show that majority (77.1%) of the respondents were female, married (88.1%) and belong to age bracket of 31-50 years old (78.9%). Also majority (78%) of the respondents had primary with or without secondary education and larger percentage (89.9%) had between less than …
Relationship Between Household Food Insecurity and Health in the Upper West Region of Ghana
KN Atuoye - 2015
Although the importance of food as a social determinant of health has been elucidated, it remains underexplored in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where a significant population is faced with challenges of accessing food, largely from a combination many factors including low economic power, poor livelihoods, political instability and policy gaps. Despite tremendous improvement on food security in Ghana, the northern part of the country including the Upper West Region still experience disproportionally high levels of deprivation and food insecurity. Research has tends to explain the dynamics and complexities of food insecurity in the Region, yet variation of the incidence of food insecurity across different geo-political districts in …
Productivity of Sorghum/Soyabean Intercrop as Influenced by Cultivar and Row Arrangement in the Northern Guinea Savanna Agro-ecology of Nigeria
JA Atabo, OV Babatunde, OO Olaolu, LA Bamidele - Journal of Biology, Agriculture …, 2015
Field trials were conducted at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) farm, Samaru, Zaria during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 rain-fed seasons to study the performance of sorghum/soyabean intercrop as influenced by cultivar and row arrangement. The treatments tested were made up of two sorghum cultivars ( SAMSORG-14 and SAMSORG-17), two soyabean cultivars (TGx 1448-2E and SAMSOY 2) and four crop row arrangements (1SG:1SY, 1SG:2SY, 2SG:1SY and 2SG:2SY, of sorghum : soyabean rows) in factorial combinations. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. Significantly higher sorghum grain and panicle yields per hectare were recorded at the