Below are some current developments on agriculture in Africa:
Agricultural Issues:
Ghana’s Position in the Cocoa World Enhanced by Olam’s Acquisition of ADM
Olam International, one of Ghana’s largest agri-commodity companies, has completed its acquisition of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Company’s worldwide cocoa business. All former ADM employees in Ghana, including the major processing plant at Kumasi, now come under Olam Cocoa which, following the acquisition, has become a top three global processor of cocoa products as well as one of the world’s leading buyers of cocoa beans. Mr. Amit Agrawal, Olam’s country head for Ghana, comments: “Ghana is strategically significant to the future success of Olam Cocoa. Through this acquisition we have not only increased our farmer buying networks but we now have our first processing facility in Ghana which, thanks to the skill of the …
UNDP Intervenes as Climate Change Reduces Cocoa Production in Brong-Ahafo
Climate change is affecting cocoa production in the Asunafo North Municipality, the Brong-Ahafo Region’s largest cocoa producing area. According to cocoa farmers in most of the forest fringe communities in the municipality, the rainfall pattern in the area is unpredictable and remained unfavourable for cocoa and food productions. This is due to rapid depletion of the forest coupled with the continuous destruction of the eco-system in the forest fringe communities as a result of negative agricultural practices and unwarranted human activities that destroyed the eco-system. These practices include bush burning, uncontrolled hunting expedition, indiscriminate felling of trees, and farming along most of the rivers bodies in the area…
EDAIF and Stanbic Bank Donate Towards Farmers Day
Two corporate bodies have donated items valued at GH¢ 490,000.00 to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to honour farmers on this year’s National Farmers’ Day, scheduled for Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region. They are the Export Development and Agricultural Investment Fund (EDAIF) and the Stanbic Bank. Dr. Barfuor Osei, the Chief Executive Officer of EDAIF, presented two tractors procured at a GH¢ 400,000.00, as prizes for the first and second national best farmers. The donation is in recognition of the hard work of the farmers throughout the year as they contribute to the national food basket and ensure that the people of Ghana got food to eat. Mr. Mawuko Afadzinu, the Head of Marketing and Communication of …
Poultry Farmers Lament Government’s Empty Promises
The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF) says the poultry industry is currently at a crossroad following government’s ‘failure’ to fulfil a series of promises: such as financial support and implementation of a binding regulatory policy to transform the industry. According to the Association, government has still not fulfilled any of its promises with regard to stimulus packages for poultry farmers, thus leaving them to their fate. The farmers made particular reference to Ghana Broiler Revitalization Project (GHABROP) that was launched by government in July 2014. The farmers said government was expected to inject about US$39million into the industry to help boost local capacity in the areas of production, processing and...
Yara Ghana, USAID Organize Training for Field Staff
Mr. Derrick Tuffour-Mills the Technical Manager of Yara Ghana, a leading supplier of fertiliser has called on smallholder farmers in Ghana to inculcate the practice of soil and foliar analysis in order to determine the exact nutrients that crops need in order to maximize fertiliser usage. He made this call during a presentation on soil and fertiliser amendments at a training programme in Tamale for USAID technical staff working on different agricultural related projects. The programme was organised by Yara Ghana in collaboration with the USAID in Tamale. Mr. Tuffour-Mills also spoke of the need for farmers to learn about their crops and their nutritional requirements in order to know which nutrients to prescribe for them...
Declining Growth in Agriculture not Good for Ghana – Forum
Panelists at a post budget forum have bemoaned the declining growth in the agricultural sector of the economy and called for the situation to be addressed in order to ensure the development of the nation. They made the statements at a post-budget analysis forum organised by the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists (IFEJ) and the Ministry of Finance in Accra. Dr. Kwadwo Tutu, an Agricultural Economist from the University of Ghana, bemoaned the decrease in allocations to the agricultural sector in the 2016 budget, saying that developments in the sector showed that agriculture was not a priority to government. He noted that growth in the agriculture sector as a percentage of GDP had declined from about…
Climate Change Conference must Address Concerns – Prof Gordon
The Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11, must serve as a vehicle to help address the issue of climate change. According to Professor Christopher Gordon, the Director, Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana, the Conference which aims to produce a legally binding agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, must enable nations to come to a compromised ground on resolving the challenges of climate change. The 2015 Paris Climate Conference, for the first time in over 20 years of United Nations negotiations on climate change, will bring together about 40,000 delegates from 195 countries …
National REDD+ Secretariat Launches ‘REDD Eye’ Campaign
The National REDD+ Secretariat of the Forestry Commission has launched the first ever “REDD Eye” campaign to create awareness among the youth on the need to plant and nurture trees. The campaign would also open the eyes of the youth to the importance of the REDD+ as a mechanism to reduce the devastating effects of climate change. Climate change has become a worldwide phenomenon, affecting all forms of human lives. REDD+ stands for the countries' efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Mr. Samuel Afari Dartey, Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission (FC), said the greed and desire of …
Kofi Annan Pushes for Food Security and Nutrition
Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, has indicated the need for African governments to take urgent policy actions backed by adequate budget allocation toward the creation of resilient food systems that will boost access to high-quality nutrition. In a solidarity message on the occasion of the third annual meeting of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition in Accra, he said that improving food nutrition in a climate change era will require diverse, efficient and resilient food systems. He said: “Food nutrition is not just about the amount of food we eat but the right type of food; considerable progress has been made on malnutrition in Africa, but there are new challenges happening along the way…
2015 ‘Agrique Africa Investment Summit’ Launched
Agricultural non-governmental organisation Welcome2Africa has launched its maiden annual agricultural investment summit in Accra, on the theme ‘Matchmaking agriculture trade and investment opportunities in Africa’. The two-day summit is aimed at presenting investment and business opportunities within Africa’s agricultural and food processing sectors to investors across the globe, and it will bring together over 300 players in the industry to discuss ways to transforming the agricultural sector. The summit will offer the platform for businesses involved in agricultural products or services to network with key sector actors such as agribusinesses, farmer associations, and agricultural leaders from across Africa…
‘Fake’ Palm Oil: Retailers Tighten Noose on Suppliers – FDA
Following the Food and Drugs Authority’s revelation that some palm oil found in various markets in Accra had been contaminated with Sudan IV, an industrial dye used in the coloration of plastics and other synthetic products, there has been increased vigilance from retailers of the product. According to the FDA, producers and retailers of palm oil have noted the threat the recent developments pose to their businesses and have taken steps to tackle it. “We have had a number of interactions with the producers as well as the retailers. Currently, we have …
Food for Progress Projects to Help Ghana
Food for Progress agreements between the United States and Ghana were recently formed to support Ghana’s poultry industry. “When the government of Ghana asked for assistance to improve its poultry sector, USDA and its partners were ready to help,” said Krysta Harden, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance along with the American Soybean Association are helping to launch new economic development and producer outreach initiatives. The groups will work to improve feed quality and veterinary services. The American Soybean Association will focus on educating producers about high-quality feed and…
Government's Contributions Towards WASH Projects not Forthcoming – Smiet
Ghana's financing of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Projects has not been the best, Mr. Fred Smiet, First Secretary Water and Climate, Ghana Netherlands WASH Programme (GNWP), the Embassy of the Netherlands, has said. He said the GNWP focuses on integrated urban water and sanitation and has an indicative budget of € 200 million, which includes contributions from the Dutch Government, the Ghana Government and private sector. Mr. Smiet, who said this in Accra on Monday at the opening of the GNWP/the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) Workshop, explained that under the project the Dutch Government policy is to move away from 100 per cent grant to partnership with the Ghana Government...
Reports/Articles
National Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Security Action Plan of Ghana (2016-2020)
R Zougmoré, N Karbo, D Nutsukpo, GO Essegbey - 2015
The policy document – National Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Security Action Plan of Ghana (2016-2020) – provides the implementation framework for an effective development of climate-smart agriculture in the ground. It formulates specific strategies that will contribute developing climate-resilient agriculture and food systems for all agro-ecological zones, as well as the human resource capacity required for a climate-resilient agriculture promotion in Ghana. The action plan is therefore an effort to translate to the ground level the broad national goals and objectives in climate-smart agriculture. Its development has been made possible through the active engagement of various public and private institutions and organizations in Ghana…
Strategies for Managing Vulnerability of Women Vegetable Farmers In The Central Region of Ghana
FA Von, EL Okorley
Subsistence vegetable farming is a way of survival for most women in the rural areas of Ghana. To make this survival a reality, they need to manage their external environment in order to secure their livelihoods. The paper reports on the strategies for the management of vulnerabilities of women vegetable farmers in the Central Region of Ghana. Understanding the strategies for managing vulnerability will provide accurate decision, capacity building and adaptive strategies in tackling the problems as well as provide practical, scientific, and socio-economic actions to mitigate vulnerability of the farmers and ensure agricultural production on a sustainable basis…
Modernizing the Agricultural Education and Training Curriculum
TJ Freer - 2015
This document was written as part of a series of InnovATE thematic studies. These research papers examine a particular agricultural education and training (AET) system, cross-cutting theme, model, or technique and offer an analysis of the subject in question. These studies often highlight AET innovations in good practices. Case studies examine how agricultural education and training intersects with other development issues which are important to AET capacity building …The Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education (InnovATE) Project promotes sustainable food security, poverty reduction, and natural resource conservation in the developing world by assisting in the development of effective and sustainable agricultural…
Producing and Delivering International Public Goods in Agricultural Research: Lessons for the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish
C Kanyuuru, M Kidoido, K Nyikahadzoi - 2015
International Public Goods (IPGs) refers to knowledge and technologies that are easily accessible (either free or low-cost) and have broad applicability across international boundaries. An IPG within the context of international research for development has two dimensions namely the technical (hardware) and the ‘orgware’ (software). Once an IPG is produced, several strategies are employed to use the good to achieve development outcomes. Over the years, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of IPGs has evolved from centralized, top-down approaches to inclusive and participatory approaches, that do not only focus on the technologies produced but also on processes and institutions for delivery…
How Well Do WHO Complementary Feeding Indicators Relate to Nutritional Status of Children Aged 6-23 Months in rural Northern Ghana?
M Saaka, A Wemakor, AR Abizari, P Aryee - BMC Public Health, 2015
Though the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) indicators have been in use, little is known about their association with child nutritional status. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between IYCF indicators (timing of complementary feeding, minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet) and child growth indicators. A community-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in November 2013. The study population comprised mothers/primary caregivers and their children selected using a two-stage cluster sampling procedure. Of the 1984 children aged 6-23 months; 58.2 % met the minimum meal frequency, 34.8 % received…
Impact of Akaki Small-scale Irrigation Scheme on Household Food Security
M Deribie - J Account Mark, 2015
The study aims to evaluate the impact of Akaki small scale irrigation scheme on household food security of smallholder farmers. Out of 700 farming households with systematically stratified random sampling technique, this causal type of study analyzed 246 household survey based primary data (personal interview questionnaire ) with inferential statistics (Heck man two stage). It shows that food security is not as such observed in the study area. At 0.05 probability level; sex, land size (ls), educational level (ed), off farm income (offarmi), irrigation experience (exep) and distance from home to water source (dhomeland ) are significant correlates of food security with respect to the three food security indicators (food consumption…
Cocoa Compost and Crop Rotation
S Goedken, IA Harlan
Nigeria is a country of diverse people, languages, and cultures. Ranked seventh in population, it is as much of a melting pot as America. The land varies drastically from north to south and east to west. However, many there go hungry. In many places, the soil is infertile and cannot be used for farming. The climate is changing drastically, which makes it difficult to keep up with new means of assistance. Some cannot own a farm because of the expenses involved or cannot sell enough to break even with the cost of planting in their fields. Many, even though they can afford to farm, lack access to markets due to poor road conditions, a way to get to the market, decent market infrastructures, or safe roads. Olajide Adeloa writes in the African ….
Burundi: Improving Food Security through Disease Prevention and Treatment
M Onyekaba, C Rapids
Burundi is a small landlocked East African country between Tanzania and Rwanda. It has a population of 10.16 million people. Its people are vibrant; however, a civil war between its tribal groups of Tutsi and Hutu people caused ethnic tensions and led to an economically unstable country, though this instability isn’t exclusively a result of the war. The bulk of its economic activity rests on agriculture, which is highly dependent on the fluctuating international tea and coffee market, as well as weather conditions and crop yields. Currently over 90% of economic activity is from agriculture (“Africa :: Burundi”). The average Burundian survives on less than $2 USD daily, which leads to a lack of food security…
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