Below are some current developments on agriculture in Africa:
Media Reports
US$113m Agric Project Launched
A US$113million Ghana Sector Investment Programme (GASIP) to promote and scale-up agricultural value chains in the country has been launched in Tamale. The six-year project funded by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) - a United Nations Food Agency - and implemented by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) is aimed at supporting infrastructure development, technology transfer, conservation farming and research to ensure the production of quality food crops to meet demands of the market. It is also geared toward providing a framework and institutional basis for a long-term engagement and supplementary financing for scaling-up investment in private sector-led pro-poor agricultural value chain development, as well as linking up smallholder farmers to agribusinesses to enhance growth. It is expected that GASIP will help contribute to the realisation of Ghana’s medium-term agricultural sector investment (METASIP) and help about 12,000 rural households, particularly women and young people, to improve their economic activities and livelihoods …
AYNAT Encourages Youth to Venture into Agric
The African Youth Network for Agricultural Transformation (AYNAT) has held a youth policy dialogue aimed at encouraging the youth to see agriculture as a life-long occupation. The forum brought together more than 70 participants to empower them to go into agribusiness, and was on the theme ‘Implementing Ghana’s Youth Policy on Agriculture, defining a Pragmatic Approach’. It was organised with financial support from the Africa Lead of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). AYNAT is a network made up of young people trained by Africa Lead II at its champions for change leadership in agriculture workshop. It is devoted to ensuring that a proportion of the African population arms itself with skills and knowledge to make significant contributions and champion the transformation of Ghanaian and African agriculture, through capacity building, policy advocacy and research. Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, speaking at the event explained that agriculture is the most important instrument for government and has the greatest potential for solving youth unemployment …
17million Tonnes of Cassava Produced Last year
A Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, has said the country produced about 17 million tonnes of cassava last year, which was enough to meet local demand for this year. Ghana needs approximately 10 million metric tonnes of cassava to meet local demand. “We need just about 10 million metric tonnes to feed the Ghanaian populace,” said Alhassan in an interview when reacting to media reports regarding the shortage of cassava. He explained that the remoteness of growing areas and poor transportation to parts of the country are some causes of the recent shortage of cassava. These factors together with infrastructure issues, he said, have conspired to affect the supply chain of cassava from remote areas into the cities. “Know that it is a distribution problem, which is wider than this ministry’s mandate. There are transport issues, there are infrastructure issues, and there is remoteness of growing areas in relation to markets. These are all things that are outside the mandate of the ministry,” he said ….
Can ICTs Transform Ghana’s Agricultural Sector?
ICT solutions are helping agriculture producers to become more effective and efficient in the whole agriculture value chain. One area which has received a lot of hype is agriculture information provision using ICTs, especially mobile phones, where a farmer is able to determine the best market to send his or her products due to increased access to reliable timely market information. There is also the combination of mobile apps, radio, SMS and voice services which allow farmers to receive information virtually rather than to physically interact with extension officers. Also support services such as marketing of products, market access, payment system for agricultural products, information flow among stakeholders are all making a huge difference in the output of producers. Moreover, new digital technologies are providing options for farmers to access pension services, which are facilitated by electronic payment systems. Also, technology, these days, is solving the problem of low ratio of farmers to extension officers through connecting the two parties remotely, as well as providing avenues for farmer-to-farmer extension. In the pre-production process, technology is playing a key role in seed production. The big debate surrounding genetically modified organism (GMO) foods epitomises the high level of the use of technology in the production of seeds, which have ….
World Bank Adds $12m to Land, Water Sustainability Project
The World Bank has offered Ghana a second Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant of $12.76 million to scale-up Sustainable Land and Water Management (SLWM) interventions in selected watersheds and forest fringe communities in the Northern sector. A statement by the Bank said the additional financing grant will help increase the coverage of the sustainable land and water management project in the Northern Savannah zone of Ghana from an original 6,000 hectares to 15,000 hectares and from an original 10 districts to 12 (West Gonja and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Districts), with a focus on root and tuber cultivation. The Sustainable Land and Water Management project is expected to contribute to enhancing food security and climate change resilience of the beneficiary communities in the Northern Savannah region which is characterized by vulnerability, low climate resilience, and high poverty. The second additional financing grant to the SLWM project started in 2011, brings the total GEF grants to $29.7 million, extending the project’s closing date by 2 years and 9 months to November 30, 2020 …
Agricultural Project to Enhance Farmers’ Income
Mr. Roy Ayariga, the National Coordinator of the Ghana Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (GASIP), says the project would promote different crop varieties that would help farmers increase production and their incomes on sustainable basis. The project would guide farmers to produce crop varieties based on market demand and this could be achieved when small holder farmers become more competitive in terms of price, time and quantity produced, Mr. Ayariga said. Mr. Ayariga who has also worked on the Northern Regional Growth Programme, said this when he presented modalities and implementation strategies of GASIP, an agricultural value chain programme designed to be private sector- led and demand- driven in nature, to stakeholders in Bolgatanga. The Programme Coordinator said previous projects have not fared well because farmers failed to make money due to high production costs and lack of market. He said GASIP is a 113.0- million dollar package funded by the Government and the International Fund for Agriculture Development, was designed to go in two phases for the next six years …
Nestle Cocoa Plan is Committed to Support Farmers
Nestle Ghana, as part of its Cocoa Plan, has trained 13,000 farmers in better agricultural practices to increase suppliers’ profitability and secure high-quality cocoa for business. The Plan, has also supported women farmers and improved access to education for their children. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, Mr. Aaron Fenu, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs Manager of Nestle Ghana, said Nestle Ghana, has also built schools in the Ashanti and Eastern regions, constructed village resource centres and dug bore holes to support the cocoa producing communities where they operate. He explained that the Cocoa Plan initiative is aimed at helping farmers to run profitable farms, through farmer training, distribution of higher yielding cocoa plants and rewards for good quality cocoa. He said Nestlé Cocoa Plan, is also to increase suppliers’ profitability, secure high-quality cocoa for their business, and address supply chain issues such as child labour, gender inequality and poor social conditions. “Through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, we distribute stronger plants, train farmers in better agricultural practices, support women farmers and improve access to education for children ….
Cassava Processors Advised to Improve Handling Practices
The Ghana Australia Alumni Association (G3A), has held a capacity building programme for 50 cassava processors from Ada East and Ada West to improve handling practices. The cassava processors were taken through improved ways of processing cassava and its products, good hygienic and safe environmental handling techniques to boost their competitiveness on the local and international markets. Cassava is widely promoted by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as an important crop that contributes to food security and poverty alleviation. However, because of poor technical know-how, processors often employ unhygienic practices thereby reducing the quality of the products. It is in this direction that G3A with support from the Australia Direct Aid Programme (DAP) and the Eastern Regional Agricultural Department organised an exposure visit for 50 cassava processors to Milenovise Good Practice Centre in Korkormu, in the Region. Secretary of G3A, Ms. Mildred Suglo said research had shown that a high percentage of food sold in Ghana does not conform to microbiological standards and pose a threat to human health ….
Climate Change Adaptation Project Launched
The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation in collaboration with the United Nation Development Programme, on Monday launched an Adaptation Fund (AF) project aimed at protecting buffer zones of water bodies. Mr. Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation who launched the project in Tamale said the AF project aims at protecting major river basins in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions. He said the project is a four- year project spanning 2016 to 2020 and targeting 60,000 beneficiaries directly. He indicated that the project would build the resilience and adaptive capacity of rural livelihoods to climate variabilities and 10 districts are to benefit. Mr. Ayariga said the project would develop comprehensive management and investment plans for the White, Black and Oti river basins to take into account climate change impact and its needed interventions. He urged traditional leaders and other stakeholders to support the government to protect the natural resources for livelihoods. He said Climate Change Master Plan has already been developed and approved by the Ministry for the purpose …
AfDB Reaffirms Support for African Youth Entrepreneurship
With almost 200 million people between the ages of 15 and 24, the African continent boasts the youngest population in the world. By 2045, that figure is expected to double. The African Development Bank is working on providing youth with the skills, education and jobs they need to secure their future. Available data shows that although between 10 and 12 million young Africans enter the work force each year, only three million formal jobs are created annually. Besides, the youth often lack the skills required by employers, despite gains in education access over the past several decades. "We need a sense of urgency in tackling the issue of unemployment, said Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank, during a Fireside Chat on Youth in Africa co-hosted by Ashish J. Thakkar, a young African entrepreneur, the founder of Mara Group and Mara Foundation, on Thursday, May 26, at the 2016 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank ...
Shea Butter in Ghana: Hard Labour for Smooth Skin
What is the price of having smooth skin? Some people spend a lot of money on beauty products which contain shea butter, but not much of that trickles down to the widows of a small farming community in northern Ghana who process nuts from which the moisturising paste is made. After five days of picking, crushing, roasting, grinding and cooking, 65-year-old Rebecca Atornyege earns eight cedis ($2; £1.40) from selling her shea butter at the market. Its production is the main commercial activity in Anateem as growing crops is hard in the dry season, the Harmattan, which can last up to eight months. Mrs. Atornyege has to support her family by making and selling shea butter, which has been the preserve of women for generations. "Our mothers taught us how to process it," she says. "When we were children, our mothers used to go to the bush, pick the nuts, come home to pound and grind it before frying it to make butter. "We used to do the grinding and be singing along…
How Germany Celebrates its Agricultural Stakeholders – Lessons for Ghana & Africa
“German Trade Fairs are the Market Places of the World” is a notice posted nicely and glaringly on one of the walls at the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Accra. I saw this, when I and my quartet delegation appeared at the Consular Section on the last but one day of year ending 2015; for our visa interviews, in order to enable us attend and participate in the international conference and trade fair in January 2016. It was around month ending of November 2015; when my company, the International Mindedness Front Ghana Limited (IMFG LTD) facilitated an industry-centered-travel-and-see opportunity for one of its major clients, the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union – the largest farmer-owned cocoa fair-trade cooperative in Ghana and the world. As a corporate travel partner for this prominent organization and its subsidiaries, I led a delegation to Germany; with two officers of Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union and its subsidiary company; Kuapa Kokoo Limited. Consequently, the Administrative Manager – Mr. Bernard Yaw Missedja and a Sector and District Manager – Mr. Eric Fiifi Cudjoe, of one of their cocoa growing districts in the Sefwi Akontombra area….
Reports/Articles
Gender Dynamics in Cashew and Shea Value Chains from Ghana and Burkina Faso
V Ingram, EL Yago-Ouattara, A Lartey, D Mogre…
This study is part of a public-private partnership project ‘Oilseeds specialties: opportunities for the Dutch business community in the vegetable oil industry’ from 2013 to 2015. Demand is rapidly increasing for shea butter in cosmetics and food, derived from the oil rich nuts of the shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) tree and for cashew nuts, seeds of the (Anacardium occidentale) tree, used mainly as a food snack. A literature review, and interviews with 249 farmers and harvesters, processors, retailers, exporters, 42 traditional leaders, exporters, government, research institutions, non-governmental and civil society organisations and 17 focus group discussions were held between July and November 2014. The main findings are that rights to cashew and shea trees and their products differ greatly between men and women. Whilst regulations governing access to land and trees in Burkina Faso and Ghana do not discriminate between men and women, customary law governs in practice and do differentiate. Shea is predominantly wild harvested and cashew is cultivated. Access to land for cultivation is difficult for women in both countries. Land and tree tenure problems include a lack of knowledge of formal laws, costs and difficulties to register land, and insecure customary tenure. Benefits from participating in the value chains of these products have increased in both countries for both men and women …
Gender Analysis of Sweet Potato Production in Ghana
EN Amengor, H Yeboah, E Fordjour, PP Acheampong… - American-Eurasian Journal …, 2016
Gender issues have become key in agricultural research and activities mostly focusing on the differences between sexes in production. The Ghanaian traditional setting perceives farming as a man’s world due to its tedious and laborious nature. Gender distribution along the sweetpotato value chain is vital in modern research as it affects adoption of technologies and output. This study cuts across various stages in sweetpotato production with emphasis on gender analysis at various levels in production in 4 districts (Bawku municipal, Kwahu East, Twifo Ati Mokwa and Akatsi South) with total sample size of 120 farmers obtained through multi-stage sampling. Data was gathered from sweet potato farmers using both qualitative (community level discussion and key informant interviews) and quantitative techniques (structured questionnaire administration). 69% of farmers sampled were males, 68% had varied levels of education, 83% married and they fell within the age range of 23 and 67 years with a mean of 44 years. Six (6) major activities identified in this study were land preparation, planting, weed control, fertilizer application, harvesting/packaging and marketing. Males dominated in land preparation and planting, whereas females dominated in weed control, fertilizer application, harvesting and marketing with across variable and location mean of 51.4% and 48.6% for males and females respectively. 61.9% …
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