Below are some current developments on agriculture in Africa:
Media Reports
EPA Distributes 100,000 Tree Seedlings
As part of the “Greening Ghana Project” which is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the EPA, the Upper East Regional Directorate of the Environmental Protection Agency, has begun the distribution of 100,000 assorted tree seedlings to traditional councils and schools in the Region. The seedlings included Mahogany, Moringa, Albizia, Grilicidia, Sepium, Cassia Papao, Cashew, rosewood among others. The Regional Director, who is also, the National Focal Person in Ghana for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), said the project is aimed at increasing the vegetative cover and restoring the degraded areas of the region.
Over 70 Cashew Experts and Producers meet in Brong Ahafo
A training program organized by the Competitive Cashew initiative (ComCashew) in partnership with the African Cashew Alliance (ACA), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Cocoa Research Institute Ghana (CRIG) seeks to bring over 70 cashew experts from the producing countries of the sub-region to meet in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Region to discuss best practices and lessons learnt as well as to build national and regional networks for future collaboration. Competitive Cashew initiative (ComCashew) previously known as the African Cashew initiative (ACi) constitutes a new type of multi-stakeholder partnership in development cooperation. The initiative is mainly funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for its third phase which started from May 1, 2016. The training programme is part of the Master Training Programing for cashew value chain promotion which will ensure that participants will return to their host institutions, organisations, to have a multiplier effect on the cashew industry when sharing their knowledge and experiences gained by attending this tailor-made training.
Oil Palm Regulatory Board to be Established soon
Proforest, which is leading the Initiative on behalf of Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) 2020, held the Palm Oil Initiative second Ghana Country workshop to review and validate the national Principle’s and Actions for responsible oil palm development in Ghana and agree on implementation framework as well as reconstitute the Ghana Country Core team. TFA 2020 is a public–private partnership bringing together companies, governments and civil society with a shared goal of reducing tropical deforestation across the globe. Its focus is on agricultural commodities such as palm oil, soy, pulp and paper, and beef products, which drive more than 50 per cent of deforestation. Nine countries are currently engaged in the Africa Palm Oil Initiative, at different stages in the process. The countries include Ghana, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Gabon, Liberia and Nigeria are engaged in the Initiative. Speaking at the workshop, Dr Alhassan – the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, said “ it is important that palm oil refiners, manufacturers and other actors who influence the sector directly and indirectly come together to find ways of reducing the likely negative impacts and increase its benefits”.
SEND-GHANA, PFAG Sends Extension Service Plan to Parliament
SEND GHANA and PFAG have conducted research on extension service and have put together a research document which essentially summarises the observation with regards to extension service provision in the country, and have also proposed specific recommendations for consideration. Presenting highlights of the proposal, Mr. Charles Nyaba, the Programme Officer PFAG, revealed that the document was informed by suggestions and interactions held with farmers across the country. According to him, the situation whereby one Agric Extension Agent (AEA) is expected to serve One thousand five hundred farmers is worrying. Mr. Gabriel Essilfie, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, has acknowledged that there is inadequacy in the extension delivery sector of the Agriculture Ministry. He has, therefore, given assurance that the issue would be raised on the floor of Parliament to elicit lasting workable policy to drive growth of agriculture and enhance the work associated with extension service delivery in the country.
USAID and GHS Launch Campaign Dubbed ‘Good Life, Live It Well’
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ministry of Health, and the Ghana Health Service launched the refreshed “Good Life, Live it Well” campaign on July 28 at the National Theatre. The “Good Life, Live it Well” campaign was first launched in partnership with USAID in 2010. The new, refreshed campaign will promote improved health behaviors in family planning; maternal, newborn and child health; malaria prevention and treatment; and water, sanitation and hygiene. USAID is providing $10 million towards the mass media and print campaigns, as well as technical support in the development of the campaign’s messages. The “Good Life, Live It Well” campaign furthers the goals of USAID’s integrated Health, Population, and Nutrition Program, which works to improve the health and well-being of the population in Ghana. USAID partners with the government of Ghana to achieve these goals, build leadership, improve governance, and build capacity in the health sector.
Reports/Articles
Perceived Land Tenure Security and Rural Transformation - Empirical Evidence from Ghana
Hosaena Ghebru, Huma Khan, Isabel Lambrecht - IFPRI Discussion Paper 01545, July 2016
Tenure security is believed to be critical in spurring agricultural investment and productivity. Yet what improves or impedes tenure security is still poorly understood. Using household- and plot-level data from Ghana, this study analyzes the main factors associated with farmers’ perceived tenure security. Individually, farmers perceive greater tenure security on plots acquired via purchase or inheritance than on land allocated by traditional authorities. Collectively, however, perceived tenure security lessens in communities with more active land markets and economic vibrancy. Migrant households and women in polygamous households feel less secure about their tenure, while farmers with political connections are more confident about their tenure security.
Modeling Ghanaian Cocoa Farmers’ Decision to Use Pesticide and Frequency of Application: the Case of Brong Ahafo Region
EK Denkyirah, ED Okoffo, DT Adu, AA Aziz, A Ofori… - SpringerPlus, 2016
Pesticides are a significant component of the modern agricultural technology that has been widely adopted across the globe to control pests, diseases, weeds and other plant pathogens, in an effort to reduce or eliminate yield losses and maintain high product quality. Although pesticides are said to be toxic and exposes farmers to risk due to the hazardous effects of these chemicals, pesticide use among cocoa farmers in Ghana is still high. Furthermore, cocoa farmers do not apply pesticide on their cocoa farms at the recommended frequency of application. In view of this, the study assessed the factors influencing cocoa farmers’ decision to use pesticide and frequency of pesticide application. A total of 240 cocoa farmers from six cocoa growing communities in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana were selected for the study using the multi-stage sampling technique
Gender Equality and the Economic Development of the Soya bean sector in Northern Ghana
BL Hamid - Cell
Women and youth are among the poorest demographic populations in the world. Preexisting gender roles and inequalities such as under representation of women in the economic sectors of many developing countries continues to marginalize these groups (Nandal 2011, 119). Women are also subject to the global gender pay gap of 22 percent and are the often the first to lose their jobs (Nandal 2011, 118). Women lack access property rights, economic decision making and often participate in the unorganized sector in many developing countries. Lack of necessary training, technology, finance, cultural norms and skills play a significant role in the limitations for economic inclusion. The market system approach referred to in this paper is an analysis of the relationship in which the core actors private or public engage in competing for the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. By focusing on determining core actors, support functions and the enabling environment knowledge is gained on the sub-sector of Soya bean and its system. The main challenges and opportunities are explored to determine women’s involvement and how it can begin to address the sustainable development goals (SDG).
Linking Smallholders to Profitable Markets: A Case Study of Selected Cassava Value Chains in Ghana
S Asuming-Brempong, AA Boakye, JKM Kuwornu… - 2016. Prepared for Michigan State University and Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture: Strengthening Regional Agricultural Integration Project, Phase 2 (SRAI 2)
The objective of the study was to examine the linkages, opportunities, benefits and challenges, amongst others, in three key cassava value chains in Ghana as a case study. These included: (a) Guinness Ghana Brewery Limited (GGBL) – Ayensu Starch Company Limited (ASCo) – Aggregator (MAXPO Transport Services) – Smallholder farmers; (b) Accra Brewery Limited – DADTCO-Ghana Limited –Smallholder farmers; (c) Accra Brewery Limited – Caltech Limited – Smallholder farmers. The analysis of the linkages in each of the above value chains is based on transaction-cost economics, and examines key issues that include asset specificity, degree of uncertainty and risk of transaction, frequency of transaction, and externalities/opportunism in contracts underpinning these linkages. Investments made by brewery firms (Guinness Ghana Brewery Ltd and Accra Brewery Ltd) in the value chains indicate high asset specificity in that their processing plants are specifically designed for the production of beer (including Ruut beer and Eagle beer, which are produced from processed cassava).
Technological and Managerial Gaps in the Adoption of Improved Groundnut Seed Varieties in Uganda
N Paliwal – 2016 - University of Connecticut
At the end of 2015, the official deadline for the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reported that the undernourished proportion1 of the developing world population had fallen from 23.3 percent in 1990, to 12.9 percent, fundamentally improving the welfare of 216 million people worldwide (FAO, IFAD, & WFP, 2015). Despite these positive outcomes, improvement is advancing at an increasingly slower pace and is potentially in danger of trend reversal as the effects of climate change become more serious. Today, about one in nine people (approximately 795 million), largely concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Southeast Asia, are still undernourished; a vulnerable population that is likely to grow unless efficient adaptation and mitigation strategies are adopted.
Origins, Production, and Utilization of Cassava in Burkina Faso, a Contribution of a Neglected Crop to Household Food Security
F Guira, K Some, D Kabore, H Sawadogo‐Lingani… - Food Science & Nutrition, 2016
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a food plant introduced in Africa from America by the Portuguese in 1558. The objective of this study is to establish cassava origins, production, and utilization in Burkina Faso. The investigation was carried out in the regions of Center West, Cascades, Boucle du Mouhoun, Hauts Bassins, South West, and Center East of Burkina Faso. Eighteen cassava processing units and 226 farmers in 57 communities from the selected regions have been involved in the survey. The investigation showed that cassava was introduced to Burkina Faso, former Upper Volta from the costal countries, Gold Coast (now Ghana), by both local traders and the Roman Catholic White missionaries. This happened between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The main variety introduced was Banfti. Some improved varieties like V5 (94/0270), Banké (V2), 68.61, 30572, KTMA developed by research are now available and used by farmers along with the traditional varieties like manchien, santidougou, tchinda yaar, léo. The cases of intoxication evoked by some farmers are evidence that some of those varieties may have a high level of cyanohydric acid content. Cassava is available all the year throughout the country.
* The GSSP News Digest just summarizes news that is reported in the press. Any errors of fact or omission are not IFPRI’s responsibility*
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The articles included in this news digest have been generated from online news sources and the daily graphic newspaper published within last week. For more information on any of these articles, please contact Gladys Baaba Arhin at G.Arhin@cgiar.org
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