The European Union Food Security Response in Northern Ghana Project has made significant progress in improving food and nutritional security, as well as building climate resilience among smallholder farmers in selected communities.
Over the past two years of its implementation, the project has empowered smallholder farmers in Lungu community and 11 other farming communities in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region, with good agronomic practices, enhanced pest and disease management skills and improve agronomic technologies for sustainable production of maize, sorghum, soybean and millet.
The improved agronomic technologies include mechanized seeding and basal fertilizer application on the same day for improved fertilizer and labour use efficiency and yield, maize cowpea intercropping for improved soil fertility and weed control, leaf stripping for quality fodder to feed livestock, and the use of Aflasafe to control mycotoxins in grains of crops.
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A combination of two or more technologies has helped smallholder farmers in the intervention communities to sustainably intensify and improve their maize production in the district.
The project in partnership with seed producer companies also trained some smallholder farmers in the communities in seed production to help address the challenge of access to quality improved seeds for crop production.
These achievements came to light during a field visit by stakeholders in the agricultural value chain, led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA, implementing partner), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, project lead) and seed companies (project partners) to a demonstration farm at Lungu to assess the impact of the technologies.
The event also brought together local government structures, including the Department of Agriculture (project implementing partner), the Bongo District Assembly, smallholder farmers and traditional authorities in the area, to learn about the technologies and replicate them on their farms.
During the field visit, it was observed that the performance of maize plants (cobs size, stalks, number plant stands) in the fields with two or more of the technologies (mechanized seeding and basal fertilizer application, cowpea intercropping, leaf stripping) were better compared to those cultivated using conventional methods.
Madam Doris Nsoh Akalari, a smallholder female farmer at Lungu, indicated that since adopting the improved technologies on her farm, she had witnessed increased yields, which is helping her household to be food secured.
“We were taught how to grow crops and rear animals at the same time to increase organic manure for the crops while ensuring enough fodder for the animals,” she said.
She, however, appealed for irrigation facilities to enable her and her colleagues to engage in dry-season farming, adding that “year-round farming will completely eliminate hunger in our homes.”
Mr Thomas Awine Avea, another smallholder male farmer, lauded the project, noting that it had not only reduced the cost of production, but also increased yields for crops grown on the same farmland.
“The only major challenge we face is the unavailability of fertilizer during the planting season, so we appeal that it will be made available when the rains set in to enable us to plant on time,” he said.
Dr Bekele Kotu, Project Team Lead at IITA, explained that the project was a response to the threats of food insecurity in Northern Ghana, caused by several factors including the devastating effects of climate change, which had adversely affected agricultural production.
He said the project, being implemented in the Upper East, Northern, and Savannah regions, had trained thousands of smallholder farmers to increase food production while strengthening their resilience against climate change shocks.
Additionally, he said, beneficiary farmers had been trained to produce improved seeds locally, in collaboration with seed companies, to ensure sufficient supply for planting and for sale to improve household incomes.
“The progress we are celebrating today is a testament to what is possible when research institutions, government, the private sector, and farmers work together.
“By empowering women processors, building seed systems, and promoting climate-smart agronomy, we are not only improving productivity but also strengthening the resilience of households and communities against food insecurity and climate shocks,” Dr Kotu added.
Mr Kadri Alfah, Project Manager at FAO, commended the farmers for adopting the technologies and urged them to transfer the knowledge to their colleagues to help increase agricultural production and combat food insecurity.
Dr Nurudeen Abdul Rahman, an Agronomist at IITA, noted that farmers have been empowered with the best agronomic technologies that have the potential to transform their farming activities and appealed to the beneficiary farmers to scale up the technologies to other farmers within the community and other communities.
Mr Henry Ayamba, Bongo District Director, Department of Agriculture, commended the project for contributing to transforming agriculture production in the district and urged the farmers to embrace the technologies for improved yields.
GNA
