Inject Oil Money into Cocoa Industry – COCOBOD Executive
Ghana Business News
Ghana has been advised to inject revenue from oil into the cocoa industry and by extension the agriculture sector. The Deputy CEO of the Ghana COCOBOD in charge of Agronomy and Quality Control, Dr. Yaw Adu-Ampomah gave the advice when he spoke to ghanabusinessnews.com in an exclusive interview after he launched Ghana’s Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Project in Accra Thursday November 10, 2011. “Cocoa is going to play a major role in the economy of Ghana. Only that we have to be smart to inject oil money into cocoa and also into agriculture,” Dr. Adu-Ampomah said.  [more]

Citrus Farmers Call for the Establishment of a Marketing Board
Ghana News Agency
The Cape Coast Citrus Farmers Cooperative Society Limited (CCFCSL) has called for the establishment of a Marketing Board to enhance the development and promotion of the Citrus and Lime sectors in the country. They said the Board when established would be primarily concerned with the production, harvesting, packaging, processing and marketing of all citrus varieties in the central region and all citrus growing areas in the country. Mr. Ato Van-Ess, a trainer of Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund, made the appeal on behalf of the Society during a workshop to address capacity gaps in accessing citrus and lime in Cape Coast.  [more]

Ghana Needs Local Solution to the Climate Change Menance-Nsenkyire
Ghana News Agency
Ghana needs collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to find local solutions to the climate change menace to ensure that the country was food secure, Mr Edward Nsenkyire, Chairman of the National Climate Change Committee, said on Wednesday.  “Our agriculture vulnerability requires that we adapt or adjust our practices to ensure that we are food secure and this depends on collaborative effort form policy makers, researchers, agriculture workers and academicians among others” Mr Nsenkyire said at the first  Regional Institute of Population Studies (RIPS) Climate Change roundtable in Accra. It was in collaboration with the African Adaption Research Centre of Excellence (AARC) and the International Research Centre (IDRC) and was on the theme,” Climate Change Vulnerability and Ghana’s Food Security”.  [more]

30000 Farmers to Get Market through School Feeding Program
Ghana News Agency
About 30,000 smallholder farmers in the country are to get market for their produce through the Ghana School Feeding Program (GSFP) as part of a four –year project by the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), geared towards improving Procurement Governance for Home Grown School Feeding Programs. The Project funded with a 7.5 million-dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially women, by the provision of market opportunities for their produce to national school feeding programs. A press statement in Accra said that SNV would also work in collaboration with the Ministries of Local Government and Agriculture, GSFP National and Regional Secretariat, Ghana Health Service, International NGOs and Faith Based Organizations (FBOS) in 20 pilot districts to help address the problem.  [more]

Northern Farmers Complain Of High Cost of Farming
Ghana News Agency
Farmers in the three Northern Regions on Friday said the cost of agriculture production in the area was too high and almost intolerable. According to them, the high interest rate on borrowing from banks, poor state of roads and expensive agricultural inputs may affect the country’s food production and called on the Government to intervene. These concerns were trumpeted at a day’s forum on pre-harvest, networking and marketing organized by the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons for Chiefs in Tamale. The forum jointly organized by the International Centre for Soil Fertility (IFDC), Ghana Grains Council and Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) sought to forge a closer relationship with stakeholders in the maize, rice and soya bean value chain. [more]

In Other News

Impact of the Adoption of Soil and Water Conservation Practices on Crop Production:Baseline Evidence of the Sub Saharan Africa Challenge Program
As the population of many countries in the sub Saharan Africa (SSA) region continues to grow rapidly, the carrying capacity of its agricultural land is becoming lower, bringing closer the land frontier. Consequently, agricultural productivity and food security in SSA are being seriously threatened by the steady decline in soil fertility. The need therefore to economically examine the adoption of soil and water management technology (SWMT) options to improve agricultural production becomes imperative in order to evaluate the impact of their uptake by the resource-poor African farmers. [more]

Land-based Investments for Rural Development? A Grounded Analysis of the Local Impacts of Biofuel Feedstock Plantations in Ghana
The rapidly growing biofuel sector in Africa has, in recent years, been received with divided interest. As part of a contemporary wave of agricultural modernization efforts, it could make invaluable contributions to rural poverty. Conversely, it could also engender socioeconomically and environmentally detrimental land use changes as valuable land resources are converted to plantation agriculture. This research analyzes the impacts and impact pathways of biofuel feedstock development in Ghana. It finds that companies are accessing large contiguous areas of customary land through opaque negotiations with traditional authorities, often outside the purview of government and customary land users. Despite lack of participation, most customary land users were highly supportive of plantation development, with high expectations of ‘development’ and ‘modernization.’ With little opposition and resistance, large areas of agricultural and forested land are at threat of being converted to plantation monoculture. [more]

Impact of Land Rights on Productivity of Agriculture and Natural Resource Enterprises in Africa
The paper provides evidences that securing land rights for agriculturalists and environmentalists alike in Africa is now an issue directly related to broader issues of governance. Africans face growing conflicts over land ownership as more land is cleared daily for agriculture. Moreover pressure mounts for the limited supplies of soil, water, trees and wildlife. The paper explores the impact of land policy on productivity of agricultural enterprises as well as sustainable management and utilization of community based natural resources that are essential for rural livelihoods. [more]

Extend Fertilizer Subsidy Beyond 2015; Farmers Plead
AllAfrica.com
Peasant farmers in Ghana have called for an extension of subsidy on fertilizer by government beyond the 2015 deadline. In May 2007, government announced the introduction of the subsidy on fertilizer to mitigate the effects of food crisis. It was also a rapid intervention to help increase food production during the peak of the then global crisis that was adversely affecting poor countries. The Programs Coordinator of Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Victoria Adongo, explained at a stakeholder roundtable discussion with importers and distributors of fertilizer in Accra last week that there was uncertainty surrounding the life span of the program as sustained funding had become a problem. [more]

Rice Farmers Ask Government to Adopt SRI
Ghana News Agency
Rice farmers operating under the Kpong Irrigation Project at Asutware in the Eastern Region, on Tuesday called on Government to adopt the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as a policy to help increase rice production. The SRI is a set of farming practices developed by farmers in Madagascar to ensure maximum use of land and water as well as other resources, based on the development of healthier, large and deep-rooted practices that could make crops to resist drought, water logging and wind damage. Mr. Moses Guamah, National Best Irrigation Rice farmer told the Ghana News Agency at   Asutware that the cost of production under the SRI is low as compared with the conventional method of rice production. [more]

Scientist Ask Farmers to Adapt Water Catchment Systems
Ghana
Dr. Dilys MacCarthy, a scientist at the Soil and Irrigation Research Centre of the University of Ghana has noted that water catchment and storage systems are important to farmers to adapt to changing climate. She said most farmers in Ghana rely on rainfall for water and yet the pattern and quantities are becoming irregular, hence the need for them to learn technologies and practices which can be used in adaptation to climate change. Dr. MacCarthy said this at a “Meet and Greet,” interactive knowledge sharing program for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), farmers and researchers to promote climate change networking in Ghana organized by Africa Adapt (AA), an NGO. [more]

Good Practice Centres Add Value to Cassava Production
Modern Ghana
Apesika is a predominantly farming community at Tano North in the Brong Ahafo region. The name of the town is translated literally in Akan to mean ‘love for money’. However, money making here had been an arduous task until the establishment of the Good Practice Centre (GPC) in the community by the Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Program (RTIMP) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA). Today, Apesika is living its name as people from all over Brong Ahafo and beyond visit to learn from their best practices in gari processing. This has helped to increase patronage of their products and opened up new markets for the farmers and processers. [more]

Food Crisis/Security

Prices of Maize, Rice, Soya Bean Increase
Ghana Business News
The National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) has announced new farm gate minimum guaranteed prices for maize, paddy rice and Soya beans for the 2011 and 2012 crop seasons. Mr. Eric Osei-Owusu, Chief Executive Officer of NAFCO, who announced the new prices at a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, said a 100 kilogram (KG) bag of maize would now have a minimum price value of GH¢45.00 instead of GH¢33.00 in the previous crop season. He said an 85KG bag of paddy rice and 100KG bag of Soya bean would also be valued at GH¢35.00 and GH¢70.00 respectively as compared to their previous prices of GH¢30 and GH¢50 respectively. [more]

Africa Food & Nutrition Security Day Emphasizes Need for Stronger Food
Modern Ghana
Today the World Food Program (WFP) marks the Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day by highlighting the importance of regional markets and locally produced food in increasing access to food on both national and household levels. “WFP works with governments and communities across Africa to break the cycle of hunger that is so pervasive,” said WFP Deputy Executive Director Sheila Sisulu. “We’re helping to apply country-led hunger solutions while promoting growth and development. At the same time, we are providing life-saving assistance to those suffering from crises, such as the drought in the Horn of Africa or the post-election population displacement in Côte d’Ivoire.” In 2010, WFP reached almost 46 million people in more than 40 countries in Africa. WFP’s assistance on the continent focuses on emergency relief, post-crisis recovery and longer-term programs to reduce chronic hunger and malnutrition. [more]

In Other News

Industrialization, Exports and the Developmental State in Africa: A case for Transformation
This essay explores the role of the state in promoting exports and industrialization in the quest for transformation of African economies. It does this by exploring the role of trade in African economies followed by a brief look at the East Asian Developmental state. This is followed by an examination of why many African states have failed at being drivers of transformation. It concludes by examining the potential role of African states in a project of transformation as well as the available avenues and resources for transformation. [more]

Agriculture in Sustainable Rural Development Effects of the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II) on Livelihoods and Coping Strategies of Smallholder Farming Households: Context of the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
The Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) approach championed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund lies at the centre of development assistance, debt relief, and development planning in many developing countries, including Ghana. Ghana has implemented a PRS (Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy I, 2003-2005) and a second generation of PRS (Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II, 2006-2009) had just passed its implementation phase in 2009. This study focuses on the second PRS – that is the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II). The study also selectively reviews major literature on the role of agriculture in sustainable rural development and offers critical perspectives on realising the potential multiplier effects of sustainable agriculture in sustainable rural development promotion. [more]

Harnessing Agric Research for National Development – The Case of CSIR-CRI
Myjoyonline.com
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has the research capacity to drastically reduce the huge annual import bill for rice and yellow maize, says Kwesi Ahwoi, Minster of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). He has however acknowledged the need for Ghana’s policy environment to be put right to increase the production of cereals from the current 51 percent. “How to fund research in a focused manner”, he noted, is one key challenge for Ghana’s agric modernization and commercialization. Mr. Ahwoi says it is his “avowed desire and commitment” for MOFA to work in unison with the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) and Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) to “significantly increase the funding of our research institutions to enhance the status of research and researchers and scientist so that Ghanaian farmers can get the best out of them through enhanced research-extension linkages”. [more]

Scientist Urges Cocoa Farmers to Embrace Cocoa Fertilization
Ghana News Agency
Dr Francis Tetteh, President of the Soil Science Society of Ghana (SSSG), has attributed the increase in cocoa production in Ghana over the past six years to the application of cocoa fertilizer by farmers. He appealed to all cocoa farmers to embrace the concept of fertilization as a means of increasing soil fertility which would lead to high cocoa production in the years to come. Dr Tetteh made the appeal at a forum on soil fertility and fertilizer application for cocoa farmers in the Eastern Region at Bosuso on Thursday. He said national outputs of cocoa in Ghana had seen appreciable increases in the last six years due to pragmatic policies put in place by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana in collaboration with the Soil Science Society of Ghana on areas of national control of pest and diseases on all cocoa farms, the increased use of fertilizers on farms and mass cocoa spraying. [more]

Ghana: PFAG and GFAP Appeal Higher Fertilizer Subsidy to Ensure Food Security
AllAfrica.com
The involvement of the government in signing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is an effort to make the country a better place to live. Though the government is still fighting towards achieving the goals, its efforts have not been that visible enough. Although the country has limited resources, the government has proven itself able to meet the requirement of MDGs in the targeted years. For instance, in the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and free maternal health in the health sector, and the introduction of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NACFO) and acceptance of the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) activities in the country, complement the first goals which every country is expected to achieve by the year 2015. [more]

Agriculture Deserves More Attention like Mining Sector
AllAfrica.com
Ghana is a nation well-endowed with natural minerals resources, including gold. The existence of these minerals has attracted many foreign investors into the country, which as a result, gives the country extra revenue for developmental projects. The establishment of mining companies has brought about the creation of jobs for some of the youth, and revenue derived enables the government to create jobs aside mining. The mining sector is said to generate 5% of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, with the exportation of crops the highest earner. [more]

Encouraging Private Investment in Agricultural Research: Myth or Necessity for Developing Countries
The focus for many developing countries is on increasing both public and private investments for improving the performance of the agricultural sector; an issue that is being pursued at national, regional and international levels. Identifying the right technologies, developing output and input markets, prioritizing agriculture in national development strategies, and private-public partnerships are important aspects for a successful research and development (R&D) and technology adoption framework. Agricultural R&D has the potential to reduce costs and/or raise output and therefore to shift the supply curve to the right. The InterAcademy Council and other public and private agencies have recognized the critical role of S&T in economic and social development and have recommended a doubling of public agricultural R&D funding by 2015. [more]

Fertilizer Dealers Discuss Fertilizer Subsidy Policy
Ghana News Agency
Mr. William Kotey, President of Crop Life Ghana, an umbrella group of importers and distributors of fertilizer in Ghana, has called on the Government to review the current policy guidelines on fertilizer subsidy to ensure its sustainability. He said there should be a comprehensive plan to address pertinent issues concerning logistics and adequate transportation fees to transport fertilizers to farmers in the remotest communities. Mr. Kotey said this at a round table discussion in Accra on Tuesday to review the fertilizer subsidy policy for fertilizer importers and distributors on implementation guidelines. It was also find out their perceptions, challenges and contribution towards the sustainability of the program. Mr. Kotey advocated the establishment of an agricultural fund to address some of the challenges faced in the sector. [more]

Food Crisis/Security
Bio-Technology the Only Way to Combat World Hunger: Experts
MorungExpress
Bio-technology needs to be adopted more widely to combat the spectre of global hunger, said agriculturists from all over the world, policy experts, senior US officials and Fortune 500 companies who came together at a global farmers’ conference in Des Moines, Iowa. One of the keynote speakers at the event, Jose Fernandez, assistant secretary in the US Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs set the tone of the discussions at conference, “The next generation: confronting the hunger challenge of tomorrow”. Fernandez said agriculture production systems are under pressure as never before. [more]

Gender Issues
Women Rice Farmers in Ghana Partner for New Opportunities
An organization of 50 female rice farmers in Ghana recently received training, with U.S. help, to develop their businesses and increase crop production. Members of the Nyohini Women’s Group, made up of rice farmers, capitalized on Ghana’s $547 million compact with the U.S. government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to receive nine weeks of training in business and farming methods. The compact’s commercial training deals with several constraints that face smallholder farmers and agribusinesses. These include poor production, outdated postharvest techniques and limited business and management skills. [more]

Women’s Role in Ghana’s Agric Development Lauded
Ghana
Ghanaian women’s contribution in the development of agriculture has been hailed in the Government’s strategy to achieving “Better Ghana Agenda”. Research indicates that women constitute about 70% of the nation’s population and are found in all aspects of the processes involved in agriculture in the country. “Ghanaian women are found in fisheries, crop and animal production as well as microfinance and others sectors of the economy,” noted Dr. Frances Azumah, of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). [more]

Other News
Agriculture in Sustainable Rural Development: Effects of the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy 11 (GRPS 11) On Livelihoods and Coping Strategies of Smallholder
The Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) approach championed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund lies at the centre of development assistance, debt relief, and development planning in many developing countries, including Ghana. Ghana has implemented a PRS (Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy I, 2003-2005) and a second generation of PRS (Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II, 2006-2009) had just passed its implementation phase in 2009. This study focuses on the second PRS – that is the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II). The study also selectively reviews major literature on the role of agriculture in sustainable rural development and offers critical perspectives on realizing the potential multiplier effects of sustainable agriculture in sustainable rural development promotion. [more]

Land Inheritance: A Gendered Analysis of Factors Influencing the Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty
This paper highlights the importance of land if poor people are to exit poverty, particularly those living in rural areas in low income developing countries. It describes the importance of women having equitable land ownership and inheritance rights both for their own well-being and in order to limit the intergenerational transmission of poverty. It explores a range of policy alternatives to improve equity and shows that in order to support gender equity and improved child outcomes change to legislation and customary practice needs to consider not only land ownership and inheritance but also marital and divorce laws. Policy analysts also need to consider whether individualized land tenure arrangements exist in a particular context or whether land is under collective communal land management systems as this will influence policy options. Enhanced equity depends not only on legal changes but also change in customary practice, both supported by a range of complementary actions. [more]

Design of Solar Drying Technology Equipment for Drying Food Consistent with Farmers’ Willingness to Pay: Evidence from Ghana
In this study, a survey of two hundred and fifty-five (255) farmers, sampled from the Akuapim South District in the Eastern Region and the South Tongu District in the Volta Region of Ghana was undertaken to determine their willingness to adopt and pay for solar drying technology for drying food. Using descriptive statistics, farmers’ awareness, willingness to adopt and willingness to pay for solar drying technology were analyzed. A Logit model analysis was employed in identifying factors influencing farmers’ willingness to adopt the technology. The empirical results reveal a low level of awareness of the solar drying technology (27%) among the farmers. However majority (94.5%) were willing to adopt the technology and (88.2%) willing to pay for the technology. The modal amount farmers were willing to pay was GH¢100.00 and the highest amount GH¢1000.00. [more]

As Ghana becomes an oil economy, there is now recognition that that the cocoa sector has to become even more efficient in order to survive. GSSP has been gathering data and conducting an analysis designed to identify opportunities for Ghana’s cocoa sector given this current context. Last week, Shashi Kolavalli gave a seminar at IFPRI’s Washington DC office to share preliminary findings on factors that have contributed to increasing the share of producer prices and declining export taxes; the costs and benefits associated with the government’s role in maintaining quality; and opportunities for market and non-market interventions to introduce incentives into the system to continually seek improvements in efficiency.  The presentation can be found here.

Cashews in Ghana – Nut cluster
A mountain of bulging jute bags hides the far wall of a vast shed. A deafening rattle comes from the machine by the open door, a green contraption of conveyors and rotating metal drums that sorts cashews by size and drops them into sacks. Amid the din, an engineer (Italian, like the machine) explains how it works. The new factory at Techiman in western Ghana belongs to Rajkumar Impex, an Indian company which processes more cashews than anyone else: 8-10% of the global crop and 20% of Africa’s. Venkatesan Rajkumar, its founder and boss, says that by 2014 he intends to have 18% of the global total. [more]

Food Crisis/Security
Ghana Improves in Food Security – Global Hunger Index
Ghana Business News
Ghana is the only country south of the Sahara to have improved on its score in the Global Hunger Index (GHI), according to its 2011 report titled “The Challenge Of Hunger: Taming Price Spikes and Excessive Food Price Volatility”. According to the report jointly authored by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Welthungerlife and Concern Worldwide, Ghana and Nicaragua improved from alarming to moderate from the period 1990 to 2011. It says although from the 1990 GHI to the 2011 GHI, 15 countries were able to reduce their scores by 50 percent or more, “only one country in Sub-Saharan Africa – Ghana – is among the 10 best performers in improving their GHI scores since 1990”. [more]

Ghana: Harnessing All Resources to Conquer Hunger
AllAfrica.com
Yesterday, October 16, was celebrated as World Food Day. In Ghana, Oxfam and its partners organized a news conference last Friday in which they highlighted key issues such as hunger in the face of changing climate; rising food prices, population growth, and competition for land from bio-fuel, industry and urbanization. They also focused on the need for constant interaction with farmers and producer organizations on their perspectives on the issues of agriculture development and food security in Ghana. [more]

 Gender Issues
More Women to Benefit from Rural Women Anti-Poverty Project
Modern Ghana
Rural poverty in Ghana has been identified to continue to be one of the major socioeconomic problems besetting the Ghanaian economy and the need for pragmatic measures to be put in place to target the rural poor has been underscored. In order to help reduce rural poor especially among women, Global Media Foundation, a human rights and anti-corruption media advocacy foundation has initiated a project dubbed “Rural Women Anti-poverty Project” which aims at empowering rural micro business operators to expand their businesses in order to reduce poverty among rural women. [more]

Assemblies Urged to Give More Support to Women in Agriculture
Daily Graphic
Addressing a forum on the joint celebration of World Rural Women’s Day, World Food Day and the Global Call of Action against Poverty at Bawku in the Upper East Region, Mr. Nicholas Apekerah, Executive Director of Trade Aid Integrated, urged municipal and district assemblies in the region to act without delay to address issues that limit women’s productivity, especially in the area of agriculture in order to address the problem of food insecurity and poverty.
World Food Day is organized on the 15^th of October every year to recognize the contributions of rural women in food security and the development in rural areas. The day has also been set aside by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) to promote food availability and raise awareness of hunger and poverty in the world.
Mr. Apekerah stated that if women were supported with farm inputs and logistics and assured of a ready market for their produce, they would produce enough food to reduce the rate of hunger and poverty. The Municipal Chief Executive of Bawku, Mr. Musa Abdulai, promised the government will continue to do all it could to ensure rural farmers, including women, were provided with all they needed in order to produce enough food to feed their families and the nation.
Source: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 No. 18667, page 16

Other News
Set Aside Percentage of GDP for Research
Daily Graphic
The Chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Professor Eugene Amonoo-Neizer, has called on government to set aside a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for scientific research and development. He said that this was aligned with the African Union’s protocol which makes it a prerogative for members of the body to set aside 1% of their GDP for research in areas that would improve knowledge in science. He said this at a visit to the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), a subsidiary of CSIR.
Prof. Amonoo-Neizer also stated that Ghana would soon get a horticultural institute to make the industry viable. Through government’s intervention, the shea nut industry is now growing fast enough to surpass the country’s major cash crop which is cocoa.
The director of SARI, Dr. Stephen Nutsugah, said the research areas of the institute included crop improvement, soil fertility management, cropping systems, crop protection and post-harvest improvement. SARI is operation in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana.
Source: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 No. 18668, page 21

 Emerging Evidence on the Relative Importance of Sectoral Sources of Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa
Purposeful, well-targeted and successful transformation policies will be elusive for a country or region that does not understand the relative importance of its sectoral sources of growth. This study aims at eliciting understanding in this respect by providing an assessment of the relative importance of the major sectors as sources of growth in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Our findings reveal that, contrary to the general belief that agriculture is the most important contributor to economic growth in SSA countries, rather it is the service sector that leads, followed by agriculture and manufacturing.While not discounting policies aimed at strengthening all sectors, the service sector particularly needs to be better positioned to foster sustainable economic growth in SSA countries. [more]

On Friday, the team presented preliminary findings at a meeting of the MoFA-DP Group at the PPMED library. The meeting was attended by the Chief Director, heads of various programs in the Ministry, and representatives of key donors to the sector. The discussions were followed by a reception we hosted at the Afia Hotel.  The study team has promised to make the draft report available by October 28, 2011 and it will then be shared with the Agriculture Sector Working Group for their feedback.

Government Increases Producer Price for 2011/2012 Main Cocoa Crop
Ghana News Agency
Government on Friday announced an increase in the producer price of cocoa pegging it at GHc3, 280 per tonne for the 2011/2012 season up from the GHc 3,200 for the last season, despite falling world market prices for the commodity. Thus, Ghanaian cocoa farmers are expected to earn GHc205 per bag of 64 kilogram of the produce. The prices take effect from October 14, 2011, the official opening of the season. Ghana expects a good yield this year and the forecast by the sector regulator, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), projects between 850,000 to 900,000 metric tonnes this season. [more]

Breadbasket Initiative Yields Results In Northern Ghana
An ongoing three-year initiative in Tamale, Northern Ghana, which assists farmers access quality seeds and farm inputs, as well as adopt correct farming techniques and agronomical technology, has more than doubled yields of the staple maize. Dubbed the bread basket initiative, it’s also aimed at increasing incomes of small holder farmers and generating youth employment. Zugu Yizegu village was chosen for the initiative, ending next year, due to challenges that plague its people like lack of sufficient food. Most farmers here have access to huge tracts of communal farmlands, but cannot afford quality seeds, farm inputs, or tractor service to plough their lands. Also, the land has lost fertility resulting in low yields. The region is also plagued by flooding and fires that burn crops. Due to poor roads, farmers experience late arrival of farm inputs. Yet according to Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), if resources are well managed soy beans can be cultivated in this region to supply the whole country in addition to maize and rice. [more]

Developing Countries Must Apply Science and Technology to Agriculture
Myjoyonline.com
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Friday, called for a determined application of science and technology in developing countries to help attract the youth into agriculture and boost food production. “It is science and technology, which in many cases hold the key to the progress we want to see. We need to do more to build academic collaborations and to focus minds on Africa’s distinctive agricultural challenges. [more]

Food Crisis/Security

High Volatile Food Prices Set to Continue -Hunger Report
AllAfrica.com
Food price volatility featuring high prices is likely to continue and possibly increase, making poor farmers, consumers and countries more vulnerable to poverty and food insecurity, the United Nations’ three Rome-based agencies said in the global hunger report released yesterday. Small, import-dependent countries, particularly in Africa, are especially at risk. Many of them still face severe problems, following the world food and economic crises of 2006-2008, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Program (WFP) said in “The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2011” (SOFI), an annual flagship report which they jointly produced this year. [more]

Feature: Food Security in Ghana – Does The Government Understand the Concept?
Myjoyonline.com
World Food Day 2011 takes on a special significance in the light of the current global food crisis and the famine across the Horn of Africa this year’s celebration takes on a special significance. After all it is about food security. But does the Government of Ghana (GoG) and other governments really understand the concept of “food security”. It is important all people involved in the delivery of food understands the concept of food security. The following explanation is given by the World Health Organization (WHO). [more]

Ghana: Climate Change Threatens Country’s Food Security
AllAfrica.com
An increased body of evidence shows that climatic variability is adversely affecting Ghana’s natural resources such as land, water, forests and vegetation, as well as human capital. Climate change is, therefore, expected to have significant impact on key resource-dependant sectors, such as agriculture and food production, and consequently on food security. Food security is under threat from unpredictable changes in rainfall and more frequent extreme weather. [more]

Gender Issues

Ending Rural Poverty Is Key to Rapid Econ Development
Modern Ghana
The Gender and Youth Development Coordinator of Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), Ms Lovelace Eyram Kpogo has noted that the solution to move Ghana from its current economic status to a higher income country resides in pragmatic measures to resolve rural poverty. Rural poverty, which usually manifests in the form of feminist poverty, according to her, has been identified to be one of the major and complex socio-economic problems bedeviling the Ghanaian economy, and stressed the need for holistic development approaches that target the rural poor, especially the rural women. [more]

Local Government/Decentralization

Government Secures $89 M for Poverty Reduction
Myjoyonline.com
The government has mobilized $89.1 million as part of efforts at reducing poverty in 40 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) throughout the country.  The program is under the Ghana Social Opportunity Project (GSOP) which is aimed, among other things, at improving social spending and increasing access to employment and cash-earning opportunities for the rural poor during the agricultural off-season. [more]

Stakeholders Call On Government to Come Out With Shea Nut Policy
Ghana News Agency
Operators in the shea nut industry have appealed to the government to come out with a shea nut policy to address problems facing the industry. The stakeholders, comprising Civil Society Organizations and shea pickers and producers from the three northern regions, made the call at a Shea Multi-stakeholders Forum held in Bolgatanga. They are of the view that although there is a policy on shea nut, it is embedded under the Cocoa Board policy which does not give much attention to addressing issues affecting the shea nut industry. The program, which was on the theme “Sustaining the Shea Industry-the need for a clear policy,” culminated in the formation of a Shea Network Ghana. It aims to build Civil Society Organizations and farmer groups to advocate for greater investment in shea pickers and producers. [more]

Wa Municipality Scale Up Efforts to Achieve Food Security
Ghana News Agency
In a desire to achieve sustainable food security, 1,406 farmers including 329 women in the Wa Municipality have cultivated 1,892 acres of maize this year through the block farming initiative. The total cost of credit commitment in respect of ploughing, fertilizer and seed input to enable the Municipality to realize its agricultural sector objectives amounted to 221,701 Ghana cedis. Mr. Yakubu Duogu, Wa Municipal Chief Executive, made this known in his report on the activities of the Assembly at the two-day Second Ordinary Meeting which ended on Thursday. He said under the fertilizer subsidy policy, 78,835 bags of compound fertilizer, 33,670 bags of sulphate of ammonia and 1,100 bags of urea were received and sold at the approved subsidized prizes to farmers. [more]

Aiding the Poor Cocoa Farmer
Modern Ghana
From infrastructure to institutions and capacity building, it is cocoa that has made it possible for this society to stand on its own. Like many things great, the introduction of cocoa to this society was without fanfare. When Tetteh Quarshie, then a young man, was sent by the then Basel Missionary in the Cold Coast to Fernando Po, now modern day Equatorial Guinea, he was fascinated by the crop that was making waves in the farming community, and brought some pods home and started cultivating the crop on the slopes of the Akwapim Hills at Mampong. [more]

World Food Prize Recognizes Leadership in Agriculture
Commodities Now Online
As the World Food Prize ceremony approaches, Worldwatch’s Nourishing the Planet team emphasizes the critical role that policymakers must play in combating hunger and poverty. Policymakers around the world need to step up their critical efforts to combat hunger, malnutrition, and poverty by providing greater support for agriculture, according to researchers with Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet project. As the awarding of the annual World Food Prize approaches, the project acknowledges the important contribution that the Prize makes in recognizing policymakers and leaders who have invested in their countries’ agricultural futures. This year’s award is being given to two former heads of state to highlight the importance of transformational leadership in effecting positive change and improving people’s lives. [more]

PFAG Presents Inputs into 2012 Budget Statement
Ghana News Agency
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has presented to government a report cataloguing problems of small-scale farmers, and recommendations as part of its inputs into the 2012 national budget statement. The report dubbed “Input into the 2012 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Ghana,” was the outcome of a two-day training workshop it held for its focal persons across the country on the National Budget Process, as well as a training program for farmer representatives in eight districts of the Volta Region this year. Madam Victoria Adongo, Programme Manager of PFAG presented the report to officials of the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning and the Food and Agriculture in Accra. [more]

Marketing and Market Queens: A Case of Tomato Farmers in the Upper East Region of Ghana
Structural reforms have been experienced in many African countries following the economic crisis in the 1980s. Subsequently, the implementation of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) affected various sectors of agriculture. A key area in Ghana is the “tomato sector” in the Upper East Region where the influences of trade policies on marketing continue to be a challenge to small scale tomato farmers. The tomato sector in the region has often been perceived as a potential area for employment and income generation. [more]

Smallholder Transformation: NGO Participation in Agricultural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
With smallholder farmers identified as the core of several recent development programs, coupled with the very important role agriculture can play in the eradication of extreme poverty, hunger and food insecurity in the world. The aim of this paper is to identify conditions necessary for smallholder farmers to capitalize on new business opportunities emerging from the reorganization of supply chains around the world. A comparative case study approach provides views on the most favorable conditions. [more]

Perceived Impact of Cocoa Innovations on the Livelihoods of Cocoa Farmers in Ghana: The Sustainable Livelihood Framework (Sl) Approach
The Cocoa High Technology Program (CHTP) was introduced by the Government of Ghana in 2003 with the aim of improving the fertility of the soil thereby increasing the yields and incomes of cocoa farmers. A correlational survey design was used in the Eastern Region of Ghana to examine the perceived impact of the CHTP on the livelihoods of cocoa farmers who adopted the technology using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SL) Approach. The level of impact of the program on farmers’ livelihoods as a ‘whole’ though higher, was below the expectations of cocoa farmers. The study further revealed that farmers’ yields were significantly improved by the CHTP with mean increase of 72% (from 2.85bags/acre to 4.9 bags/acre), three years after the implementation of the CHTP. The results of stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that (1) fertilizer application; (2) harvesting, fermentation and drying technologies; and (3) fungicide application were the best predictors of impact on livelihoods of cocoa farmers. [more]

Improving the position of women in agriculture is often an explicit goal in this context, which is pursued both by supporting women organizations and by strengthening the role of women in mixed organizations. Between 2000 and 2007, the World Bank alone invested more than $US 9 million into FBOs as part of its Agricultural Sector Services Investment Program (AGSSIP). It is an important aspect of private sector led strategies to develop smallholders, but whether the FBOs are effective in helping the members achieve the objectives has not been investigated adequately.  In addition, there is limited knowledge about how to actually intervene to improve their effectiveness.

As part of this project, one background paper, A Review of Collective Action in Rural Ghana, was published examining patterns and determinants in the development of FBOs in Ghana.  To follow up on this work, extensive data was then collected from nearly 500 Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) in 8 districts in Ghana in order to assess the effectiveness of FBOs in a wide range of applications for determining their suitability for collective approaches and to identify strategies by which governmental and non-governmental organizations can strengthen the role of FBOs in promoting smallholder-based agricultural development.  Analysis of this data is ongoing to determine 1) the nature of collective activities in which they perform well and the associated reasons and 2) effective measures to strengthen the capacity of FBOs.

A note discussing the data that was collected as well as a preliminary analysis discussing how FBOs are established and what activities they undertake can be found here.  Subsequent analyses are currently underway and will be posted shortly.

IFDC, SARI Introduce Heat Tolerant Tomatoes on the Market
Ghana Business News
The International Centre for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC) is to assist farmers in the Northern Region to cultivate variety of tomatoes, which are heat tolerant. The project is being collaborated by Savannah Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. The tomatoes seedling, which was acquired from the international Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid-Tropics in Niger produces more fruits and lasts long. [more]

Agriculture Holds Ghana’s Future, Not Gold, Not Oil
Myjoyonline.com
Vice President John Dramani Mahama, highly impressed with the exploits of the Ghana National Service Scheme’s Agric Projects after a visit to the scheme’s Komenda Farms in the Central Region Friday, says the future of the nation lies in agriculture, not gold or oil. “The future of this country is not in gold, it’s not in oil; the future of this country is in agriculture,” he pointed out, explaining that “It is agriculture that will truly transform this country and take it to the next level that we want it to go to and it is easy for us as a people to feed ourselves once the right policies are in place and we have the will to.” [more]

Ghana Cocoa Board Signs USD 2 Billion for 2011/2012 Cocoa Purchases
Ghana
Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has signed a syndicated receivables-backed pre-export finance facility of USD 2 Billion for the 2011/2012 crop season. The facility, which is the largest soft commodity deal in sub Saharan Africa, was once again oversubscribed by over 20 international and Ghanaian banks. The amount raised been increasing in value since 1992 when the government of Ghana under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) turned to the international financial market to raise short term finance to support cocoa purchases. Mr. Anthony Fofie, the Chief Executive of COCOBOB, who signed for the Board praised the Government of Ghana under the leadership of H.E. Prof Evans Atta Mills for his commitment to the cocoa industry. [more]

Food Crisis/Security

AGRA – Helping to Solve Food Insecurity in the Country
AllAfrica.com
Africa is the second largest continent in the world and has about 70 percent of its population engaged in agriculture. In spite of this, when it comes to the issue of food insecurity in the world, Africa is pin pointed as one of the graveyards of starvation. Food insecurity has been part of the African continent, due to the larger number of farmers operating as small holder farmers. The poverty level in Africa, which has resulted in many small scale farm holdings, has made it impossible for the continent to come out from food insecurity, since the farm products of these farmers are insufficient for their families, much more for marketing purposes. [more]

Local Government/Decentralization

Implementation of Ghana’s Decentralization Policy Is Slow
GhanaWeb
Stakeholders at an advocacy workshop in Bolgatanga on Friday, noted that implementation of Ghana’s decentralization policy had fallen short of stimulating mass participation in governance at grass roots. Mr. Paul Osei Kuffuor, Program Manager, Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), a research and advocacy institute, said after two decades of implementation of Ghana’s decentralization policy, the process was still too slow. He made the observation at a workshop, organized by CDD-Ghana and Deutsche Gesllechaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on the theme: “Strengthening the role of civil society in decentralization and local governance in Ghana”. [more]

In other news

Climate Change Vulnerability and Impacts in River Basins and Aquifers Basins in Africa: Analysis of Key Response Strategies
This paper sets out the many challenges and implications of climatic variability and change for river basins and aquifers in Africa, with important impacts on water resources and hydrological systems, water availability and water resource management. The status of water resources in Africa has been changing for many decades, through decreasing water quality, falling groundwater levels, more or less rainfall, and changed timing of rainfall. Change is not new. Climate change, however, will strongly accelerate the rate of change, affecting the ability of people and societies to respond in a timely manner. [more]

Agricultural Intensification in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa has a wide range of ecologies that differ greatly in potential for agricultural intensification. While the need for agricultural development in areas with low potential is important, the greatest opportunities for increasing agricultural productivity and improving national economic well-being lie in high-potential zones. The report, therefore, focuses on opportunities for significant progress in areas with the greatest potential for increased production. This brief report focuses on a few key problems, among many, and makes recommendations for action in areas believed to offer the greatest and most immediate opportunities for improvement. Because circumstances vary from country to country throughout the region, each location will require activities to address specific circumstances. [more]

Towards Sustainable Supply Chain Management in Agricultural Sector
In recent years several contributions have been provided concerning sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), ranging from theoretical analysis of the topic to practical applications across several industrial sectors. The scope of SSCM has been extended towards various industries and supply chain, not only domestic supply chain but also global supply chain. Transnational companies play important roles in global supply chain: they create business opportunities and entrepreneurial activities along the supply chain but they also arise several issues. Environmental damage, food safety concern, social and sustainability issues have and still a major topic for both domestic and global supply chain management. Many of these issues are driven by external factor such as standards and regulations, as well as customer and market demand. [more]