Wa, Upper West Region - Farmers in the Upper West Region of Ghana have expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the GIZ-REACH and MOAP projects for their commendable efforts in supporting them to improve their crops yields through the Radio Agricultural programs on Good Agricultural Practices.
The farmers, who are mainly small-scale farmers, have been benefiting from the Radio Agricultural program, which has been broadcasting climate smart and modern agricultural practices to improve crop production in the region. The program has been instrumental in teaching farmers new techniques and best practices to adapt to the changing climate and improve their yields.
In an interview with Info Radio , some of the farmers who benefited from the program praised the efforts of GIZ-REACH and MOAP, saying that the program has made a significant impact on their farming activities. "The Radio Agricultural program has been very helpful to us. We have learned new techniques and practices that have helped us to improve our crops yields. We are now able to produce more crops than we used to before," said Abu Mohammed, a farmer from the Wa West District.
Another farmer, Fatima Alhassan, also commended the program, saying that it has enabled her to adapt to the changing climate and improve her crop production. "Before, I used to lose my crops due to weather conditions. But with the Radio Agricultural program, I have learned how to adapt to the changing climate and now my crops are doing well," she said.
The farmers are calling on GIZ-REACH and MOAP to continue with the Radio Agricultural program for the 2024 cropping season. "We are grateful for the support we have received so far. We are hoping that GIZ-REACH and MOAP will continue with the program next year so that we can continue to learn and improve our farming activities," said Emmanuel Yuoni, a farmer in the Nadowli/Kaleo district.
The GIZ-REACH and MOAP Radio Agricultural program has been a vital tool for farmers in the Upper West Region, providing them with timely and relevant information on best practices in agriculture. The program has been instrumental in promoting good agricultural practices, improving crop yields, and enhancing food security in the region.
Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH) is an European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) co-funded project that aims to address the increasing effects of climate change on the agricultural sector in Northern Ghana, with a particular focus on smallholder farmers. The project is implemented together with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development (MLGDRD).
The objective of the REACH project is to enable a sustainable and inclusive improvement in the rural economy through enhanced implementation of gender-sensitive climate adaptation practices in the EUGAP targeted communities in Northern Ghana by 2025. It focuses on implementing these practices in fourteen districts across the Upper West, Savannah, and North East Regions of Ghana. These districts include all 11 districts in the Upper West Region, Mamprugu Moagduri in the North East Region, and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and North Gonja in the Savannah Region while the Market Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP) works with selected value chains and promotes all relevant actors from seed producers and tree nurseries, to farmers, agricultural trade, agricultural service providers and buyers, to processors and exporters. This results in better product quality, higher levels of income and more employment throughout the entire value chain.
Training for farming practices and quality standards as well as the further development of specialised private service providers increase the quantity and quality of the products. In particular, certification in accordance with international quality standards such as GlobalG.A.P. and organic open up new market opportunities for producers.
The programme also encourages inclusive business models that support smallholder farmers in marketing their products and provide them with the chance to generate regular income.
The programme assists processing companies in Ghana, which produce dried fruit, juice, spices and cosmetics, among other things. It focuses on optimising production processes and food safety, as well as the development of new products and their marketing.
In addition, MOAP works together closely with the Ghanaian agricultural ministry and its authorities. This cooperation aims to create effective frameworks, improve state advisory services for farmers and businesses, and to enable expert inspections of businesses.
Particular focus is placed on integrating women and young adults as well as smallholder farmers into value chains. Furthermore, the programme promotes specific crops that are traditionally grown and marketed by women. It also fosters businesses that create jobs for women and young people.
The programme has been part of the European Union Ghana Agriculture Programme (EU GAP) since 2017. Within this framework of cofinancing, it has also supported a large number of private and public partners in North-West Ghana, one of the least-developed regions, during this time.
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