BONO REGION AGRIC DEPARTMENT ORGANIZES SENSITIZATION EXERCISE ON G-SHEP PROJECT

A project by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), called the Ghana Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (G-SHEP), is an extension approach aimed at market-oriented agriculture, where the farmer’s mindset is shifted from “grow and sell” to “grow to sell.”

The project, which is in its second year (having conducted its first year in the Berekum West district), organized a sensitization exercise and vegetable cultivation training session for the staff of the Jaman South, Dormaa West, and Dormaa Central Departments of Agriculture in Drobo.

The beneficiary Agricultural Extension Officers (AEAs), in turn, conducted a step-down training for eight selected vegetable production-based FBOs in eight communities.

The sensitization covered modules such as the Concept of SHEP, gender awareness, market surveys, target crop selection, and crop calendar development.

As part of the step-down training for the selected FBOs in the three Districts, market surveys were also conducted by members of each FBO in the available market.

The market survey aims to ensure that farmers understand how markets operate and what markets expect from producers, build rapport with various market players, and create a win-win situation with market stakeholders.

The cultivation training also included modules such as raising quality seedlings, compost making, land preparation, nursery bed and crop bed preparation, seed nursing in nursery beds and trays, and biochar preparation, among other improved SHEP approaches.

In total, 263 farmers (from 8 FBOs) benefited from the training, which included 165 females.