DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS SUPPORT AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENTS IN BONO REGION IN VARIOUS AGRICULTURE EXTENSION SERVICES

The Regional Agriculture Department and District Agriculture Departments collaborated with various institutions and partners that are directly or indirectly involved in the provision of agriculture extension services. The collaborations were beneficial in ensuring the achievement of targets on both sides. It also augmented the efforts of the Departments in reaching out to the teeming farmer population with improved agricultural technologies and practices and enhancing the knowledge of the stakeholders in modern trends in agriculture.

GASIP supported the Sunyani West and Wenchi Municipal Departments to carry out sensitization and training of farmers on Village Savings and Loans. In all, 12 communities benefitted, including Asuakwa, Nsoatre, Mantukwa, Dumasua, Odomase, Kwatre, Adantia and Akwasua. The objective is to help farmers to finance their farming or agriculture activities.

The Digital Extension Project being executed under the Hunger Project has profiled a total of 5,642 farmers out of a target of 6,750 farmers by Community-Based Advisors (CBAs) in the Jaman North District. The Project, which has been ongoing over the years in the District, aimed at supporting farmers with farm inputs such as improved seed maize and fertilizers for production. The beneficiary farmers cut across all Operational Areas in the District with AEA representation. This year, farmer profiling was done using a mobile application to capture the biometrics of the beneficiary farmers, instead of a paper-based system used previously. To ensure a successful exercise, 33 Samsung Galaxy A23 phones were given to CBAs and 6 AEAs at a subsidized price for profiling and monitoring of the project, respectively.

Efforts to end child labour and modern slavery continue to be a major fight championed by Action Aid in collaboration with Jaman North and South Districts. Over eight communities across the two Districts were reached with the primary aim of jointly fighting the menace. So far, 79 farmers had been trained on the impacts of child labour on Local Economic Development and the entire future of the children. Thirty-four female participants from selected communities in Jamn North District were taken through various entrepreneurship training to acquire requisite skills in pastries and bread making, beads making, soap and liquid soap making, tiles making, hairdressing, and manicure and pedicure.

In the Tain District, the ProCashew Project trained 54 farmers on cashew orchard rehabilitation, especially canopy management. This exercise is geared towards improving cashew productivity in the District and improving the livelihoods of cashew farmers. The beneficiary community was Namasua.

In an attempt to empower women to diversify their businesses, entrepreneurial skills training was held for farmers in Wamfie, in the Dormaa East District, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture. The training, which involved the Regional and District WIAD Officers, was on cashew apple processing. This included making various delicacies or recipes such as light soup, salad, and fruit juice mix with the intent to also enhance the nutrition of farmers.

The Berekum West Department collaborated with a private seed dealer called Sakata. The company deals in vegetable seeds. To assess the suitability of new tomato seeds in the District and subsequently introduce them to farmers, trials were conducted on farmers’ fields. Samples of Ohene and Akyedze varieties were distributed to 16 youths (all males) to try. These varieties were said to be drought resistant and are high yielding. The trial is currently at the nursery stage.