REGIONAL AGRIC DEPARTMENT REPORT ON WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT (WIAD)

During the reporting period, household dietary diversity, food handling, safety and hygiene, value addition of agricultural commodities, and gender equality mainstreaming were some activities carried out to empower women and improve livelihoods. Farm families were trained on how to prepare food with all the food-based dietary guidelines to attain a balanced diet. Again, food demonstration exercises were organized on avoiding the use of polythene bags in covering food when cooking, instead using fresh and clean plantain or banana leaves as covering.

In collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, sensitization on balanced diet consumption was carried out at Dormaa West Municipal. They were advised to minimize water usage during steaming when cooking, reduce cooking time and reuse cooking water.

As part of the G-SHEP project in the Berekum West district, a food demonstration was organized for vegetable farmers on improved nutrition and life improvement. The training was carried out in 7 communities and facilitated by the WIAD officers (Regional and District Officers) benefitting a total of 210 farmers, including 115 women. Again, the Berekum East Municipality collaborated with the PHG Foundation to organize a durbar for agro-processors and innovators in Berekum.

Again, the FSRP, in collaboration with CSIR, undertook training for 55 women on tomato processing in Dormaa Ahenkro and Odomase as an additional livelihood activity to support women. The beneficiary women were actors in the tomato value chain to equip the participants in the tomato value chain (farmers, aggregators, small processors, and consumers) with the appropriate methods of processing and preserving tomatoes during the gluts seasons.

The training is also meant to equip participants with additional livelihood to generate additional income. The training focused on how to process fresh tomato into tomato puree, tomato sauce, and chopped tomato.

Some of the interventions carried out and the results were;

1. Two women groups were assisted in opening an account with Kaaseman Rural Bank and register with the Department of Cooperatives in Dormaa Municipal
2. Berekum West district has facilitated the establishment of 8 VSLAs in 8 communities out of the 13 within the quarter
3. Nineteen (19) women were facilitated to establish backyard gardens and planted vegetables like okra, pepper, tomatoes, cabbage, including maize
4. Fifteen (15) households in the region were sensitized by AEAs on the need to prioritize girl child education
5. Three (3) WFP AgYe youth groups were sensitized on record keeping and financial management in Berekum West and 3 in Sunyani West Municipal
6. In Dormaa Municipal, one processor has registered with the Ghana Standard Authority to produce sweet potato bread
7. Seventeen (17) okra farmers and aggregators were sensitized on the packaging of okra to prevent post-harvest losses
8. Ten (10) butchers and 5 women at Berekum abattoir were trained in effluence management