Ghana should be concerned about issues of desertification – UNCCD

Ghana is a tropical country with vast green forests, but it is among countries on the margins of arid areas where the highest level of degradation is occurring.

“Most of the land degradation happening in the world is happening in the non-dryland areas”, observed Wagaki Mwangi, Public Information and Media Officer at United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

She wants Ghanaians to be concerned because of the envisaged challenges in satisfying the needs of future population growth in food, energy and water which all depend on the land.

A 2012 World Bank report has stated that by 2030 droughts and heat will leave 40 percent of the land in Sub-Saharan Africa now growing maize unable to support that crop, while rising temperatures could cause major loss of savanna grasslands threatening pastoral livelihoods.

In September this year, the Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will be convened in Namibia, to deliberate on issues of land degradation, desertification and drought.

Under the theme, “A stronger UNCCD for a Land-Degradation Neutral World”, the COP11 will assess progress under the 10-Year Strategy (2008-2018) to combat desertification.

“Majority of Ghanaians are still dependent on the land and the decisions that are being made in Namibia have to do with land management – how do you manage the land? What priorities is the Ghanaian government giving to issues of land degradation? – those are the kind of issues we’ll be talking about”, stated Wagaki.

According to her, it is important that populations affected are at the forefront of discussions if set targets are to be achieved.

Land, she observed, remains Africa’s major asset in poverty eradication, “but in terms of attention, we’re giving to it, in terms of mainstreaming in policy, we’re not doing as well. So if the public does not arise and say this has to be addressed, the government will never prioritize it”.

The UN estimates two-thirds of Africa’s arable land could be lost by 2025 if the trend of desertification continues.

One of the most unique large-scale international climate change projects is The Great Green Wall initiative (GGW) underway in Africa.

Ghana is among 11 nations that have agreed to participate in the project - a 4,000 mile “wall of trees” is being constructed across the east-west axis of the continent as a defense against rapid, expanding desertification of the Sahara.

The project, initiated by TerrAfrica, was approved by the African Union in 2007, under the umbrella of the Community of the Sahel-Saharan States.

Teko Nhlapo, TerrAfrica Communication and Advocacy Officer, says the African-driven global partnership will expand sustainable land and water management in targeted climate vulnerable regions in West African and Sahelian countries.

He is confident the project will also impact positively on farming in Africa.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Innovation Prize for Africa 2014 announced

The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) has announced the call for entries for the 2014 Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA).

The prestigious Prize, presented annually since 2012, aims at encouraging innovations that contribute to sustainable development in Africa.

The winning submission will be awarded a prize of USD 100,000 with two additional USD 25 000, one for the runner up with an innovation with the best business potential and the other one for the runner up with the innovation with the best social impact.

In an effort to drive African-led development, the IPA invites African entrepreneurs and innovators to propose projects that unlock new African potential under one of five categories which include: agriculture and agribusiness; environment, energy and water; health and wellbeing; ICT applications; and manufacturing and services industries.

“The IPA team believes that the best way to build Africa’s capacity is to invest in local innovation and entrepreneurship.  This prize encourages Africans to develop creative ways to overcome everyday challenges,” said AIF founder Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais.

The IPA 2013 was awarded to South Africa’s AgriProtein for its innovative approach to nutrient recycling – a method that uses waste and fly larvae to produce natural animal feed. 

The 2013 prize also recognized two additional winners for their contributions to African innovation.  In the business potential category, Hassine Labaied and Anis Aouini from Saphon Energy (Tunisia) received USD 25 000 for creating a bladeless wind convertor.  

In the social impact category, Sanoussi Diakite (Senegal) received USD 25 000 for developing and distributing a thermal powered machine that husks 5 kilograms of fonio – an important and healthy West African cereal – in just 8 minutes.  This innovation increases accessibility to a nutritious African staple food source and addresses challenges associated with its consumption.  

With more than 1,350 applications received to date, the IPA aims to support Africans’ efforts to develop new products, increase efficiency and drive cost-savings on the continent. The IPA also provides a platform for African innovators to showcase their solutions to potential investors and seek partners to scale up their marketable concepts.

Only innovations by Africans and for Africans are eligible to enter. Africans in the Diaspora can also apply if their innovations are of significance to Africa.

 

The registration deadline for the 2014 prize www.innovationprizeforafrica.org has been set for 31 October 2013.

Ghana needs legal instrument to empower consumers, says CPA

Ghana does not need a policy on consumer protection but a legislative instrument to empower the consuming public, says the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA).

Ghanaians are exposed to abuse by service providers due to lack of safety nets for consumers of financial, utility and telecommunication services in the delivery of public goods.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry is reported as saying a Consumer Protection Policy will soon be introduced to empower, protect and enhance the welfare of consumers.

But Chief Executive Officer of the CPA, Kofi Kapito, tells Luv Biz Report such policy already exists. What is important, he stated, is the promulgation of a law to strengthen the policy.

According to him, the Agency has reviewed the existing policy and drafted a legal instrument, which has been dispatched to the Trade Ministry for perusal.

“We feel that after reviewing, our legal framework is a major stronger document that if accepted and adopted would go a long way to strengthen the power of the consumer”, noted Mr. Kapito.

He however emphasized the need for existing regulatory institutions to efficiently assert their mandates in protecting consumer interest.

These include the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the National Communications Authority (NCA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC).

“Even the Municipal and District Assemblies also have an obligation to protect consumers”, Mr. Kapito added.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Beauty goes to farm: grooming a generation of ‘sexy’ agriculturists

Ghanaian Agronomist, Dr. Stella Ama Ennin, is leading the development of a Gender Action Plan as a necessity to rope in more women into agriculture – both at the researcher level and the farm level.

The target of the project, she says, is to increase the Ghana’s women agricultural researchers’ ratio to 40 percent within four leading research and educational institutions. These include the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University of Development Studies, Tamale, the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) and the Crops Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Dr. Ennin explains gender issues in crop production are important, hence the need for research development and technology dissemination to take into consideration the interest of women for sustainable development.

“Food security is fundamental; it’s about sovereignty – unless you’re able to feed your nation, you’re not an independent nation and the woman is critical”, she stated.

Young Ghanaian agricultural graduate, Kwabena Owusu, is happy to have studied with young ladies who had passion for farming and agriculture.

His undergraduate class of 120 had at least a quarter being females – and Kwabena had observed the numbers improve in his four year stay on campus, as the ladies competed strongly with their male colleagues for knowledge and skills.

But these young women had to suffer ridicule as they pursued their studies in agriculture. “They were said to be the ‘the unfashionable’ females on campus because of the way they dressed for field practical and they were also perceived to be bookworms and not fun to be around with”, Kwabena recalled.

Indeed a good number of women in Ghana shun agriculture as a course of study right from primary school, because of perceptions that farming as a profession is unfit for ‘beautiful girls’.

This is however not the situation today.

Dr. Ennin of Ghana’s Crop Research Institute (CRI) is an epitome of women’s role in making a difference in African agriculture. 

Dr. Ennin is the first Ghanaian woman to receive the National Best Agriculture Researcher award in 1994 and the only woman to have had the award till date. She is the first and only woman to have risen to the position of Chief Research Scientist, the highest level within the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

She has also served as the first female Deputy Director and recently received a 2012 Ghana Women of Excellence Award for her contributions to scientific research and agricultural development.

For her, beautiful, ‘sexy’ and educated young women can venture agriculture and be successful.

Women shy away because of the drudgery in production, she explained. “If agriculture is seen as a very profitable, descent, mechanized and not laborious work, then a lot of women will find it attractive”.

As an accomplished agricultural researcher, Dr. Ennin’s focus is to come up with improved ways of producing crops like maize, cowpea and soya beans – both at the research station and with farmers on the field.

She is currently involved in crop-livestock integration; introducing legumes as dual purpose crops for human consumption and as residue for animal feed in four African countries – Ghana, The Gambia, Benin and Mali.

“I find it very exciting to be a woman agricultural researcher”, she said. “As an agricultural researcher, whenever you go to the field you see that you’re among your contemporaries, because women are mainly the food producers”.

Believing in the role of women in agricultural production, she has set herself an ambition to inspire young ladies to become astute agricultural researchers, especially at the CSIR where women constitute less than 20 percent of the 700 workforce.

“Other women are hopeful and can dream bigger because of me”, she said. “If you mentor a man you’ve mentored an individual, but if you mentor a woman you’ve mentored a nation”.

Mary Mamle Apetorgbor is the fourth woman to be mentored by Dr. Stella under the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Fellowship, a career development program that equips top women scientists across sub-Saharan Africa to accelerate agricultural gains by strengthening their research and leadership skills, through tailored fellowships.

Mary’s career progression as a research scientist got stagnated at a point in time though she felt the need to reach for something more challenging in her field as a mushroom grower, researcher and trainer.

The mentorship opportunity, she says, has helped build her interpersonal skills and in less than a year into the programme, she has been able to build better teams, manage conflicts at the workplace and become more assertive working with farmer groups, most of who are women from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

“I want them to be better than me because the opportunities that they have, I never had them and there is no excuse”, Dr. Ennin said. “When you begin to mentor, it makes you less selfish, less self-centered; with mentoring, the potentially natural pride of being the first and only is not cherished; you are proud to be the first but not the only after a while”.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

BOST to build gas storage facility in Kumasi

The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) Company is looking forward to building a gas storage facility in Kumasi for power generation.

There are also plans to build an oil pipeline from the Western region to the Kumasi oil depot as part of upgrade and expansion re-engineering to meet the energy needs of the country.

Officials will not disclose timelines for project take off, but Corporate Communications Manager, Nat Acheampong, says “studies are far advanced”.

He told Luv Biz Report the projects are part of the company’s developmental goals.

“The pipeline from Western region to Kumasi will be on pilot bases and once that is successful, we’ll expand it across the region and across the country”, he stated.

BOST oil storage facility in Kumasi holds 84million barrels of petrol and diesel, serving the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and parts of the Western region.

With a reserve capacity to last the country four weeks of consistent supplies, the Kumasi Depot is deemed critical to BOST operations.

The gas infrastructure project would be a relief for motorists and households whose consumption of gas has surged in recent times, yet have had to stay in long queues for days to access supplies.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Non-bank financial institutions see public trust as biggest threat

Savings and loans companies are hoping their gains in the non-bank financial service sector will not be eroded by the excesses in operations of microfinance firms.

Regulated activities under the Non-bank Financial Institutions Act 2008, increased from a single tier to four tiers, to include microfinance companies, Susu collectors, money lenders and Financial NGOs.

Savings and loans companies have traditionally operated at the first tier.

As the sector becomes more competitive, microfinance firms have been identified as potential threat to savings and loans companies, especially in competition for clients.

But public apathy arising from poor operations of some microfinance institutions (MFIs) is a concern to market leaders. Some MFIs, in recent times have had to collapse or entered liquidity challenges.

The major threat to the industry is building public trust and confidence, stated Yaw Berhene Bonsu, Head of Legal and Compliance Unit at FIRST ALLIED Savings and Loans Limited.

“When you have stories of microfinance institutions in the past running away with customers’ deposits, there is the fear that as the microfinance sector grows, with all these financial houses mushrooming, there might be a repetition of businesses bolting away with customers hard earned deposits”, he observed.

Mr. Berhene Bonsu is however hopeful the regulator, Bank of Ghana, will closely monitor the activities of the MFIs to boost confidence in the industry whilst the savings and loans companies “will have the assurance that the trust we have built with our clients over the period will not be eroded”.

The Ghana Association of Microfinance Companies (GAMC) has been seeking a mandate from the regulator to play a supervisory and oversight role in the microfinance industry.

 

Collins Amponsah Mensah, National Chairman of GAMC says such responsibility would empower the Association to inject disciple and sanity among members.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Renewed focus closes Africa Agriculture Science Week

The implementation of recommendations emanating from discussions at the 6^th Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW) will prove critical in the coming years.  

With the target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) drawing nearer, the discussions on innovations to improve productivity, resilience, collaborations, capacity building and investments in African agriculture were particularly pertinent.

The event, hosted by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, brought together over 1, 300 participants including Ministers, Parliamentarians, Scientific Researchers, Farmers, extensionists, civil society and development partners.

“To enable a food secure Africa, it is imperative to increase productivity and intensification through science and innovations”, said Dr. Tiemoko Yo, Chairperson of FARA.

Through side-events, exhibitions and plenary sessions the Week focused on the theme of “Africa Feeding Africa through Agricultural Science and Innovation” and examined the sub-themes of education and human resource development, innovations to improve productivity and resilience, moving from competition to collaboration and innovative financing and investment in agriculture.

Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), who delivered the keynote address said “to address the world’s challenges, we must continue to push the frontiers of science, knowledge and experimentation, while ensuring our natural resources are not depleted.  But most importantly, we must be looking at new and creative ways to make these technologies and developments affordable and accessible to respond to the reality of the small farmer, fisher and pastoralist, who are feeding more than 2 billion people.”

 

A Business Meeting which closed the Week featured a handing over ceremony that heralded a new Chairperson of the FARA Board, Dr. Charity Kruger and a new Executive Director, Dr. Oseyemi Akinbamijo who comes from the Africa Union.

Prof. Monty Jones who is stepping down after eleven years of dedicated service stated that “FARA has made significant achievements in a short period of eleven years through the contribution of all staff and stakeholders and I would encourage everyone to remain dedicated to building a better FARA and a stronger agricultural sector in Africa”.

Abuse of typhoid fever diagnosis engage attention of lab scientists

Some medical laboratories in Ghana have been identified to be abusing the ‘Widal Test’ procedures and methodologies in the diagnosis of typhoid fever.

The Ghana Association of Biomedical Laboratory Scientists (GABMLS), which raised the concern, will not name culpable facilities but says the practice is widespread.

The Widal test is a presumptive serological test for fever whereby bacteria causing typhoid fever are mixed with serum containing specific antibodies obtained from an infected individual.

Chairman of the Ashanti GABMLS, Thomas Gyampomah, tells Luv News understanding the principles of the test is predominantly technical, hence the abuse.

“In most laboratories, people are not doing the right test, people are not doing the right reporting and interpretation and it sends a wrong signal of typhoid in the system”, he observed.

He noted that the Association is engaging members to get the diagnosis right to promote quality health delivery.

The Biomedical Lab Scientists held their regional congress in Kumasi on the theme: ‘Upholding Ethical Standards and Promoting Quality Medical Laboratory Practice in Ghana’.

Issue of standardization of procedure and reporting of the Widal Test and its results interpretation formed part of the scientific conference.

Ashanti Regional Minister, Eric Opoku described quackery in medical laboratory practice as the “galamsey” of the health system.

“These quacks don’t only exploit and siphon the limited incomes of innocent citizens but even more seriously, produce inaccurate results that ultimately lead to misdiagnosis and other negative occurrences”, he said.

The Minister urged the leadership of the GABMLS to be proactive in putting in place measures to flush out unqualified medical laboratory practitioners.

President of the Association, Prince Sodoke Amuzu, announced that the practice of Medical Laboratory Science is now regulated by law in Ghana, emphasizing that “a practitioner shall be required to have a license to practice regardless of the person’s height of academic, business, economic or political influence”.

He pledged the Association’s resolve to assist government and the security services to ‘flush out’ all the quacks.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Smallholder rural women farmers access $180,000 credit

Bright Generation Community Foundation, an NGO, has extended its microcredit activities to 185 women in the Sene District of the Brong Ahafo Region, as part of its commitment to empower small holder farmers and women entrepreneurs in the rural Ghana.

Beneficiaries are offered training in employable skills, business management and record keeping as well as promotion of food crops production and agro processing, and the promotion of environmental sanitation.

The Foundation’s micro credit programme which began in 2010, has so far reached more than 500 smallholder rural women farmers, with cumulative financing of nearly $180,000 which has directly enhanced their wages, standard of living and expansion of their farming activities.

The programme provides affordable savings services and loans with flexible repayment terms. To access the loans, the women form groups based on solidarity principle, thus obviating the need for individual collateral to access the support.

Executive Director of the Foundation, Bernice Dapaah observed that efforts to reduce poverty could be successful if women are empowered to enable them to contribute meaningfully to national development.

According to her, the Foundation recognizes the uphill battle women farmers face and strives to reduce the disparity by empowering them with microcredit and market access to avoid post-harvest losses.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Forum sets tone on how Africa can feed Africa

Efforts by Africans to feed themselves and escape the food importation trap and put the continent on the path to economic growth must give attention to soil fertility, according to the Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga.

He has been addressing participants at the 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week organized by the Forum of Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) in Accra.

Dr. Sanginga highlighted the impact of agricultural research over the years and concluded that Africa must adopt scientific innovations and pay attention to natural resource management to drive the agricultural development agenda.

“The issue of soil fertility must be addressed if Africa wants to feed itself,” he said.

The IITA boss expressed optimism for Africa’s agricultural transformation, highlighting the increasing attention being paid to agriculture by governments on the continent.

However, he reiterated that efforts need to focus on restoring soil fertility, creating an enabling environment for market policies, and developing more resilient and productive farm systems.

He warned against policies that limit African researchers from taking advantage of modern technologies, stressing that such a move would deprive Africa from making progress and put the continent farther from the African Green Revolution.

The 6^th Africa Agricultural Science Week provided an opportunity for Africans and partners to rethink the commitment by African governments 10 years ago which also led to the establishment of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

CAADP focuses on improving food security, nutrition, and increasing incomes in Africa's largely farming based economies. It aims to do this by raising agricultural productivity by at least 6% per year and increasing public investment in agriculture to 10% of national budgets per year. So far, only a few countries have met the CAADP targets.

Dr Kanayo Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said there is still a lot to be done in the context of the ever-changing and increasing challenges choking agricultural development in Africa.

He noted that the world is producing enough but that the food is not reaching those that need it most.

"We must put our efforts both in improving productivity and reducing postharvest losses," he added.

The IFAD President called for a paradigm shift in addressing food insecurity in Africa.

“Over the past three decades, agricultural productivity in Africa has been stagnant or in decline…Funding to agriculture, to universities and to research centres fell steadily and steeply…To make matters worse, average global spending on agricultural research also fell. We know what needs to be done and we know what can be done”, state Dr. Nwanze.

According to him, research and development need to be “repositioned” into research for development to bring the benefits of research to the farm.

He advised scientists to ensure that their research is in consonance with the reality on ground and that it addresses the challenges of development in an empirical manner.

Dr. Frank Rijsberman, CEO of the CGIAR Consortium, noted that strong and dynamic partnerships will be key to addressing the challenges of poverty and food security in Africa.

He highlighted the need for collaboration and coordination to ensure better alignment of research priorities, as well as to support uptake of new technologies.

Ghana's domestic lumber supply boosted with partnership scheme

Ghana is piloting an artisanal milling concept to increase domestic lumber supplies, combat illegal logging and promote sustainable forest management.

Tropenbos International Ghana is collaborating with its partners to build partnerships between artisanal milling groups and forest concession holders.

An initial agreement has been signed between millers in Sankore and Akrodie and a sawmill company, Logs and Lumber Limited (LLL) for supply of logs harvested in the Goaso Forest Reserve in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The Asunafo North Municipal Artisanal Millers Association is enthused at the initiative.

“Getting the resource – the wood – to mill is a problem; you either have to steal or not use the appropriate channel… so it is a very good opportunity for us to get the resource, sawn and fill the domestic market “, stated Richard Agyenim Boateng, Secretary to the Association.

About 84 percent of local lumber supply is from chainsaw milling, an illegal activity that contributes to the loss of $18million in stumpage revenue to stakeholders.

But whilst saw millers focus on the export markets, chainsaw operators serve domestic lumber and employs about 130,000 people.

 

Ghana’s new domestic lumber supply policy is aimed at addressing the unmet local demand for lumber, in line with the country’s commitments under the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPN) with the European Union.

Artisanal milling is therefore an important component of a national policy to discourage illegal chains activities.

According to Samuel Kwabena Nketiah, Programmes Director at Tropenbos, the supply of timber resources to artisanal millers is a major step in sanitizing the forestry sector.

He observed a high number of chainsaw operators are willing to transform to artisanal milling.

Six groups have so far been legally registered for artisanal milling with about 640 chainsaw operators in 13 pilot communities reached with an intervention under the European Commission’s programme on tropical forests and other forests in developing countries.

The successful pilot of the LLL-artisanal millers’ agreement will inform the upscale of the initiative, said Mr. Nketiah.

 

However, high cost of artisanal milling equipment is a major challenge to the artisans.

The Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) of the Forestry Commission has donated two portable bandsaw mills to support the initiative.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Biomedical lab scientists hail new law to regulate practice

The issue of quacks in Ghana’s biomedical laboratory practice will be curtailed with the enactment of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 2011.

President Mahama has accented to the Act, with a legislative instrument expected to be fashioned out soon. This means biomedical laboratory scientists will require a license to practice regardless the height of academic, business, economic or political influence.

The Ghana Association Biomedical Laboratory Scientists (GABMLS) is excited at the development, as the law brings the needed impetus to start the crusade against sub-standard practice in our country.

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Association, Thomas Kwabena Gyapomah says it is a strong signal for quacks in biomedical laboratory practice to stay off the profession.

“If you don’t have the requisite qualification and you are in the lab, it’s better to pack out because the law will now catch up with you”, he stated. “Once the system has been sanitized, if you go into any private laboratory or hospital laboratory, you are going to meet qualified persons and such persons should be able to deliver quality results”.

The Association, collaboration with BD-Diagnostics, is set educate its members on the new law at its 2013 regional congress and Scientific Conference holding in Kumasi on Friday.

Mr. Gyapomah says issues of ethics and quality will engage the attention of the congress on the theme: “Upholding Ethical Standards & Promoting Quality Medical Laboratory Practice in Ghana”.

Biomedical Laboratory Scientists are entrusted with the onerous assignment of providing quality diagnosis that is at the centre of treatment and management of diseases.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Climate change gets attention at Africa Agriculture Science Week

The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) is drawing attention to climate smart agriculture at the ongoing 6^th Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW) in Accra, Ghana.

FARA commits to enabling African agricultural development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially MDG1 – eradicate extreme poverty and hunger – and MDG7 – ensure environmental stability.

Recognizing the urgency of climate change, the Forum organized a side-event on climate smart agriculture.

Over 1,200 delegates are meeting to discuss the role of agricultural science and innovation in finding and strengthening local solutions to the urgent food security challenges in Africa. 

Climate change is occurring more rapidly than anticipated and the increase in extreme weather events threatens more disruptive effects to agriculture.

Existing technologies and current institutional structures seem inadequate to achieve the mitigation needed to adequately slow climate change effects, while also meeting needed food security, livelihood and sustainability goals.

FARA identifies the need for science-based actions which utilize knowledge systems in new ways, and provide resilience for food systems and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes, despite the future uncertainty of climate change.

FARA is an apex organization bringing together and forming coalitions of major stakeholders in agricultural research and development in Africa.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

New window opens for African farmers to increase yield

Researchers under the Support for Agricultural Research and Development of Strategic Crops (SARD-SC) have been meeting at the ongoing 6^th African Agricultural Science Week in Accra to draw more support from partners into project.

The side-event on the theme “Partners, Possibilities and Prospects,” has boosted efforts to transform agriculture in Africa.

The SARD-SC project will raise the productivity of maize, cassava, wheat, and rice by 20% in twenty selected countries in Africa.

The plan is to reduce food importation from other continents and offer farmers better access to markets, improve livelihoods, and tackle poverty through enhanced capacities of beneficiaries to sustainable development in the region.

About a million farmers will directly benefit from the project through its innovations basket, while another million and half will be reached by project spin off effects.

“Narrowing the yield gap is key for African farmers, and it will help them to compete globally and to feed themselves,” says Project Coordinator of SARD-SC, Dr Chrysantus Akem, from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). 

Funded by the African Development Bank with US$ 63.24 million, SARD-SC also aims to create knowledge on the tested innovations with farmers in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The 5-year multi-CGIAR center initiative will run until 2016, and will be co-implemented by three Africa-based CGIAR centers: IITA, Africa Rice Center, and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Ghana and Nigeria plan strategy to unleash yam potentials

With about 68 percent of global output coming from Nigeria, yam plays a key role in the country and the West Africa region as a whole, contributing to protein and dietary calorie intake.

The crop is also used for cultural events including marriages and annual festivals.

However, yam production is declining in some traditional producing areas due to declining soil fertility, increasing pest pressures and the high cost of labor.

Dr. Robert Asiedu, IITA Director for West Africa says devising a roadmap for the crop’s value chain is therefore imperative.

The need to draw a strategy for yam is driven by the desire to harness the exceptional qualities of the crop which are yet to be fully exploited for economic growth and food security, he stated.

Researchers and partners have been meeting at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan to draw a strategy for yam for Nigeria.

The strategy aims to put yam on the national agenda as the oil-rich nation embarks on efforts to transform its agricultural sector.

 

Dr. Asiedu reechoed the importance of yam not only in Nigeria, but also globally.

"The strategy will guide us in ensuring synergies and focus on real priorities as we work with partners to unlock the potential of yams", he said.

So far, Ghana has developed its strategy, paving the way for increased export and other industrial uses for the crop. Ghana is the world's second-largest yam producer after Nigeria. But only 30,000 tons of Ghana’s total production of seven million tons are currently exported.

The strategy would enhance more coordinated efforts towards addressing the constraints to increased yam production, and would give farmers the opportunity to improve their incomes and better their livelihoods.

Dr Antonio Lopez, IITA Yam Breeder, said having a strategy for yam that would dovetail into the national agricultural policy of the government would bring several benefits to the country, including increase in economic development.

Meanwhile, agriculture experts in Ghana and Australia are collaborating on a research to address challenges with post-harvest losses in yam production in Ghana.

Available statistics indicate between 30 and 60 percent of yam harvested in Ghana are lost through post-harvest storage. The income levels of farmers, processors, traders and other stakeholders are affected yearly as a result.

The team will come out with improved techniques to store yam, reduce post-harvest losses and increase food security by 2015.

The two year research involved Ghanaian researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Crop Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CRI-CSIR).

 

The programme is funded by the Australian Development Agency, AUSAID.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh