The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has secured funding from the Mastercard Foundation and Kosmos Innovation Center to boost vegetable production, and enhance the economic livelihoods of the growers as well.
In that regard the association has targeted to provide high quality inputs including hybrid seeds, organic fertilizers, soil testing kits, water pumping machines, sprayers, and other agro-chemicals to 15,000 vegetable farmers in 10 districts and municipalities.
According to the Association, most of the beneficiaries were women and youth farmers growing cabbage, onion, tomato and pepper in the Ada East and Ada West in Greater Accra, Techiman North in Bono East as well as Fanteakwa North and Fanteakwa South in the Eastern Regions.
Other beneficiaries are farmers from Kassena Nankana West and Kassena Nankana East in the Upper East Region, Sunyani West in Bono, Elembelle in Western and North Dayi in the Volta Regions.
Dubbed “Enhancing Vegetable Productivity and Market Linkages to improve job creation and sustained incomes for small holder farmers in Ghana”, the one-year project aimed at improving technical and agronomic capacities for the beneficiaries for sustainable food production
It further seeks to enhance the production capacities of farmers in vegetable production through an input credit model as well as improving access to sustainable markets and incomes for smallholder farmers.
Mr Bismarck Owusu Nartey, the Executive Director of the PFAG gave an overview of the project implementation in an interview the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of distribution of agro-chemicals to some beneficiaries of the project held at Chiraa in the Sunyani West Municipality.
Each of the 55 cabbage and tomato farmers received certified seeds, organic fertilizers, and other agro-chemicals.
Mr Nartey said the project would also 50 farmer leaders (youth and women) in the 10 beneficiary districts on governance, agronomy, and post-harvest management to enhance their technical and leadership skills.
The project will also support market linkages by training farmer leaders in marketing and establishing a multi-stakeholder marketing committee in each district to reduce post-harvest losses, increase market access, and boost farmers’ incomes and also empower youth and women farmers, increase vegetable production, and improve market access to enhance livelihoods
Additionally, Mr Nartey said the project would provide extension support services on sustainable farming practices, and post-harvest management to at least 20,000 farmers, saying to ensure effective knowledge transfer and adoption, 100 farmer leaders would benefit from training of trainees.
He noted that though the nation had made significant progress in grain production, vegetable production remained a challenge, with the country relying heavily on imports to meet demand for essential vegetables.
According to data from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), the country produces only 37 per cent, 39 per cent and 29 per cent of tomato, pepper, and onion, respectively, he added.
“This is in spite of the vast arable land, relatively favorable climatic conditions and burgeoning youthful population that can harness the sustained production of these crops,” he said.
However, Mr Nartey added that: “the myriads of structural challenges that had not been holistically addressed have contributed to perpetuating the country’s reliance on imports”.
That has far-reaching consequences, including a worsening balance of payments, exchange rate fluctuations, and exacerbated poverty levels, particularly among women and youth.
Mr Benjamin Sarfo, the Programme Officer of the PFAG added that the association worked to promote a conducive environment for the growth and development of small holder farmers, particularly those marginalized (hard to reach areas, women, youth, and persons with disability).
That, he added, was done through advocacy, organizational and technical capacity building, information and knowledge management, strategic partnership building, entrepreneurship and business development, membership, and network strengthening.
He said the PFAG had over the years evolved from a few visionary small-scale farmers to a national association with over one million smallholder farmers with representation in all 16 administrative regions of the country.
The PFAG is a membership organization with current membership standing at over 2000 registered Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) with membership made up of 45 per cent female farmers and over 80 per cent are in hard-to-reach communities.
By Dennis Peprah, GNA
