The Maltaaba Peasant Women Farmers’ Cooperative at Yakoti, a farming community in the Nabdam District, Upper East Region, is set to receive training on sustainable agricultural practices and production of organic compost.
The training would empower them to become trainer of trainers for the community to adopt best agronomic practices and produce compost to contribute to improving soil fertility, crop yields and livelihoods of the community.
Lifeworks Global, a United Kingdom-based organisation, expressed interest to conduct the training after Ms Nandi Mkhize, one of the officials of the Lifeworks Global, paid a working visit to the project site of Maaltaaba Peasant Women Farmers’ Cooperative at the Yakorti community.
The working visit of the official from the Lifeworks Global which was facilitated by the Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers (GhaFFaP) attracted most of the farmers.
Ms Mkhize expressed joy over the zealous and hardworking nature of the women and stated that the vision of the group which was to promote organic farming and to help address climate change was in line with the vision of her outfit.
She told the Peasant Women group that Lifeworks Global had the technical capacity to train them to become a trainer of trainers and produce organic manure ready for use within 18 days.
Ms Mkhize assured the group that they stood the chance to benefit immensely from the capacity building programme since they would be in full control of undertaking a massive production of low-cost organic fertilizers.
“This will help you as a group to improve upon your livelihoods and be able to support your families, particularly your children’s upkeep and their education. Organic produce is more patronised in the international markets,” she stressed.
Ms Lydia M. Miyella, Founder and Executive Director, Maaltaaba Peasant Women Farmers’ Cooperative, expressed gratitude to GhaFFaP) for facilitating the working visit of the official of Lifeworks Global and expressed optimism that the collaboration would help empower the peasant women farmers.
She said due to climate change and the loss of soil nutrients, organic farming practices had become the preferred way of sustainably increasing yields while maintaining the soil nutrients.
She said most of the peasant women farmers in the area were vulnerable and could not afford organic fertilizer especially considering the global increase in fertilizer prices.
She mentioned the unfenced structure of the projects and water facility to enable them to undertake all year-round farming as the major challenges confronting them.
The Maaltaaba Peasant Women Farmers’ Cooperative which is community-based organisation had over 80 peasant women farmers in the Yakoti community who were widows and were into organic manure farming.
By Anthony Apubeo, GNA
