KITA organises workshop for teachers and farmers

Ejisu Juaben (Ash), Aug 31, GNA - The Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA), has organised a workshop for students and farmers at Domeabra in the Ejisu Juaben District.

It was aimed at aimed educating participants on agro-forestry technology and sensitise them on the significance of planting nitrogen fixing trees on their farms.

Mr Emmanuel Frimpong, Training Officer of KITA, said the school has incorporated the teaching of agro-forestry system into its curriculum to enable the school to train Diploma students and farmers.

He said the school would also initiate measures to train farmers and students in organic farming, green manuring and crop rotation.

Mr Frimpong commended Trees for the Future, a non-governmental organisation, (NGO) based in the US for providing the school with inputs, seeds and technical training.

The Programme Coordinator of the NGO in Ghana, Mr Lovans Owusu-Takyi, said the organisation would work with farmers, communities, KITA graduates, NGOs and schools to plant one million tree seedlings in Ghana by the end 2010.

He said 800,000 tree seedlings have already been planted across the country while 500,000 seedlings were at nursery.

Mr Owusu-Takyi said farmers in the communities have been assisted to planting nitrogen fixing trees to improve soil fertility, for fuel wood production, land and water restoration, bio-diversity conservation and alternative livelihood support.

He said the Trees for the Future was working with basic and high schools and Treepals Environmental clubs to plant trees and establish gardens for practical training in agro-forestry.

GNA