PFAG, SEND-Ghana receives $80,000 to improve extension services
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) and SEND-Ghana have received $80,000 donor support from Trust Africa for a project aimed at pushing for increased investment in agricultural extension services and efficient implementation of Agricultural Extension programmes in Ghana.
Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, President of PFAG, Mohammed Adam Nashiru, believes even though government is taking steps towards ensuring food security in the country through initiatives such as Youth in Agricultural Programme, Northern Rural Growth, Savanah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) among others, there is a need to improve extension services in the agric subsector to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives.
According to the Agric and Trade Programmes Officer at SEND-Ghana, Daniel Adotey, the Trust Africa fund would be invested towards pushing policy makers and other stakeholders for more investments in extension services to achieve the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Goals in Ghana.
The overall objective of the project will be to ensure that implementation of the Agricultural Extension Policy (AEP) benefits smallholder farmers particularly women farmers in Ghana in a way that contributes to the realisation of the strategic goals of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Policy (CAADP) and the Medium Term Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (METASIP).
PFAG and SEND-Ghana seek to demand increased investment in agricultural extension services and efficient implementation of agricultural extension programmes in Ghana.
As part of their activities, PFAG and Send-Ghana would make specific demands for gender and geographical equity in agriculture programming regarding the provision of extension services and resource allocation to government.
The project would contribute to addressing challenges confronting smallholder farmers such as weak research and technological uptake, post-harvest management and inadequate knowledge in the use of improved seedlings and fertiliser.
According to SEND-Ghana, inadequate human resources and operational deficiencies in providing public extension services is a threat to the full achievement of the objectives of the Food and Agricultural Sector Development Programme (FASDEP) and programmes under the METASIP and hence would be accorded attention under the project.
Recent studies conducted by PFAG reveal that currently the farmer extension ratio in Ghana stands at one Extension Agent to 1,300 farmers.
“In some districts in the Brong Ahafo and Northern Regions for instance, farmers' access to Extension Agents is even more restricted with one Extension Agent deployed to offer services to over Three Thousand farmers” a SEND-Ghana statement revealed.
According to SEND-Ghana, the few Extension Agents are also faced with challenges such as lack of incentives especially for those working in very deprived communities and districts.
PFAG and SEND-Ghana believe the poor access to extension services has led to poor agronomic practices, post harvest management, inefficient use of inputs, over use of pesticides, low adaptive capacity for use of research and technology and other information that could help increase productivity.
The two year project would comprise national multi-stakeholder workshops and collaborations with Non-governmental Organisations (NGO's), the academia, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning among others.
Project partners will also appear on media houses to create awareness about the CAAPD goals thus drumming home the extension services challenges to policy makers and other agencies.
Donors of the project, Trust Africa, are made up of a group of African philanthropists. They seek to strengthen African initiatives that address the most difficult challenges confronting the continent. They are based in Senegal.