Gomoa Central District Assembly Inaugurates Agric Census Management Team

The Gomoa Central District Assembly in the Central Region has inaugurated a 4-member Management Team to ensure coordination and implementation of Census of Agricultural projects in the District.

The Team made of the District Coordinating Director, Mr. Daniel Koney, the District Director of Agriculture, Mr. Richard Marcus Odame, the District Planning Officer, Nii Oseku Akushie and the District Director of the Information Service Department, Madam Comfort Morgan were sworn into office by the District Chief Executive, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo.

According to the DCE, the overall objective of the Ghana Census of Agriculture is to produce and disseminate an agricultural data to meet the needs of the policy makers and other users to support informed decision making and for monitoring development programmes aimed at further developing Agriculture and rural areas.

In a speech read on behalf of Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the Gomoa Central DCE, noted that the Ghana Census of Agriculture would provide an up-to-date sampling flame and establish solid system for regular production.

He disclosed that dissemination of reliable annual agricultural statistics through surveys in order to strengthen the national agricultural statistics system and improve upon the availability of agricultural data.

" The Ghana Census of Agricultural projects will be implemented over a 4-year period. January 2016 to December 2019.

The programme will be rolled out in four phases in line with the Modular Approach recommended by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the 2020 Round of World Censuses of Agriculture.

Phase One of the Modular Approach is the preparation stage that would expand a period of two years from January 2016 to December 2017.

Phase two involves carrying out complete enumeration to collect information of basic indicators from Agriculture holdings of households and institutional farms covering twenty-three (23) essential items and some of the recommended fifteen (15) flame items including identification and location of Agricultural holding, legal status of Agriculture holder,sex and age of Agriculture holder, main purpose of production of the holding, land tenure, types of the holding, and presence of irrigation of holding;

The others are types of temporary crops on the holding, types of permanent crops on the holding, number of animals on the holding for each livestock type, presence of forest and other wooded land on the holding among others"

Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo further stated that the Agriculture Census Management Team which is the highest decision making body of the Census of Agriculture in the District has been tasked to be responsible for coordination and implementation of the Census of Agriculture projects in the District.

" The team should also ensure the provision of facilities for all activities of the Census of Agriculture operations.

They will assist the recruitment of field staff, ensure that effective education and publicity of the Census of Agriculture is carried out in the District.

Among others things, the team should ensure that the project activities are carried out in the district on schedule. Resolve all problems relating to the census of Agriculture operations in the District.

The team will also facilitate information sharing and dissemination of results in the district"

The DCE concluded by expressing the hope what with the wealth of experience that the four officers have mastered over the years, having risen through the ranks to their present position.

With the knowledge about the capacity of the Team Members, I am confident that they will be able to perform the tasks that have been assigned to them successfully, and I expect that all of us in the Gomoa Central District will give them the necessary support and the needed encouragement to enable them their assigned duties"