By: Rachel Kakraba
A Postharvest Technology Specialist, Department of Crop Science, University of Ghana, Dr. Gloria Essilfie, has rallied support of the private sector to partner academia in implementing research findings. This she said is critical to national development as many valuable research outcomes which could propel national development remain untapped.
Dr. Essilfie who is Project Lead, “Enhancing the production and consumption of African indigenous fruits and vegetables (AIFVs) to improve nutrition in Ghana and Mali, was speaking to GBCNEWS, during a recently held validation of a value chain analysis report of four indigenous vegetables and a policy dialogue on the role of indigenous fruits and vegetables in enhancing Ghana’s food system in Accra.
With funding from the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture, the University of Ghana is collaborating with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, FARA, to implement various activities and engagements to promote the production and consumption of indigenous vegetables and fruits in Ghana and Mali. The goal is to improve the nutritional status of Ghanaians and Malians by encouraging the use and consumption of local fruits and vegetables.
Dr. Essilfie, said under the project some nutritious products are being developed which would require such critical collaboration to promote acceptance and consumption for the general well-being of citizens.
“Research is doing its bit, we hope that there’ll be the buy-in of the private sector so that they can move the research from the lab to the consumer.”
She hinted that the project would produce a food composition table, detailing the nutritional value of different fruits and vegetables to promote their consumption among the population in the project countries.
“We are all saying indigenous crops are nutritious, but how nutritious? So, we will have the data to back the statements. Also, when it comes to policy issues, we can show the data.”
Dr. Essilfie, also mentioned that under the project seed grants will be offered to youth and women led enterprises to expand their businesses when their business ideas are selected for an incubator program.
She explained that, “We’ll put an advert out for these enterprises mainly for women and the youth to apply. If their business plans are good enough and focused around these indigenous crops, the project will support them with 10, 000 dollars to help set up businesses around the indigenous fruits and vegetables. The requirement is that they should be in the business already so that when they get the money they continue with what they are already doing and this will promote the consumption of indigenous crops”
The three-year project she added will also train farmers to empower them to improve their livelihoods.
“During the value chain analysis, we interacted with the stakeholders, and so we have a database of the stakeholders and so after we are done with the value chain analysis, we now go back and train them based on what we found gaps along the value chain. The idea is that we are training the stakeholders on what they don’t have so that they will be able to use that to improve their own livelihood.”
The Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, FARA, Dr. Aggrey Agumya, stated that investing in indigenous fruits and vegetables will strengthen the resilience of the country’s food system.
“Indigenous, fruits and vegetables are also essential in strengthening the resilience of our food systems. They are important as potential opportunities for generating revenue for especially for our farmers”
He said the African Union Commission and the African Union Development Agency, which are the top political organs on the continent are crafting the next phase of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program, which will guide agricultural development on the continent. The framework which he said will be implemented from 2026, will strongly feature indigenous fruits and vegetables.
“Resilience is a big part of the coming agenda and recommendations have been crafted calling for the integration of indigenous food systems and knowledge into national and regional food and nutritional security plans and resilience plans.”
Dr. Agumya, also emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between research, academia, and the private sector particularly at country level, for maximum benefits.
The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) is the apex continental organization responsible for coordinating and advocating for agricultural research for development.
FARA serves as the technical arm of the African Union Commission on matters concerning agriculture science, technology and innovation.
