By: Mark Smith
Stakeholders in the Agricultural sector are nearing the completion of a manual that will serve as a blueprint for the adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Ghana.
Conservation agriculture (CA) can be defined as a statement given by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a farming system that promotes minimum soil disturbance.
The manual, when completed, will be integrated into the curriculum of the Damongo Agricultural College of Education as an accredited course for Agricultural Extension Agents AEAs on a trial basis.
Over time, the stakeholders hope that the manual would be adopted by all Agricultural Colleges of Education in Ghana.
Speaking at the Resilience Against Climate Change, REACH, validation workshop on the Consolidation Conservation Agriculture Manual at Wa, the Head of Production, ComCashew, Mohammed Salifu explained that the creation and adoption of such a manual is in line with the government’s efforts of addressing the issues that have arisen due to climate change.
Resilience Against Climate Change REACH is part of the European Union’s EU programme: ‘Productive Investment for Agriculture in the Savannah Ecological Zone,’ which aims at increasing Agricultural income and promoting sustainable economic growth in rural communities by 2024.
The Project is being run in all 11 Districts and Municipalities of the Upper West Region, 2 Districts in the Savannah District and 1 District in the North East Region.
REACH has 3 components. Component 2 seeks to address the knowledge deficit among institutions, communities and households in the area of Conservation Agriculture.
According to the Head of Production, ComCashew, Mohammed Salifu REACH together with the Department of Food and Agriculture has established 6 Conservation Agriculture Demonstration Areas, CADAs, at the Babile Agriculture Station.
The CADAs are to help enhance the knowledge of AEAs on different agro systems that comply with the principles of Conservation Agriculture.
The Deputy Project Manager, EU-REACH, Simon Kunyangna said climate change is affecting every aspect of human life, thus the need to adopt systems that will reverse, contain and prevent some of the negative effects.
The Upper West Regional Deputy Director of Agriculture, Huudu Abu admitted that while there is some knowledge on Conservation Agriculture, it is scattered and may not be comprehensive. He said the effort by the Component 2 of REACH to collect knowledge in the area and develop a comprehensive document on Conservation Agriculture is commendable.
