By: Peter Agengre
The Maaltaaba Peasant Women Farmers’ Cooperative is using the neem leaves to produce insecticides and pesticides to control pests and diseases on the farm.
The leaves are also used to produce oil and as mulch on crops and trees.
The women are drawn from the Talensi, Nabdam and Bongo Districts in the Upper East Region.
Neem oil is a natural, organic, and biodegradable oil extracted from the seeds of neem tree which are common in the Talensi and Nabdam Districts.
The neem oils have varied benefits that the peasant women farmers can maximize for their livelihood empowerment. Some of the benefits include improving crop yield and quality, manufacturing of pesticide and insecticide and for healthcare and cosmetic applications, among others.
It is against this background that Board Member of Maltaaba, Madam Gladys Waadi (PWD) offered to provide free skills training for representatives of Maaltaaba women groups.
“Neem oil is very good for the prevention of insects at home and pesticides on our crops. It can also be used to apply on animals to control ticks and fleas from infesting it. It is an environmentally friendly alternative to the synthetic pesticides and insecticides.”
“The leaves when spread on the soil will not only serve as mulch but will drive away weevils, worms and other insects that may threaten the development of crops and trees” Madam Gladys Waadi explained.
Maaltaaba believes that the neem oil comes in handy and will be contributing to the fight against climate change whilst empowering themselves economically. They envisage that neem oil will improve soil health, promote biodiversity, support sustainable agricultural practices, and the like.
The Executive Director of Maaltaaba Peasant Women Farmers’ Cooperative Madam Lydia Miyella encouraged the women to make good use of the skills acquired from the training.
“We have always known the neem tree to have so many benefits especially the medicinal ones that help boosts immune system and protect us from infections and diseases. Little did I know that neem oil extracted from the neem seeds has wonderful benefits. I will entreat all Maaltaaba women to make use of this free skill training and use the neem leaves and oil to replace the expensive chemicals we use as pesticides and insecticide on our farms. Times are hard, let’s make good use of the natural things around us, starting from the neem tree so that we can also positively contribute to the fight against climate change in our own small ways” Lydia Miyella appealed.
The training was funded by STAR-Ghana Foundation and West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) to strengthen its organizational structure and capacity through the CSSP/STP Catalyst Fund in 2023.
This support also brought about, the development of a Board Charter/Manual and the restructuring of Maaltaaba’s Board among others.
