The European Union funded Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH) Project has engaged stakeholders in the agricultural value-chain in the Upper West, Savannah and North East regions on the development of a consolidated manual to guide Conservation Agriculture (CA) in the three regions.
The manual, when finalised, would facilitate and enhance training of farmers on the principles of sustainable conservation agriculture.
Addressing the stakeholders at the opening ceremony of the two-day consultative workshop, the Deputy Project Manager for the EU-REACH, Mr Simon Kunyangna, said the meeting sought to collect the views and suggestions of the respective stakeholders to guide the preparation of the manual.
The workshop was aimed at engaging stakeholders on the theme and content of the said manual which was intended to form the basis for the development of an accredited course for in-service Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) in the country.
“Conservation Agriculture is a sustainable approach to agriculture production aimed at protecting the surface of the earth from erosion and degradation as well as improve soil quality and biodiversity, contribute to the preservation of natural resources and also improve yield,” he explained.
He stated that REACH intended to leverage on the benefits of CA to aid economies largely through farming to build resilience against the menace of climate change and its impact on their livelihood.
He indicated that the project would directly benefit Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies as well as farmers and rural communities who were the most affected and threatened by climate change.
“If we are able to finalise the manual, it will become a standardised extension training tool that will be presented to the Damango Agricultural College to further produce CA extension materials, support technical training sites and provide matching grants for the realisation of community activities,” he stated.
The Project Manager added that the manual would improve community and individual knowledge and practices in CA through extension services, trial plots, mobile information unit, land use mapping and the development of Community Action Plans (CAPs).
REACH, which is part of the 2017 European Union Ghana Agriculture Project (EUGAP) started in January 2019 and will run until the end of 2024.
It is being implemented on behalf of the EU by the German Development Organisation (GIZ) Competitive Cashew Initiative (ComCashew) with additional funding from the German Government under the auspices of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
FROM RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK, WA
