By Philip Tengzu
Babile, (UW/R), Nov. 15, GNA – Ms. Paullina Rozycka, the Head of Infrastructure and Sustainable Development at the European Union (EU) Delegation in Ghana, has expressed content with the progress of EU interventions and their impact on the livelihoods of farmers.
She said the interventions were enhancing incomes of farmers and improving food security.
Ms. Rozycka expressed the satisfaction when she led a team from the EU and the EU Ghana Agriculture Programme (EUGAP) Steering Committee to visit some EUGAP intervention sites in the Upper West Region.
The visit was to assess the progress and impact of the EUGAP in promoting sustainable agriculture among farmers and enhancing food security in the North West of Ghana.
The team visited a 15-acre Conservation Agriculture Demonstration Centre of Excellence (CADCE) at the Babile Agricultural Research Station (BARS) in the Lawra Municipality where farmers were learning hands-on techniques of different Conservation Agriculture (CA) principles that could enhance their yields amidst the vagaries of the weather.
Some CA practices on demonstrations at the centre included intercropping, ripping, bushfire management, residue retention, cover cropping, zero-tillage system, and soil erosion demonstration.
Farmers were also introduced to biocha preparation and some hand-held implements including the push and jack planters and push sprayer to reduce their labour in farming and to enhance their productivity.
Ms. Rozycka indicated that, “The EU is very committed to support Ghana’s agriculture and promote sustainable development.”
“We hope for better crop yields, better income and better food security for the farmers who adopt those (CA) techniques”, she added.
The BARS has so far trained over 1,000 farmers and Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) in CA practices.
The team also visited the Loho community in the Nadowli-Kaleo District to witness a Community Action Plan (CAP) validation facilitated by the EUGAP.
The CAP outlined and prioritized the community’s development needs and improved land management practices that enhanced community resource utilization.
The EU team also visited a solar-powered irrigation system constructed at the Anconyelle Cashew Farm at Busa in the Wa Municipality on a 50 per cent cost-sharing mechanism to provide water for the plantation at critical times.
Other project sites visited were the AUB Dassan, an agro-processing company in Wa, which received EUR25,000 for the construction of a modern processing facility and acquisition of advanced processing equipment.
Mr Mahama Dangana, the Station Manager, Babile Agriculture Research Station (BARS), urged farmers to adopt CA practices to build their resilience against the erratic rainfall and long droughts in the area.
“Among all the things that we are practising here, it’s conservation agriculture that will save us because it has the ability to restore soil nutrients and boost farmers’ income because of increased yields and reduced cost of farming”, he explained
Some of the farmers, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), expressed happiness about the knowledge gained in CA practices and its potential impact on their livelihoods and agricultural activities.
They also visited a section of the EU feeder roads project and a renovated Community-based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) compound with a solar-powered borehole at Goli in the Nadowli-Kaleo District.
GNA