Accra, July 6, GNA – The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has called for stronger investment, strategic partnerships and accelerated adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies to safeguard Ghana’s food future.
In a press statement to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, the council warned that climate change is increasingly threatening food production despite the availability of proven scientific solutions.
It said the call was made at a national virtual symposium held to commemorate the 2026 Day of Scientific Renaissance of Africa (DSRA), organised by CSIR under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.
The symposium was organised in collaboration with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and other sister agencies, held on the theme, “Strengthening Research Partnerships and Scientific Innovation for Climate Resilient Agricultural Development in Ghana,” and under the slogan “Advancing Science, Transforming Agriculture”.
It brought together scientists, policymakers, development partners, financial institutions, farmer organisations and private sector actors to examine practical scientific responses to climate-related threats confronting Ghana’s agriculture.
Discussions underscored growing concerns that rising temperatures and increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns across all agro-ecological zones are making agricultural production riskier, particularly for farmers who rely heavily on natural rainfall.
More than 80 per cent of Ghana’s agricultural production depends on rain-fed farming, leaving the sector highly vulnerable to changing weather conditions.
Climate change, participants observed, was no longer a distant threat but a daily reality affecting food production, livelihoods and national food security.
Prolonged droughts, delayed rainfall, shorter growing seasons and floods are increasingly disrupting farming activities, while pest and disease outbreaks, including fall armyworm infestations, continue to deepen production challenges.
The symposium cited the recent destructive flooding at the Weta Irrigation Scheme in the Volta Region as a stark example of the mounting risks.
The floods damaged crops, increased soil erosion and destroyed stored produce, showing how climate shocks can directly undermine agricultural productivity and food availability.
Dr Stephen Yeboah, Climate-Smart Agriculture Expert at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CRI), stressed the close link between climate variability and household food security.
“Every delayed rainfall, prolonged drought and unexpected floods have a direct effect on what eventually reaches the table,” he said.
His remarks echoed the symposium’s broader concern that climate-induced disruptions to agricultural production ultimately affect food availability, incomes and livelihoods across the country.
To address those challenges, the CSIR showcased a range of climate-smart agricultural technologies designed to improve productivity, strengthen resilience and minimise environmental impacts.
These technologies are being promoted as practical solutions that can help farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions while maintaining food production.
Among the innovations highlighted was the Alternate Wetting and Drying Irrigation Technology for rice production, a water-saving approach that has reduced water use by about 30 per cent and improved water-use efficiency by 29 per cent.
Dr Yeboah indicated that the technology had recorded an 80 per cent adoption rate among partner farmers.
Average rice yield went up from 4.1 tonnes per hectare to 5.4 tonnes per hectare, while smallholder farmers’ profits improved by 25 per cent.
The symposium heard that such results demonstrate the potential of climate-smart technologies to boost productivity while helping farmers cope with increasingly erratic weather patterns.
Dr Isaac Amegbor, Plant Breeder and Agricultural Development Expert at the CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, outlined efforts to develop climate-resilient crop varieties capable of withstanding multiple production challenges.
The improved crop varieties include early maturing maize that is tolerant to drought, Striga infestation, and fall armyworm attacks.
Notable among them are the Denbea and CSIR-Wobil Moya, which can produce yields exceeding six tonnes per hectare.
Other innovations included the Gbewaa Red, an aromatic rice variety with high antioxidant content.
Additionally, it developed improved cowpea, soybean and groundnut varieties with enhanced nutritional value, higher oil content, Maruca pod borer tolerance and characteristics that support mechanisation.
Also highlighted at the symposium were innovations aimed at addressing declining soil fertility and improving access to quality planting materials.
Scientists explained that SARIFIX, a specialised rhizobium inoculant, enhances biological nitrogen fixation in legumes and can increase yields by between 30 and 50 per cent while reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers.
Participants similarly learned that CSIR’s climate-smart leaf bud cutting technology has transformed seed yam production, making it possible to produce up to 500 seed yams from a single mother plant.
The innovation is expected to improve the supply of quality seed yams and support increased production.
Despite those advances, stakeholders acknowledged that scientific breakthroughs alone would not transform agriculture unless farmers could access and adopt them on a much broader scale.
Participants identified short-term funding arrangements, weak seed delivery systems, limited farmer feedback mechanisms and inadequate coordination across the agricultural value chain as major barriers to technology uptake.
They noted that addressing those constraints would be critical to building a more resilient agricultural sector.
The symposium, therefore, called for stronger public-private-farmer partnerships involving researchers, government agencies, private sector actors, farmer groups, development partners and financial institutions to accelerate the deployment of climate-smart technologies nationwide.
Participants also recommended integrating scientific innovations with localised climate information services, digital agro-climate advisory systems and climate-indexed insurance schemes to help farmers manage weather-related risks more effectively while improving productivity and food security.
The CSIR reasserted its commitment to developing, validating and disseminating agricultural technologies tailored to Ghana’s climate challenges.
It stressed sustained investment in science and innovation, strengthened research partnerships, and coordinated policy support.
This, it said, would be essential to move proven technologies beyond laboratories and research stations into farmers’ fields, markets and national agricultural systems.
The symposium concluded that science, technology and innovation remain central to building a climate-resilient agricultural sector, protecting livelihoods and securing Ghana’s long-term food future.
GNA
Editing by D. I. Laary/Benjamin Mensah