By Anthony Adongo Apubeo, GNA
Kparaboug (UER), Aug. 19, GNA – The Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR), a non government organisation (NGO), has launched a Striga Control Awareness Campaign to empower smallholder farmers in the Nabdam District to combat the parasitic weed and improve crop productivity.
The campaign, to be implemented in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, seeks to equip farmers with the knowledge and practical strategies to identify, prevent and control Striga.
Striga has become a major threat to the production of staple cereal crops including sorghum, millet and maize.
The campaign is being funded by Awaken Trees Association of Austria under the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration for Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods Project (FMNR4WELIP).
Striga hermonthica (witchweed) is a root plant parasite that attaches to the roots of its host plants, siphoning water, nutrients and photosynthates.
In the Upper East Region, Striga predominantly attacks sorghum, late millet, maize and upland rice, and is prevalent in all 15 districts of the region.
Mr Sumaila Seidu Saaka, the Executive Director of the FONAR, said the initiative was designed to address not only the immediate challenge posed by Striga but also the underlying soil degradation and declining fertility that contributed to its spread.
“Striga is not just a farming problem; it is a water, energy, food and land restoration problem,” Mr Saaka said, explaining that the loss of trees and declining soil fertility had contributed to the worsening situation.
He said FONAR’s approach was therefore based on Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) and climate-smart agroforestry, which focused on restoring degraded soils, improving water infiltration and bringing trees back onto farms.
Mr Saaka said the campaign would promote an Integrated Striga Management approach, combining several practices rather than relying on a single method of control.
He encouraged farmers to identify Striga early, uproot it before it produced seeds and dispose of the weed away from farms to prevent further infestation.
He also urged farmers to practise crop rotation, particularly by rotating cereal crops with legumes such as groundnuts and cowpeas, and to apply compost and manure to improve soil fertility.
He said farmers should also protect and prune naturally regenerated trees, particularly Faidherbia, which could contribute to soil fertility and provide other benefits to farming communities.
Mr Saaka said the campaign would use farmer education materials, radio awareness messages, community engagements and school-based educational materials to expand knowledge on Striga control and environmental restoration.
He urged farmers who participated in the campaign to become “Striga control warriors”, adding that the initiative formed part of the wider Trans-Sahara WEFE Nexus Agroforestry Initiative being piloted in Tindongo to promote climate resilience and combat land degradation in the Sahel.
Mr Saaka further appealed to District Assemblies to prioritise Striga control in their agricultural development plans, saying the parasitic weed threatened food security, rural incomes and local economic development.
Mr Adams Musah, Nabdam District Crop Officer, Department of Agriculture, said Striga had become a serious threat to crop production in the district, with several farmers suffering substantial losses.
“Striga is a serious parasite that has affected crop yield in the Nabdam District and we are grateful for this partnership with FONAR for this campaign,” he said.
Mr Musah John, Secretary to the Paramount Chief of Sekoti, described the training as impactful, particularly because many farmers in the area were struggling with poverty and low agricultural productivity.
He said the improved farming practices shared during the training would help farmers increase yields and improve their livelihoods.
Mr Joel Nyenya, a lead farmer from Dasang, said the training had heightened his understanding of the devastating impact of Striga on farms.
He said although farmers had seen the weed on their farms for years, many were unaware of the extent to which it contributed to declining crop yields.
Mr Nyenya said the training had equipped participants with practical measures, including crop rotation, intercropping and early removal of Striga from farms, to control its spread.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]
19 Aug. 2026