Nyankpala, 24th June 2024 – The Soybean Compact under the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), successfully conducted a Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for frontline staff of CSIR-SARI, seed producers/growers, and extension agents. The workshop, held in Nyankpala, saw the participation of 35 individuals from the five Northern regions of Ghana. The primary aim was to enhance capacity and equip participants with essential knowledge and skills to boost soybean production and its value chain in Ghana.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Francis Kusi, Director of CSIR-SARI, expressed deep gratitude to IITA for the collaboration and to the African Development Bank (AfDB) for funding TAAT activities. Dr. Kusi reaffirmed SARI’s commitment to scaling up proven technologies to improve soybean production in Ghana. He announced, “To ensure an adequate supply of quality certified seeds for farmers, SARI has heavily subsidized foundation seeds of soybean for seed-producing companies this year.” Dr. Kusi also encouraged women and youth to actively engage in agriculture for socio-economic transformation by adopting SARI’s technologies.
Professor David Ojo Kolawole, the TAAT Soybean Compact Lead, acknowledged CSIR-SARI’s contributions to agricultural development in Ghana. He hoped the IITA-SARI partnership through TAAT would further empower SARI to deliver proven technologies and innovations to farmers, enhancing productivity across the agricultural value chain. Professor Ojo noted the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on vegetable oil shortages in Africa and emphasized the importance of boosting soy production to support soya oil processing companies. He highlighted that the TAAT Soybean Compact under phase II aims to build capacity and provide technical assistance to National Agricultural Research Institutions (NARES) and the private sector, enhancing soybean production and productivity for processing, improved nutrition, and household income.
The workshop covered various topics, including good agronomic practices (GAPs) for soybean production, seed treatment using rhizobium inoculum with a focus on NoduMax, seed rate estimation, post-harvest processing technologies for value addition, and soybean agribusiness.
Dr. Omikunle Oluwaseun Ayoola, a facilitator on seed treatment, indicated that using certified seeds and proper GAPs could effectively double soybean yields compared to typical growing practices. He emphasized that soybean inoculation using NoduMax could increase yields by 30% to 40%.
Mr. Obaniyi John Oluwakayode, an agripreneur from IITA and facilitator on agribusiness, stressed the need for increased value addition to maximize profits within the soybean value chain.
Participants expressed their satisfaction with the training’s effectiveness. In his concluding remarks, Dr. Charles Nelimor, the focal person for the Soybean Compact at SARI, urged participants to transfer the knowledge gained from the workshop to field workers and farmers.
This initiative marks a significant step towards enhancing soybean production and supporting agricultural development in Ghana, promising positive outcomes for farmers and the broader agricultural community.
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