The EWA-BELT project has held a stakeholder workshop at Nyankpala near Tamale to showcase the findings of the project and also take feedback from participants who were involved in the project implementation. The EWA-BELT project, Linking East and West African farming systems experience into a BELT of sustainable intensification isa four-year initiative which received funding from the EU Horizon 2020 – Sustainable Intensification in Africa. The project recorded recorded significant progress in enhancing food security and promoting climate-resilient agriculture in northern Ghana.
Launched in October in 2020 and extended for an additional year at no cost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has focused on improving food production systems. In Ghana, the project is jointly implemented the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SARI) and the Kundok Development Consult (KDC) a private company in four districts/municipals across three regions. These were Savelugu Municipal in northern region. West Mamprusi Municipal in the North East region, Talansi and Nabdam districts in the Upper East region. Some of the interventions include research on neglected and underutilized species, sustainable soil and water management, the use of environmentally friendly biopesticides for fall armyworm management, and pre and post-harvest strategies to minimise aflatoxins in maize and groundnut.
Speaking during the opening of the workshop, Dr. Joseph Adjebeng-Danquah, Project Coordinator and Deputy Director of the CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI), said the EWA-BELT project is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 2, which seeks to eradicate hunger and poverty while promoting sustainable food systems. “We introduced crops such as fonio and improved Frafra potato varieties, and trained farmers on preparation techniques to reduce post-harvest losses and aflatoxin contamination,” he explained.
Farmers from beneficiary areas including Savelugu, West Mamprusi, Talensi, and Nabdam shared positive testimonies on the project’s impact. Mr. Ahmed Musah, a farmer from Savelugu, noted that the project had greatly improved farming practices in his community. “We learned how to plant cassava in combination with cowpea, and the new sorghum variety is performing well under our conditions. Planting on ridges has helped us manage water better during dry spells,” he said.
Dr. James Kombiok, the Director of Kundok Development Consult (KDC) also expressed satisfaction with the outcomes achieved. “All planned activities were implemented. The results were presented clearly, giving farmers and stakeholders the opportunity to adopt technologies suited to their contexts,” he said. He further emphasized the adoption of innovations such as traditional water harvesting strategies using stone bunding and the integration of organic and inorganic fertilizers.
The workshop also served as a platform to appreciate farmers and institutional partners for their collaboration over the past four years. District Departments of Agriculture were encouraged to integrate the project’s findings into their development programmes to ensure long-term sustainability.
The heads of department of agriculture in the implementing districts also expressed their appreciation to the project for the interventions which have boosted the agricultural productivity and improved the livelihood of the farmers. They however appealed for more of such future collaborations to incentivise the farmers to adopt more of such innovations that would help combat emerging threats such as climate change.
