Bolgatanga: Documentary of the state of Agriculture in Upper Eas

Bolgatanga: Documentary of the state of Agriculture in Upper East

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ANCR V/O Agriculture undoubtedly is the backbone of every nation. In both developed and under developed countries like Africa, agriculture is regarded as a tool needed for the economic survival of the people. In Ghana, agriculture remains the oldest profession practiced by many particularly in rural communities of Northern Ghana where majority of the people are predominantly farmers. It is also Ghana's most important economic sector, employing more than half the population on a formal and informal basis and accounting for almost half of Gross Domestic Product, GDP and export earnings. It is on record that while the southern and coastal regions of Ghana have benefited from centuries of educational and natural resource development, the north has been left with a predominantly subsistence agricultural base where up to nine out of ten people live below the poverty line. This report contained in a 2011 report release by the World Food Programme, WFP, thus underscores the fact that Northern Ghana is faced with lot of agricultural challenges ranging from poor soil fertility to erosion and drought. Harsh weather conditions coupled with the perennial flooding experienced each year in most parts of northern Ghana cannot be glossed over since they pose a major challenge. Though Northern Ghana abounds in a lot of natural food security remains a perennial issue in the north. The situation in recent years have been compounded by the increasing droughts and the perennial White Volta River flooding of low-lying areas threatening livelihoods, causing damages to farmlands, properties, loss of lives and socio-economic dislocation due to climate changes and creeping desertification, this situation has been. An estimated 60,000 people were affected by floods in Northern Ghana in September 2010 whilst, the year 2007 recorded the worst flooding in the history of northern Ghana. In the upper East of Ghana, records have it that 80 percent of the economically active population is engaged in agriculture. Carved out of what used to be the Northern Region on 1st July, 1960, the Upper East Region is the smallest of the 10 administrative regions in Ghana, occupying a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, it is the ninth most populated region with a population of 920,089 in 2000, accounting for 4.9 per cent of Ghana’s total population. It is however interesting to note that despite the region’s low population record, the region has made and continues to make giant strides in the area of agriculture producing variety of crops and cereals including rice, millet, guinea-corn, groundnut beans, sorghum and dry season tomatoes and onions among others. Hunting and forestry are the main economic activities in the region. The region is also involved in the production of livestock including the rearing of guinea fowl, which is gradually gaining root in most parts of the country, particularly in southern Ghana where it is regarded as a preferred delicacy. There is a great potential in the region for the large-scale production of rice especially in the now onchocerciasis river blindness free zone. Infact, this zone, which is around Fumbisi- Gbedembillisi area, is normally termed the “rice-bowl” of the region. This area has vast lands and suitable soil, which if properly exploited, would give high yield of rice. The region also has a great potential in the area of cash crop production and fish farming. This is due to the existence of many irrigation sites in the region. In addition to the Vea and Tono irrigation dams, which provide employment to about 6,000 small-scale farmers in the region, there are more than 220 dams and dugouts. These dams and dugouts have lands suitable for crops such as onion, tomatoes and pepper. Government of Ghana recognizing the invaluable contribution of agriculture in Northern Ghana and Upper East in particular, has taken interventional steps to improved crop yield throughout the wet and dry season. These measures are in the form of policies and programmes geared towards improving the livelihood of the rural poor through agriculture with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture being the implementing agency. Some of these policies include the block farming project, the Rice Sector Support programme, RSSP, the Northern Rural Growth Programme and the government fertilizer subsidy for farmers among others. The Upper East Regional Director of the MOFA, Emmanuel Eledi touched on the core mandate of MOFA and assessed the impact of government’s policies on the agricultural sector of the region.

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ANCR V/O Mr. Eledi also highlighted on a number of challenges confronting the agriculture sector in the region, particularly the upsurge of fertilizer smuggling in areas such as Bawku and Garu-Tempane.
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ANCR V/O The Regional Agric Extension Officer, MyIssah Bernard gave an overview of the regions’ prospect and challenges in terms of agriculture.
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ANCR V/O Mrs. Mavis Akaligan, is the Regional Fertilizer Desk Officer.
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ANCR V/O A trip to some farm lands in the region saw remarkable improvement in crops and cereals produced under the block farming project. The Regional Crop Officer, Joseph Bei Walier for his part outlined some deficiencies militating against the block farming project in the region and mentioned unfavourable weather condition and erratic rainfall pattern as some of the major challenges.
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ANCR V/O Mr. Walier later underscored the importance of government policies on agriculture describing it as timely and essential. He said agriculture under these policies have provided employment to many teeming unemployed youth and has contributed to the decline of youth migration down south. Agriculture, he further noted remains a lucrative venture since it has changed the lives of many poor rural farmers and advised the youth in the country, especially those in northern Ghana to take advantage of agriculture to enhance their livelihood rather than migrating down south for menial jobs.
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