Friday, 2 September 2011
Oxfam FARMplus Project on course
02-09-2011
The Farmplus project which is being implemented in Northern Ghana by five partners’ including the Presbyterian Agric Station in the Garu-Tempane District of the Upper East Region is said to have impacted positively on the lives of people in its project areas. The project which is in response to the 2007/2008 long period of drought and flood disasters of Northern Ghana is believed to have benefited more than 1,800 vulnerable persons in the Garu Tempane District. Vulnerable members are selected from 40 communities in the district under the food security component of the project. The Programmes Manager of the Garu Presbyterian Agric Station, Mr. Solomon Atiiga, who made the disclosure in an interview with Radio Ghana at Garu, said the project was implemented to also benefit other vulnerable persons that suffered the global price hike that followed the drought and flood disasters experienced in parts of Northern Ghana. The 20 month project he stated began in March, 2010 and is expected to end in October, this year. According to him, an exit Plan has been instituted for beneficiaries since the project is due to end soon. In view of this, beneficiaries have been linked to work with the supporting agencies including the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the district assembly so that they can continue to benefit from other projects undertaken by these institutions. Stressing on the achievements of the Farmplus project, Mr. Atiiga observed that the project since its implementation has increased efficient access to seed and grain in most farming communities in the Upper East Region including parts of the East Mamprusi District of Northern Region and parts of the Upper West Region. Beneficiaries are categorized in three main groups, those who work for food, those who are not physically strong to work but can engage in community messaging and those that cannot work nor spread information. Such people he added are given coupons free of charge, and those that work to earn vouchers are made to surrender their coupons in a flexi fair where they are given farm inputs and grains to assist them in their work. He said the assessment of the impact of the flexi voucher system initiated under the food for work project has led to enhance the income generating capacity of beneficiary famers. Most of the communities he revealed have use the Farmplus project to construct dug outs, animal pens as well as fencing for dry season farming. The construction of storage facilities and rehabilitation of roads and dams have also been undertaken by beneficiaries. Under the advocacy component of the programme, farmplus in collaboration with the district assembly has organized series of advocacy workshops for farmers to update them on the activities and impact of the project. Through such advocacy workshops, farmers were made to make input into the assembly’s medium term development plan as a way of motivating them to continue with the project. Mr Atiiga attributed the success story of Farmplus to the technical support of Oxfam and Care International and encouraged them to offer their continuous support to the programme. He also commended the European Commission for their invaluable support to the project and called on other bodies to pick up the project to benefit more vulnerable farmers.
GBC END IA/
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