Beneficiary Farmer Groups Assisted With Irrigation Pumps

14-10-2011          

Pump irrigation has been identified as one of the surest ways of eradicating poverty in the three northern regions. Access to pumps will ensure all year round farming which will also go a long way to enhance the living condition of farmers in deprived communities of the country. The National Coordinator of the Northern Rural Growth Programme, Roy Ayariga, made the observation when he presented 20 irrigation pumps to 15 beneficiary farmer groups in the Bawku Municipality. The provision of the pumps which is estimated at the cost of GH¢8,700 is said to empower the beneficiary farmers to increase their crop yield and also enable them enter into other productive farming ventures to enhance their livelihood. Mr. Ayariga said the adaption of pump irrigation has ensured the growth of agriculture in most developed parts of the world and has contributed in addressing issues of food security and referred to Israel as one headquarters of irrigation. He said farmers in the Northern Ghana are poor because they refuse to prioritize irrigated agriculture, which he reiterated is essential in achieving remarkable growth in the agric sector. He disclosed that the NRGP with financial support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) focuses particularly on rural women and vulnerable groups. The programme he added is targeted at achieving sustainable rural livelihoods and food security for poor rural people in northern Ghana with specific objective of developing remunerative commodities and food chains to generate incomes and agricultural surplus production. Mr Ayariga commended the Bawku Municipal Assembly for providing financial assistance in the procurement process of the pumps and urged other assemblies to emulate their effort to enhance agriculture in the region and the country in general. The Bawku Municipal Chief Executive, Musa Abdullai, was optimistic that the provision of the pumps will impact positively on the lives of beneficiary farmers since it has the capacity of enhancing their daily farming activities, which will in turn enable them generate income to take care of their families. He entreated the farmers to live above maintenance culture and take proper care of the pumps since farming has been their main preoccupation. According to him, farming should be considered as a business and not a vocation, pointing out, farmers are required to be abreast with best farming practices for sustainable agriculture growth. A consultant to the NRGP, William Boakye Acheampong said the pumps will open the floodgate to economic prosperity and entreated the beneficiaries to impart the training skills they have acquired to benefit other farmers. Mr. Acheampong also cautioned farmers to desist from farming close to water bodies to avoid siltation. To him, farming activities should be done 50 meters away from water sources. One of the beneficiary farmers, Akugri Ayaaba Robert thanked the financiers for the support and appealed to them to extend the gesture to other farmers. Practical demonstration on the use of the pumps took place at the climax of the event which brought together stakeholders in the agric sector of the district and beyond.

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