{"id":236585,"date":"2016-08-04T10:49:20","date_gmt":"2016-08-04T10:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=236585"},"modified":"2016-08-04T10:49:20","modified_gmt":"2016-08-04T10:49:20","slug":"send-ghana-launches-food-security-project-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=236585","title":{"rendered":"SEND-Ghana launches food security project report"},"content":{"rendered":"

A report put together by SEND-Ghana and its allies has revealed that Ghana government’s commitment to boost food production remains an illusion for which reason much is desired.<\/p>\n

The comprehensive report dubbed, \u201cClosing funding gaps in agriculture: implications for food security in rural Ghana\u201d was officially launched in Tamale.<\/p>\n

In line with the organization’s Food Security through Cooperatives in Northern Ghana (FOSTERING) project, the report highlighted three thematic areas comprising food security, rural agriculture and agriculture finance.<\/p>\n

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The spotlight is on some selected eight districts in the Northern Region where food insecurity is prevalent.<\/p>\n

Report findings<\/strong><\/p>\n

The report decried government\u2019s inadequate funding for the agriculture sector as compared to other priority areas such as education and health.<\/p>\n

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The report revealed that food security advocacy in Ghana is largely donor funded.
\nIt exposed district assembly authorities\u2019 lackadaisical approach to investing in the agriculture sector.<\/p>\n

According to the report, most district assembly authorities especially in the Northern Region have continually diverted funds meant for the agriculture sector into constructing feeder roads, organizing farmers\u2019 day celebrations and other related expenditures.<\/p>\n

It emerged that district assemblies\u2019 farmer support services and capacity building are very low and gender bias in some circumstances.<\/p>\n

It further damned district assemblies and agric departments\u2019 exclusion of smallholder farmers and farmer based organizations from decision making on agric policies.<\/p>\n

Recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n

The report recommended that all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies should desist from diverting budgetary allocations for the agriculture sector.<\/p>\n

It impressed upon Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives from the eight beneficiary districts of SEND-Ghana\u2019s FOSTERING project to admit their guilt on paying lip service to the agriculture sector and change position.<\/p>\n

The report also admonished the MMDCEs to include agriculture in the mandatory sectors of the assemblies\u2019 transformational agenda.<\/p>\n

It identified agriculture decentralization as a key component in promoting food security.
\nIt charged duty bearers to place premium on civil society organizations serving as a voice to the voiceless in the food value chain.<\/p>\n

The report encouraged smallholder farmers to shift from subsistence to agribusiness practices.<\/p>\n

Participants input<\/strong><\/p>\n

Participants at the launch lauded the report and called for its adoption as means of face lifting the agriculture sector.
\nMMDCEs from the eight beneficiary districts of SEND-Ghana\u2019s FOSTERING project pledged their commitment to liaise with the district Directors of agriculture to modernize the sector.<\/p>\n

Genesis of SEND-Ghana\u2019s presence in the Northern Region<\/strong>
\nSEND-Ghana was established in 1998 in the eastern corridor of the Northern Region with the ultimate goal of combating illiteracy, desertification, food insecurity and to ensure small holder farmers\u2019 access to sustainable credit.<\/p>\n

The organization in partnership with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the Credit Union Association (CUA) is operating in eight districts within the eastern corridor of the Northern Region.<\/p>\n

The Food Security through Cooperatives in Northern Ghana (FOSTERING) project was implemented to improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers and farmer based organizations.<\/p>\n

The project focused on improving food security and sustainable economic growth for small-holder farmers, improving production, better marketing of products, expansion of household activities into off-season businesses and access to finance.<\/p>\n

As a social intervention, the Gender Model Family (GMF) component of the project has succeeded in discarding socio-cultural barriers inhibiting women progress in the food value chain.<\/p>\n

The FOSTERING project can boast of 130 demonstration fields under with SEND-Ghana\u2019s operational zones.
\nEast Gonja, Kpandai, Nanumba South, Nanumba North, Krachi-Nchumuru, Zabzugu, Tatale-Sangule and Chereponi are the beneficiary districts.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A report put together by SEND-Ghana and its allies has revealed that Ghana government’s commitment to boost food production remains an illusion for which reason much is desired. The comprehensive report dubbed, \u201cClosing funding gaps in agriculture: implications for food security in rural Ghana\u201d was officially launched in Tamale. In line with the organization’s Food […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":236589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-236585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=236585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/236589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=236585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=236585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=236585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}