National Over All Best Farmer - 2019

MR. CHARLES GYAMFI

(TANO NORTH – AHAFO REGION)

Background

Mr. Charles Gyamfi is a 58-year-old farmer from the Tano North District of the Ahafo Region. With a secondary education, Mr. Gyamfi has been farming for the past 25 years. His farm, Anokye Farms, employs a total of 158 workers, comprising 38 full-time employees, 120 casual employees. The farmer is assisted by one family member in the day to day activities of the farm. The farm is located at Buokrokrowa community of the Tano North District. Mr. Gyamfi is married with five children.

Diversification/Integration of Farming

Anokye Farm is highly diversified with crop enterprises covering the broad areas of roots and tubers (cassava, yam and cocoyam), cereals (maize), vegetables (garden eggs), plantation crops (cocoa, oil palm, plantain, citrus and cashew), legumes (cowpea) and timber species (teak). The livestock enterprises consist of large ruminants (cattle), small ruminants (goats) and exotic birds (layers). In addition, Mr. Gyamfi has 5 boxes of beehives, which have been colonized with bees, three fish ponds stocked with tilapia and catfish, and snails. 

Degree of Integration of Farming Operations

Mr. Gyamfi cultivates crops and rears farm animals for very good reasons consistent with the principles of integration of farming operations. The leftovers of his crop harvests are used to feed his farm animals, example the maize is used to feed the poultry birds and cassava peels used as supplementary feeds for the cattle, sheep and goats. The droppings of his farm animals constitute farmyard manure, which is applied to maintain soil fertility and cut down cost of inputs especially inorganic fertilizer. Also, the silt from the fish pond is used as planting medium for nursing cocoa. 

Knowledge of Husbandry Practices

Mr. Gyamfi has good knowledge of crop husbandry practices. He obtains his planting materials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Ghana Cocoa Board. He employs both organic and inorganic methods of fertilization and also practices good sanitation in his crop and animal farms to address the problem of pests and diseases. The practice of non-burning of harvest residue has helped to conserve soil moisture, while the use of farmyard manure has maintained soil fertility. The major processing activities of the crop enterprise are citrus into orange juice, cassava into gari and palm fruits into oil palm. Planting and harvesting are both carried out manually. 

In terms of animal husbandry practices, Mr. Gyamfi has good criteria for the selection of breeding animals. His desire to keep particular species of animal is motivated by the demands of the market, profitability, environmental suitability and the monetary returns. He relies heavily on the advice of the Veterinary Officer in charge of the community to address the health needs of his animals. Feeding of his cattle is done extensively through grazing, while he uses residues of harvested crops such as cassava and maize crop, to feed his small ruminants. He keeps to the structured vaccination regime to secure the health of his farm animals.    

Scale of Operation

The scale of operation of his enterprises is as follows:

Environmental Awareness

High temperature, longer period of drought, bushfires and floods hinder his crop production. He uses mulching and tree planting to reduce the temperature. He practices supplementary irrigation during the drought periods. He also constructs fire belt to reduce the harmful effects of bushfires.  Mr. Gyamfi also ensures safety measures such as provision of hand gloves, overalls, wellington boots, and nose masks for employees to ensure their safety during agrochemical applications. He burns agrochemical containers as a means of disposing off the containers.

Major Farming Constraints and Innovative solutions

Poor access to market, lack of finance, lack of farm insurance, poor road networks are some limitations Mr. Gyamfi is facing in his farm. In order to cope with these constraints, he employs certain measures and these are:

• Processing of orange into juice, cassava into flour and palm fruits into palm oil to improve marketing.
• Relying on revenue from the farm to finance the farm activities
• Diversification of crop and livestock enterprises to avert risks associated with farming
• Periodic road maintenance of hos farm roads

Record Keeping

Record keeping represents a permanent feature of the farm operations of Anokye Farms. The farm keeps several types of records for various reasons, some of which are:

• To facilitate planning
• To gather data to determine profitability
• For personal motivation

Adoption of Improved Technologies

Mr. Gyamfi has acquired beneficial farming technologies, which have impacted positively on his farming operations. Technologies acquired includes:

• Planting in rows
• Planting of hybrid cocoa and budded cocoa
• Improved storage methods
• Artificial cocoa pollination

Role of Farmer in the Community

For people in his farming community, Mr. Gyamfi is regarded as a unique person, and a role model, who with no doubt is a source of motivation for the youth in the community. He is a member of the Anokyekrom Cocoa Farmers’ Association. He has won one national award, namely National Best Cocoa Farmer, for 2018

As part of the social responsibility to his community, Mr. Gyamfi has undertaken the following projects:

• Donated 100 bags of cement towards the building of a clinic at Buokrokrowa
• Supported widows in Buokrokrowa with food stuff and money.
• Provided financial assistance to 158 people to enable them access NHIS
• Provides free transportation service during market days.

General Impression

Anokye Farms is highly diversified in both the crop and animal husbandry. The farmer, Mr. Gyamfi is able to make good profits from selling his crop produce and animal. He has a good attitude towards the farming business where he is able to take actions in solving the basic problems arising from the activities of the farm. The Anokye farm has an excellent layout and very clean environment where proper application of technology is practiced. The rather poor access to market and the lack of finance has not dampened his resolve to move on in spite of the difficulties. He is working assiduously to acquire a GLOBALGAP certification. The farm is a real model farm for new and old farmers alike. Mr. Gyamfi has demonstrated the needed business insight that is likely to motivate the Ghanaian youth to go into farming notwithstanding the obvious challenges. He therefore, deserves commendation.