Potentials, Programmes and Projects
The number of farmers that have benefitted from various demonstrations have been increasing steadily over the years.. The table below shows beneficiaries of demonstrations.
Table: Beneficiaries of demonstrations on crops, livestock and fisheries (2005-2010)
| Year | Crops | Livestock | Fisheries | Others | Total | |||||
| No. of Beneficiaries | % females | No. of Beneficiaries | % females | No. of Beneficiaries | % females | No. of Beneficiaries | % females | No. of Beneficiaries | % females | |
| 2005 | 20,338 | 22 | 3,162 | 29 | 1,481 | 59 | 24,981 | 37 | ||
| 2006 | 76,548 | 34 | 8,101 | 19 | 177 | 3 | 98,054 | 37 | 182,880 | 23 |
| 2007 | 65,566 | 28 | 8,219 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 14,170 | 44 | 87,955 | 24 |
| 2008 | 118,587 | 27 | 14,725 | 25 | 166 | 35 | 16,655 | 36 | 150,133 | 31 |
| 2009 | 151,581 | 38 | 75,525 | 24 | 254 | 26 | 23,830 | 36 | 251,190 | 31 |
| 2010 | 115,515 | 37 | 16,551 | 32 | 207 | 32 | 43,759 | 35 | 176,032 | 34 |
Block Farm
The Block farm concept was developed under the Youth in Agriculture Programme. The concept started as a pilot programme at Ejura Farms in 2008 and 2009. The programme was expanded to the whole region and covered maize, rice and tomato production in 2010.
The contribution of the programme to food security has been very tremendous; Yields achieved under the block farm were 100% over that obtained by other farmers, for instance maize yield obtained under the block farm in 2010 was an average of 8 bags/acre as against 4 bags/acre obtained by farmers.
Major challenges facing the implementation of the programme are; erratic rainfall pattern and unavailability of large contiguous stretch of land to undertake the programme. Also, inadequate machinery for land preparation and planting, harvesting and processing equipments as well as farmers’ unwillingness to repay loans The table below shows the performance of block farm from 2008 – 2010. The recoveries of the 2010 block farm loans are still on-going.
Buffer Stock (Maize)
Recoveries from Ejura farm, AEAs demonstrations and Block farm are kept in pro-cocoon at Ejura Farms as buffer stock. The 2010 recovery however is stored at Sekyedumasi. The following table gives information on the amount of maize stored.
Table. Quantity of Maize and Source (MT)
| SOURCE | YEAR | TOTAL(MT) | |||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | ||
| Ejura Farm | 360 | 360 | |||
| Mofa Demonstrations | 45 | 45 | |||
| Mofa Block Farm | 22 | 182 | 302 | 506 | |
| TOTAL | 360 | 67 | 182 | 302 | 911 |
Fertilizer Subsidy Program
The low application rate of fertilizer is attributed to (among other things) the high cost of fertilizer. The fertilizer subsidy programme was therefore instituted in 2008 to help farmers increase their rate of fertilizer application as a means of increasing crop productivity and production. The table below shows quantities of fertilizer subsidized by government in Ashanti region.
Table 15.Quantities of Fertilizer Subsidized in Ashanti (2008-2010)
| Year | Quantity (50kg bag) | ||
| NPK | S.O.A | UREA | |
| 2008 | 101,202 | 20,671 | 28,338 |
| 2009 | 112,788 | 28,396 | 30,329 |
| 2010 | 128,625 | 73,003 | 14,630 |
| TOTAL | 342,615 | 122,070 | 73,297 |
Farmer Registration
A total of 19,914 farmers have been registered and captured in the MOFA database as at December 2010. This is made up of 11,393 males and 8,521 females. Only about 20% of farmers have been registered. The district with the highest number of registered farmers is Amansie Central with a total of 3,352 and the lowest is Asante Akim North with 19 farmers. Obuasi has not submitted any information.
Group Formation and Development
The table below gives information on farmer groups in the region.
Table. Farmer Groups in Ashanti Region (2010)
| Type of Group | Total group | Total Male Membership | Total Female Membership | Ratio of Male / Female members** | Functional groups (F) | ||
| No. | Membership | ||||||
| M | F | ||||||
| Crop Production | 1845 | 17652 | 8801 | 2.01 | 1003 | 11074 | 5891 |
| Animal Production | 228 | 1704 | 933 | 1.83 | 155 | 967 | 809 |
| Processing | 255 | 785 | 1802 | 0.44 | 214 | 702 | 1744 |
| Marketing | 185 | 459 | 1124 | 0.41 | 112 | 426 | 804 |
| Total | 2513 | 20600 | 12660 | 1.63 | 1484 | 13169 | 9248 |
The number of well developed Farmer Based Organisation (FBOs) in the Ashanti region at the end of 2010 was 833. Listed below are FBOs with umbrella regional associations:
1. Award Winners Association
2. Poultry farmers association
3. Citrus farmers association
4. Fish farmers Association
Most FBOs were formed under projects such as MiDA, Inland Valleys Rice Development Project, Food Crops Development Project, AgSSIP and others
Agricultural Mechanisation Centres
Five (5) Mechanization centres were established in 2009 in the region. The table below shows the mechanisation centres and their location.
Table 18. Mechanisation Centres in Ashanti Region (2010)
| AMSEC name | Location | Number of acres ploughed | Number of farmers | Demand for tractor services | |
| 1 | P.N. Industries Ltd. | Ejura | 800 | 160 | High Demand |
| 2 | Nso Nyame Ye Women Group | Ejura | 1800 | 440 | High Demand |
| 3 | Mger Clear farms | Agogo | 1520 | 120 | Not consistent |
| 4 | Woodland Mechanical Company | Kumawu | 780 | 306 | High Demand |
| 5 | Out of Bounds Incorporated | Tano, Obuasi | 1200 | 250 | |
| Total | 6,100 | 1,276 |
All the AMSEC CENTRES in the Ashanti Region are indeed working assiduously to help farmers get tractor services in order to improve farming and reduce drudgery in their operations.
Tractor services demand in the locations of the AMSEC are continually increasing.
Major challenges recounted were difficulty in working on lands that have not been stumped and therefore lead to frequent breakdowns. In this regard, they are requesting that the Ministry assists them to acquire bulldozers to compliment their work.
There is unavailability of other necessary equipments such as planters, threshers and sprayers to make the centers function properly.
Mampong Agricultural Research Station
Core Activities Carried Out at the Station
In-Situ Conservation of Germplasm
Multiplication of improved planting materials
Collaboration with Research, Universities and NGOs in conducting adaptive trials
Serves as training ground for people interested in agriculture
Achievements
- Establishment of 6 Ha cassava germplasm plots as a conservation measure of planting materials. Twelve varieties are involved in the germ bank: afisiafi, Dokuduade, Agbelifia, Tekbankye, Essambankye, Bankyehemaa, filindianko, Nyakogba, IFAD, Nkabom and Abasafitaa)
- Rapid Plantain Multiplication Plot (1ha)
Five (5) varieties of plantain rapid multiplication plots were established for the production of clean materials to farmers.
- Maintenance Of Cashew germplasm plot (3.2Ha)
- Maintenance of Mango Bud wood garden (2.8Ha)
- Maintenance of Citrus budwood garden (0.4 ha)
- Maintenance of teak seed garden (6.8ha)Horticultural And Teak Seed Gardens
- Other activities carried out were the construction of Fire belt around the station.
- The major problem confronting the station is bushfires and difficulty and high cost of farm labour.
- Ejura Sheep Breeding Station
The mandate of the station is to turn out improved rams for prospective livestock farmers in all over Ghana. The stock level at the station increased from 1,965 in 2009 to 2,363 in 2010 (20% increase).
A total of 255 animals were sold to farmers as breeding stock in 2010. Below is the livestock return for the Station in 2010.
Table 19. Livestock Returns of Ejura sheep Breeding Station as at December, 2010
| Categories | Stock on hand at the beg. Of the quarter | Birth | Death | Sales | Transfer | Stock at the end of quarter | Remarks | ||
| breeding | Meat | In | Out | ||||||
| Ewes | 675 | 13 | – | 3 | – | – | 659 | ||
| Gimmers | 537 | 6 | 83 | – | 306 | 5 | 749 | ||
| Stud Rams | 35 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 34 | ||
| Young Rams | 261 | 1 | 61 | 108 | 292 | 22 | 361 | ||
| Ram Lambs | 146 | 301 | 2 | – | – | – | 292 | 153 | |
| Ewe Lambs | 150 | 309 | 1 | – | – | – | 306 | 152 | |
Total |
1,804 | 610 | 24 | 144 | 111 | 598 | 625 | 2108 | |
NEW INITIATIVES
National Cockerel Project .
The objective of the project is to increase the stability and sustainability of rural family incomes and improve nutrition through poultry production. The project started from 18th October, 2010.
Awareness was created in all the 27 Districts including the district assemblies in the region.
Eighteen (18) Districts were selected to benefit from the first batch of the cockerels. This is to ensure effective implementation and successful achievement of the project objectives.
Selected beneficiaries were trained in basic poultry rearing and were to receive 20 birds each at a subsidized price of two Ghana cedis fifty pesewas (GH¢ 2.50p). The 7700 birds were raised through the day to day routine management practices and supervision by the RAO-APD and the RVO.
Distribution of birds started after eight weeks of brooding. All necessary medication and vaccination were duly administered at the end of the 8th week.
Two thousand (2000) birds were supplied to GTZ (Assin Fosu District)
Five thousand two hundred and twenty (5,220) were distributed to 18 districts in December, 2010.Total beneficiaries were 261 farmers.
SUMMARY OF SPECIAL PROJECTS
Inland valleys rice development project (IVRDP)
This project is aimed at increasing the production of local rice to reduce rice importation and increase the income of smallholder farmers, processors and traders. The IVRDP, which started in 2005 in three districts, Ejisu Juaben, Ejura and Ahafo Ano South districts, will end in June 2011. Under the project, rice yields of 4mt/ha have been achieved in the region.
Again the IVRDP is in the process of developing 270ha (675 acres) of land and undertaking spot improvement of feeder roads to the selected valley sites in the three districts. They have also started the establishment of one good quality rice milling centre.
Table. Inland valleys Rice Development Project Land Development Schemes
| District | Site | Area under construction(Ha) |
| Ejisu | Donaso | 66.6 |
| Ejura Sekyedumase | Afamso Scimp | 42.31 |
| Aframso Ntomam | 44.5 | |
| Ahafo Ano North | Odikro Nkwanta(Tepa) | 19.45 |
| Ahafo Ano South | Biemso no 1 | 33.8 |
| Adugyama | 7.8 | |
| Dunyan Nkwanta | 17.90 | |
| Potri Krom | 33.64 | |
| Kwadwotieku | 4.00 | |
| TOTAL | 270 |
Other projects promoting rice in the region are the following.
This project is supporting farmers to undertake the cultivation of upland rice varieties in the Ejura Sekyedumase district. A total of 184 ha was cultivated under block farm in 2010 with an estimated yield of 1.5mt/ha.
This is a JICA and Ghana Government joint technical cooperation. The objective of the project is to promote sustainable rice cultivation for increased rice production and poverty reduction. The project is being implemented in four districts namely Asante Akim North, Adansi South, Atwima Mponua and Ahafo Ano North districts. The project period is from 2009 – 2014.
The objective of this project is to establish efficient and effective methods for developing rice cultivating environment by water management– Simple irrigation system by farmers and rice cultivation adapted to simple irrigation system, improve the technology of developing inland valley for rice production and transfer the technology to extension workers from CRI and SRI. JIRCAS is researching into rice cultivation technologies. The project is operating in Atwima Nwabiagya and Ahafo Ano South districts.
Livestock Development Project (LDP)
The project ended at the end of 2010.The objective of the project was to reduce poverty among small scale livestock holders. The major activities carried out included capacity building for farmers, disease surveillance, animal vaccinations, establishment of fodder banks and loan management to farmers. Livestock Development Project was implemented in three districts- namely, Ejisu Juaben , Ejura Sekyedumasi and Kumasi Metropolis.
Fifty five (55) livestock farmer groups benefited from the Livestock Development Project (LDP) credit in the region. A total amount of fifteen thousand (15,000) Ghana Cedis was disbursed to these farmers
Under livestock production, about one thousand (1000) farmers were trained in various modern husbandry practices and have now adopted livestock farming as a business.
Table. Beneficiaries of Credit in- kind under LDP
| District | No. of Animals | Beneficiaries | ||
| Male | female | Total | ||
| KMA | 1,200 | 81 | 28 | 109 |
| Ejisu – Juaben | 1,200 | 95 | 27 | 122 |
| Ejura Sekyedumasi | 1,200 | 97 | 23 | 120 |
| TOTAL | 3,600 | 273 | 78 | 351 |
Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP)
RTIMP is the second phase of the Root and Tuber Improvement Programme (RTIP). The objective of the programme is to improve the production, processing and marketing of Root and tuber crops particularly cassava and yam. Cassava secondary multiplication fields have been established in 15 districts in the region for distribution to cassava farmers.
Cocoyam and yam multiplication farms were established to serve as source of planting materials.
The programme has established two Good Practice Centre (GPC) at JOSMA processing site at Mampong and Mark ‘B’Face processing Centre at Akrofuom for the training of processors in the production of good quality processed cassava products