Tano South District is one of the 22 Districts in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. It lies between latitudes 7º00’N and 7º25’ N and between longitudes 1º45 W and 2º15 W.  It is bounded on the North and East by the Offinso and Ahafo-Ano South Districts, both in the Ashanti Region. On the South, it is bounded by the Ahafo-Ano North District, also in the Ashanti Region and on its West and South-West by Tano North District Assembly.

The District has a total land area of 1,500 square kilometres, which is 3.8 percent of the total land area of the Brong Ahafo Region.  The District Strategic Location as the entry point into Brong Ahafo Region from southern Ghana puts it in a unique position to attract tourists if that sector could be well developed.

POPULATION
Tano South District has an estimated population of approximately 61,693 with a growth rate of 1.8 per cent.

LABOUR FORCE
With the urban drift, labour is increasingly becoming difficult to come by especially during the major cropping season (April – July). At this point, demand becomes higher for labour thereby pushing the price for weeding, harvesting and carting on the higher side. Casual labour ‘By-day’ in various parts of the District ranges from GH¢2.50 – GH¢3.0 (2010). Young school leavers and immigrants from the Northern regions of the country (tenant farmers) are usually the major source of labour.

TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE
The topography of the District is mostly made up of undulating land which rises gently from a height of about 270m to a peak of about 760m. According to KNUST Planning Department, the area to the East and South-East is bounded by the Ankaase-Techimantia-Bechem road and is fairly high rising between 360m and 760m in the Kwamisa area.  River Subri, a tributary of Tano River, flows through Subriso No. 3 and Techimantia. The other important rivers in the district are Atobiaso in Derma, Moku in Techimantia and Dwomo, Kwasu in Bechem and Dwofo which is a tributary of Kwasu River is also in Bechem. The land is well drained and free from flooding.  It is also ideal for vegetable and food crop farming.

GEOLOGY AND SOIL
Being located in the moist semi-deciduous forest zone, the soils in the District basically consist of forest ochrosols and the rubrisol-ochrosols intergrades.  They are alkaline and are more richly supplied with nutrients.  They are more clayey and therefore have greater capacity to maintain water for plant use.   They are therefore very ideal for the cultivation of forest crops like cocoa, coffee, oil palm and food crops like plantain, maize, rice, cassava, beans and among others.

In addition to the vast fertile land which is suitable for the cultivation of a wide variety of cash and food crops, Tano South District has a fairly large expanse of forests with species such as Odum, Mahogany, Ceiba, Cassia and ‘Akasaa’ which can be explored for timber.

CLIMATE
The District lies in the Semi-equatorial climatic zone which experiences double maximum rainfall pattern. The first rainfall season is from April to June, with the heaviest in June and the second period is from September to October. The mean annual rainfall is between 125 cm and 180cm.  The dry season is quiet pronounced and occurs between the months of November and March each year. The mean monthly temperatures range between 26ºC (in August) and 30ºC (in March).

Relative humidity is generally high, ranging between 75-80 percent in the Rainy season and 70-72 percent in the dry season.

VEGETATION
The District lies in the moist semi-deciduous forest zone and has gross forest area of 1,322.52sqkm with about 157.45sqkm of this under forest reserve.  However, there is a vast emergence of guinea savanna and this is found in areas like Techimantia and Subriso No. 3 where cattle rearing is predominant.

There are two main forest reserves namely; the Bosomkese Forest Reserve which covers a total area of 138.41sq km and Apaape Forest Reserve which also covers an area of about 19.04sqkm. In these reserves, one can find different tree species such as Odum, Mahogany, Ceiba, Cassia and ‘Akasaa’.  These trees are of economic importance as they are used for lumbering, carving, chewing sticks, fuel wood and medicine.

ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION
The District covers a total land area of 1,500sqkm with forest area of 1,322.52sqkm. The District can boast of two forest reserves, namely Bosomkese and Apaape reserves.
Encroachment on the reserve is minimal mainly due to the tight surveillance and the environmental awareness created in the rural people for the control of illegal activities in the forest. The rural people also participate in the establishment of tree plantations.

Bushfires have been a problem and continue to be a problem in the District.  This is due to the fact that most farmers use practice slash and burn to clear their farm lands.  Also there is rampant group hunting that result in bushfire.

In order to address this situation, the Assembly has embarked on District wide Re-Afforestation Project. Also, the Assembly has passed bye-laws to control bushfires.

WATER SUPPLY
The major sources of portable water in the district include pipe borne water, borehole and hand dug wells. Others depend on the water from streams and rivers.

Table 1:    Present Water Situation the District- 2010

AGRICULTURE
About 64% of people employed in the District are engaged in agriculture.  52% of the farmers are males and 48% females. The major food crops grown are maize, cassava, plantain and cocoyam. Major vegetables grown are tomato, garden egg, okra, and pepper. Industrial crops grown are cocoa, oil palm, coffee, and cashew.

LAND TENURE SYSTEM
According to farmers in the District, within a family set up, land is passed on from generation to generation of which a member is entitled to a portion of the land which he/she has and passes it on to the next of kin.
This type of land tenure system does not augur well for large commercial farming. However, settler farmers may acquire portions of land for farming activities on agreed terms.  These include share cropping i.e. ‘Abunu’ or ‘Abusa’ depending on the type of crop.  Land could also be obtained through leasehold, renting or outright purchase.
The ‘Abunu’ is a farming system in which a piece of land is given to a farmer and the crops shared equally between the farmer and landowner.  The Abusa on the other hand is a farming system in which land is given to a farmer and the crops are devided into three (3).  Here the farmer takes two-thirds of the crops while the landowner takes the remaining one-third.
While food crops are cultivated in the Abunu System, cash crops are cultivated in Abusa System. Generally, the family heads are the custodians of the lands.  The average farm size of a household is 4acres.  However, the number of parcels for individual members varies from farm to farm.

Group Formation

Table 2:    Group Formation (2010)

Source:    DADU / DAES

(1):  total group is the sum of existing groups” (existing before the considered quarter) and new groups “E” created during the year

Technologies Demonstrated
Table 3:    Technologies Demonstrated and Beneficiaries 2010

SOURCE:    DADU / RADU / DAES

HIV / AIDS
Main Activities Implement in Previous Year and Current Year

Table 4:    Number of Farmers Sensitized On HIV / AIDS-2010

SOURCE    DADU / RADU

ACHIEVEMENTS IN FOOD PRODUCTION (CROPS, POULTRY & LIVESTOCK)
Food Security Situation 2009-2010

Table 5:    Crop production Figures

Source:MoFA / (SRID)

Table 6:    Livestock, Poultry and Pets Census 2007-2010

Source:    MoFA / (SRID)

Table 7:    Local Slaughters-2010

Source:    Veterinary Service, MoFA

Table 8:    Vaccinations and Prophylactic Treatments of Farm Animals and Pets-2010

Source: Veterinary Services, MoFA

PROJECTS

Inland Valleys Rice Development Project (IVRDP)
The project started in August 2004 and ends in June 2011. The Kwasumu Valley at Mansin in the Tano South District has been used for the cultivation of rice since the inception of the project.

Objectives: the project aims at assisting farmers to cultivate rice in valleys where water is available in order to increase rice production through improved scientific methods of rice cultivation.  A total of 64 farmers (54males and 10 females) cultivated a total of 30.5ha in 2010 and had a production of 77.11mt.

Root & Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP)

Rationale:

• The RTIMP aims at providing improved planting materials to farmers for improved yields and increase in income.

In 2010 a total of 21 acres was established at 12 secondary multiplication sites involving 211 farmers.

Technology dissemination is done through exposure to good practice centres and Farmer Field Fora /Schools (FFFs). A total of 6,331 bundles (50 psc each) of planting materials have supplied to individual farmers and groups.

NOTABLE VARIETIES

• Bankyehemaa
• Esambankye
• Afisiafi
• Nkabom

This programme is spread all over the district.

Fertilizer Subsidy Programme
Under the programme, the district has registered sixteen certified agro-input dealers into the programme.

Table 9: Price of the Various Fertilizer Types under the Subsidy Programme-2010

BLOCK FARMING PROGRAMME
Under the Block Farm programme, the district went into the production of three crops in 2010.  The crops are maize, rice and soybeans.

Table11: Major Seasons Block Farming Prog. 2010

CLEAN FARM PROGRAMME
Under the clean farm programme farmers are sensitized on how to sanitize their farms and localities to prevent disease outbreaks and contamination. The programme started with the collection of used agro-input containers, obsolete agro inputs, education of farmers in environmental cleanliness etc.

The District lies between latitude 7º 19´N and 7º 35´N and longitudes 2º 08´ W and 2º 31´ W.  It shares boundaries with Wenchi Municipality to the north-east, Tain District to the north, Berekum and Dormaa East to the west, Sunyani Municipality to the south-east and to the eastern boundaries of the District are Tano North and Ofinso North districts.
Sunyani West District has a total land area of 1,658.7 square kilometers. Below is a map showing the Sunyani West in the District context.

Climate
The climatic zone of Sunyani West District falls within the Wet Semi-Equatorial region and therefore has two rainy seasons in a year. The major rains begin in April and end in July and the minor rainy season is from September to October. Average annual rainfall is 170cm. The dry season often lasts for five months (between November and mid-March) each year. The abundance of rainfall offers the District a comparative advantage in agricultural production and forestry.

Vegetation
Sunyani West falls within the moist-semi deciduous forest vegetation zones of Ghana. The District is blessed with forest reserves including the Tain I and II Forest Reserves, and the Yaya Forest Reserve which contain most of the country’s valuable timber resources. About 32% of the total land area of the District is made up of these forest reserves.

Timber can be found throughout the district especially around Chiraa, Odomase, and Boffourkrom. Some popular timber species in the district are Odum, Mahogany, Wawa, Oframo, Teak, Kyenkyen, Sapele, Emire, Asanfina and Onyina among others. Crops that are cultivated in the District include cassava, plantain, cashew nut, oil palm, cocoyam, maize, etc.

However, the forest is being depleted through human activities such as agricultural activities, bush fires, indiscriminate felling of trees, settlement expansion and the approaching Sahara Desert. Figure 1.2 below depicts the vegetation and crop cover of the District.

Geology and Soil Type
The Sunyani West District is underlined by the Precambrian formation of rock believed to be rich in mineral deposits. Soils in the district fall into the Ochrosols group which is generally fertile and therefore supports the cultivation of cocoyam, maize, cassava, cocoa, plantain and yam. Indeed the District is one of the major maize producing districts in the region.

Relief and Drainage
The topography of the District is generally undulating and has heights ranging from 700 feet (213.36 meters) along River Bisi basin to 1100 feet (335.28 meters) above sea level.
The drainage is dendritic with several streams and rivers being seasonal.  The River Tano is the most reliable source of water for both domestic and agricultural purposes. Other rivers in the District include River Abisu, River Sise, River Nyinahini, River Ahunyan, River Bisi and River Bore.

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

Population Size and Growth Rate
The population of the District has been growing steadily since 1970 with the population of the District as a percentage of the regional population also increasing from 3.8% in 1970 to 4.9% in 2010. The 2000 Population and Housing Census put the population of the District at 78,020 with a growth rate of 3.5%. Currently, the population is estimated to be 114,081 with a growth rate of 3.8%. In comparing the current growth rate of 3.8% with the national and regional growth rate of 2.7% and 2.5% respectively, it can be implied that the population of the District is increasing steadily. Table 1.1 below shows the population size and growth rate from 1970-2010. Apart from the natural growth rate we can also attribute the migration of settler farmers into the District as a contributing factor to the current population of the District.

Spatial Distribution of Population/ Rural-Urban Split
Nsoatre, Chiraa, Odumase and Fiapre which are the urban settlements in the district, have 40.76% of the population with 59.24% distributed among the other settlements. The concentration of population in the four major settlements has increased demand for utility services such as water and electricity, with social services such as education and health facilities also in high demand. Equally, there is pressure on accommodation and waste generation has also increased.
However, the first four settlements are found at the southern part of the district with majority of the rural settlements scattered around the northern part. Comparing the percentage of people in urban to that of the nation of 43.8%, it can be concluded the district is rural in nature.

Population Density
The population density of the district is 68.8 persons per square kilometers. In comparing this to the national population density of 79.3/sq.km, the district is sparsely populated. This can be attributed to the fact that the district has much arable land with about 32% of the total land area made up of forest reserves hence uninhabited.

Agriculture
The District has been technically and agriculturally divided into three zones, namely

Chiraa, Nsoatre and Odumase.  The zones have an average of about 350-400 communities, with many rural dispersed settlements. 95% of the communities are in farming.  Food crop production breakdown is maize 70%; cocoyam 17%; cassava 50%; plantain 3%; yam 2%. Cash crops grown include cocoa, oil palm, citrus and lately mango. Maize production has given rise to maize markets in all the zones in the District with the main markets at Odumase and Chiraa. Sunyani West district is one of the bread baskets of Ghana as it produces all farm commodities.  Some commodities are market specific as indicated below:
a.     Chiraa: – maize, cocoyam, cassava, plantain, pineapple, rice, mango, tiger-nuts, grasscutter, poultry and livestock
b.    Odumase – Maize, cocoyam, cassava, plantain, yam, poultry and livestock products, and
c.    Nsoatre – Maize, cocoyam, cassava, plantain, poultry and livestock

Poultry and livestock sector is also very prominent in the District especially the poultry industry. The poultry industry in particular provides a large and reliable market for the large quantities of maize produced in the District. There are processing plants set up to process cassava into various products. The district produces fish for the general market through aquaculture which has contributed to improve the nutritional needs of the communities.

MAJOR CROP PERFORMANCE

Poultry Production

Livestock Production

Fish farming

Special Projects

There are three projects in the District that are promoting the production of cassava. These are Cassava Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA), Root and Tubers Improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP) and West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP).

Cassava Value Adding for Africa (CAVA) Project
With the main objective to add value to cassava through processing C:AVA Project encourages farmers to produce cassava in large quantities to feed the processing plants on continuous basis. This provides employment and a regular source of income to farmers thereby reducing poverty.
The project started in 2009 and a series of trainings has been done for farmers. These include, among others,
•    Good agronomic practices (GAPs) to increase production and
•    Group Dynamics.

Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Project (RTIMP)

The project is designed to add value to roots and tubers. This will provide ready market for producers thereby improving the purchasing power of the farmers and ultimately reducing poverty. Various varieties of cassava have been introduced to farmers for production.

As a result of the high level of cassava production in the District, there is the need to process the cassava into various products such as starch, cassava flour, gari and a host of others. There are two main agro processing companies working in this regard. These are:

Cassacoxa: They process cassava into starch, cassava flour which can be used in various ways like baking and preparing kokontey.

St Baasa Company: This Company, in addition to process cassava products, is also into the processing various products such as palm oil.

St baasa	Cassava processing	Cassava processing	Cassava processing
Some products	Some products	Palm oil	Other products

Village Mango Project:
This project is meant to improve environmental conditions – to green the environment and also serve as alternate livelihood for farmers to increase income. It started in 2010 where seedlings were supplied to farmers to grow both around their households and also in their farms. This will provide income for farmers as well as improving upon the environment
In order to sustain the programme and to see to the up keep of the mango seedlings, farmers were trained on how to care for the seedling through.
•    Protecting the seedling by the use of wire mesh, blocks among others.
•    Regular watering.

Block Farm Programme
This programme seeks to cultivate maize and other cereals on large tracks of land belonging to a group of farmers. These farmers are given inputs such as fertilizers, agro chemicals, and seed. They are also provided with services like tractor services. All these inputs and services given are cost against the farmer. At harvest, the farmer is expected to pay back in kind at the prevailing market price.

Potential
1. Large tracts of land for agriculture,
2. Good soils that support agriculture, and
3. Farmers ready to adopt new technologies

History:
The Sene District was carved from the Atebubu District and attained district status in 1989.  To improve agricultural situation in the district, staff of the ministry were posted to manage the former Extension Services Department, Crop Services Department, Plant Protection and Regulatory Service Department, Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department as well as Veterinary Services Department between 1989 and 1990.  In 1997 they were merged under District Agricultural Development Unit with the head as District Director of Agriculture.

Sene district covers an area of 8,586 sq.km (the largest in the region) with a total population of 98,371 made up of 49% male and 51% female. The District has a growth rate of 2.7 %.( Projected from the 2010 Population and Housing Census).

Geo-Climatic Features:
The District is located at the eastern corridor of the Brong Ahafo Region.  It shares borders with Atebubu District to the West, Pru District to the North, the Volta Lake at the East of Digya National Park and the Sekyere East District at the South.  There are several Islands on the Volta Lake and the Sene Estuary is part of the district.

The District belongs to the transitional zone with guinea savanna type of vegetation.  It is characterized by two farming seasons in line with the rainfall pattern.  The first (major) season falls between April and July whilst the second (minor) starts from August and ends in November.  The average annual rainfall is 900mm per annum.  The soil type is mainly sandy loam with intermittent clayey portions.

Socio-Cultural Characteristics: There are four traditional areas with paramouncies in the District.  These are Wiase, Dwan, Bassa and Nkomi Traditional Areas. The natives speak the Larteh-Twumuru dialect.  The main ethnic settler groups are Dagabas, Kokombas, Battors and Adangbes.  The first two are mainly crops and livestock farmers whilst the last two do fishing and livestock rearing.  The main religious groups are Christians (65%), Moslems (20%) and Traditionalists (15%).  The dominant among the Christians is Seventh Day Adventists (SDA).

POTENTIAL NON-TRADITIONAL CROPS

Below are the non-traditional crops that the District has potential to cultivate;
•    Cabbage
•    Carrot
•    Pineapple
•    Sweet potato

POTENTIALS FOR CROP PRODUCTION:
The potentials for crop production in the District include availability of large tract of arable land, ready labour and two permanent water bodies (Volta Lake and River Sene). These two water bodies can be tapped and used for irrigation purposes under commercial farming. This could lead to increase in crop production, improved food security and better local economic growth in District. Furthermore, most people especially the youth would be employed to reduce the poverty situation in the District. The District also has huge potentials in the cultivation of tree crops such as cashew and grafted mango and enjoys adequate amount of rainfall for crop production with minimal incidence of pest and diseases.

•    Access to Farming Inputs: Access to farming inputs is not a major problem in the District. This is because, there are some inputs dealers in the District where farmers get their inputs ranging from seeds, agro-chemicals, tools/implements from and presence of ready labour as well.
•    Soil Fertility and Productivity: Soil fertility in the District is high and this has resulted into high productivity level of crops

ACCESS TO LAND :
Land in the District is communally owned. As a results, farmers tend to pay some unspecified amount and in-kind as rent per year to land owners when a farmer is not from the community.

THE AVERAGE FARM SIZE PER HOUSEHOLD:
The average farm size per household is about 6 acres and arable land per household is about 10 acres.

FARMING METHOD / PRACTICES :
The farming methods/practices adopted by farmers in the District are;
•    Mixed Cropping
•    Mono Cropping
•    Crop Rotation
•    Shifting Cultivation
These practices are used by indigenous farmers mainly to maintain soil nutrient status; shifting cultivation is effective because land is plentiful.  Leguminous crops such as groundnut, cowpea and soybean are intercropped with cereals such as maize to improve nitrogen in the soil.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF CROP FARMING :

•    Bushfires: The situation has adverse effect on crop farming such that they deplete the soil of its fertility and accelerate both wind and water erosion. Bushfires destroy both field and harvested crops resulting in low yield/production.
•   Deforestation: Due to the high incidence of tree felling for charcoal production, deforestation has been a major challenge in the District. As more trees are removed, the more the soil is exposed to soil erosion, wind erosion and leaching. In addition, rainfall pattern is negatively affected.
•    Depletion of Soil Fertility: Due to the above two instances, in order for farmers to get good harvest, the farmers are compelled to buy more inorganic fertilizers to replenish the lost or low level of nutrients in the soil. This situation has led to high production cost amongst farmers in the District.
•   Flooding: This is also one of the major challenges in the District. It mostly occurs when the two permanent water bodies in the District (Volta Lake and River Sene) overflow their banks. Most farm lands are submedged in flood which affect the livelihood of farm families along these two permanent water bodies.

CROP PRODUCTION
Estimated Areas Cultivated, Yields and Overall Production

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

Types of Livestock
The types of livestock production in the district are:-
•    Sheep and goats
•    Rural poultry (chicken, ducks, guinea fowls and turkeys).
•    Pigs
•    Cattle
•    Grasscutters and rabbits

The population (output levels) of the different livestock and poultry species are:-

• Sheep         =               1,565
• Goats             =           12,240
• Cattle            =            13,272
• Rural Poultry        =       32,838
• Glasscutters         =           92
• Rabbits         =                 68
• Pigs             =                3,626

(Source: District Livestock Population Census, 2009).

Livestock Potentials:
The District has the potential to produce grass cutters, guinea fowls and turkeys on commercial basis to alleviate rural poverty. This will serve as a source of employment for the youth and ensure food security.  The potential to produce commercial poultry (broilers/layers) is also high since the District is a major maize producing area which can serve as poultry feed.

Husbandry Practices Adopted by Farmers in the District:
The major animal husbandry practices and methods adopted by farmers are:-

• Vaccinations of livestock/poultry (PPR, Rabies, Anthrax, NCD, CBPP) etc.
• Supplementary feeding and watering in the dry season
• Improved housing & sanitation.
• Feeding and nutrition methods.
• Breed improvement e.g. Breed selection and crossing.
• Record keeping and identification of animals.
• Pasture improvement and development.
• Treatment of livestock/poultry diseases/parasites/pests.
• Meat inspection (inadequate).

The District has transitional vegetation with a lot of feed resources for livestock and poultry.  The rainfall averages between 900mm – 1,200mm with an average temperature of about 20-30oC.
The District has a lot of water bodies (White Volta and River Sene) for livestock production and irrigation. This geographical advantage when tapped to the full can increase commercial production of livestock & poultry to reduce poverty, boost food production, promotes export and enhance over all economic growth of the district.

Programmes to Promote Livestock Production in the District:

Special interventions (improved technologies) to improve livestock production.
The World Vision ADP in the District is promoting the upgrading of the local chicken by supplying improved cockerels to farmers.
Proposal drafted to facilitate the promotion of guinea fowl production.
The District office (MOFA) intends to open a veterinary clinic next year for farmers to have easy access for treatment and vaccinations.

Fisheries and Aquaculture
Fishing is a major economic activity in the District.  The District has vast water resources and is bounded by the White Volta and River Sene.

Contribution of Fisheries to the Local Economy:
The sector is one of the most important economic activities in the district.  Fish trade has been one of the major sources of revenue to the District Assembly.

This sector employs a lot of people and fisherfolk along the two major water bodies.  Most of their source of income is from this sector and is also a contributor to food security in the district (proteins).

Problems Facing the Fishery Sub-Sector:
Even though the District is a major fish producing area, there are a lot of challenges facing fish farming and fisher folk in the district.  They include:-
•    Lack of fisheries officer/expert to manage the subsector (fishery extension is limited).
•    The District needs a modern fish processing factory and cold stores to enhance production.
•    The fish market at Kajaji needs facilities like a processing plant, constant water and electricity supply, good road network and modern fishing boats and canoes.
The potentials for promoting fish production and aquaculture is high because of the vast water bodies.  There are a lot of valleys and clayey soils suitable for quaculture development.

Fertilizer Subsidy Programme
Farmers in the district benefited from the Fertilizer Subsidy Programme in 2010.  Under the programme cost of the various inorganic fertilizers were subsidized to make them available and accessible to ordinary farmers throughout the country. The programme was successfully operationalised with the involvement of four Agents in the District for the 2010 farming season. The following quantities of fertilizers were distributed to the farmers:

SPECIAL PROGRAMMES TO PROMOTE CROP PRODUCTION

Block Farming Programme: The Government is supporting farmers to produce various crops such as rice, maize, soya, sorghum etc. Under this, the Government assist the farmers by given them the following
•    Payment of cost of  land preparation
•    Provision of inputs (seeds, fertilizers).
•    A total of 50 acres of maize was cultivated
After harvesting, the total cost of the assistance given to each farmer based on his/her acreage is calculated and the farmer then pays the cost back to Government.
Youth In Agriculture Programme: Under this programme youth come together to cultivate various crops with Government’s assistants. The youth are supported with all the necessary inputs to carry out their production activities and then pay back to Government in kind.

Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Project (RTIMP):
The programme was initially designed to see to the improvement in the production and utilization of roots and tubers in the country. However, the new initiative is to improve upon the marketing of roots and tubers, hence the name RTIMP.

NEW INITIATIVES
Farmers have now been encouraged to use organic manure to improve upon their soil fertility and also serve as means of making use of livestock and poultry droppings which usually go waste.

Potentials:
1.     Abundance of arable land
2.    Large expanses of water bodies. The District almost entirely surrounded by the Sene River and the Volta Lake.
3.    There are enough grazing grounds which are also conducive for animal rearing.

ACHIEVEMENTS 2008 – 2010

Nkoranza South District is one of the twenty-two (22) administrative districts in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana.  It is located in the middle portion of Brong Ahafo Region.  It lies within longitudes 1^o 10’W and 1^o 55’W and latitudes 7^o 20’N and 7^o 55’N covering a total area of about 920km². The district has about 105 settlements, which are mostly rural.  It shares boundaries with Nkoranza North District to the North, Techiman Municipality to the West, all in the Brong Ahafo Region and Offinso North District to the South and Ejura-Sekyeredumase to the South-East, all in the Ashanti Region.  The District has one political constituency, (Nkoranza South) and one traditional Paramount Authority.

Relief and Drainage

Generally, low lying and rising gradually from 153m to 305m above sea level.  The district is well drained by several streams and rivers, notable among them are Pru, Tanko, Fanku, Abubre and Agyemfra.  Most of the rivers and streams take their sources from the North–Eastern portion of the District, flowing South and Northwestwards.

Geological and Hydro-Geological Condition

Nkoranza District geology is of the Voltarian formations which consist of quartzite, shale, mudstones, sandstones and conglomerate of pebbly beds. Although there are areas of uniform lithology, inter-bedding of the different geological units is a common feature of the basing.

The shales and mudstones of the mudstone of the Obosum bed are essentially impermeable with very low groundwater potentials. However, shallow aquifers can be developed in areas of good surface water geology. Even though the groundwater potential is low, some boreholes drilled in the Voltaian areas have yielded up to 600, 1/min and above. Groundwater storage is expected to occur mainly as a result of jointing, and at a mean depth of about 70m. The mean death of weathering is about 10m.

Soils and their Suitability for Agriculture

The district is largely characterized by soils developed over voltaic sand stones.  This geological feature together with vegetation influences, gives rise to two distinct soil categories in the district.  One is the group of soil typed developed under forest vegetation and the other type developed under savanna vegetation.

The dominant occupation of people in the district is agriculture, the proportion of which is about 82 percent of the district’s labour force.

Main food crops cultivated are maize, yams, vegetables, cassava, groundnut, cowpea, cocoyam and plantain.  Cotton and tobacco grow well in some parts of the district.

Climate

The District lies within the wet semi-equatorial region, having a mean annual rainfall level ranging between 800-1,200mm.  It has its major rainy season from March to June, experiencing her minor rains in September to November.  The month of August experiences a short dry season, with the prolonged one in the months of December to March.  Though temperatures in the District are generally high, the average annual temperature is about 26^oC.

Vegetation

The Nkoranza District forms part of the transitional zone between the savanna woodland of Northern Ghana and the forest belt of the South.  Thus, the Eastern part of the District is largely characterized by Savanna woodland and fewer areas of Savanna re-growth.  The Southern part of the district is largely marked by forest re-growth, made up of shrubs and grasses with few original tree species, especially silk cotton trees.

ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION

Conditions of the Natural Environment

The prevalent farming practice in the district is the slash and burn method of clearing the land.  This does not only leave the farming land bare and exposed to erosion but it is gradually destroying the vegetation and changing the ecology of the district. In fact, the practice has changed the forest vegetation into savanna grassland. The crude farming method has a devastating effect on the environment.

Incidence of bushfires is also high in the area.  The activities of farmers, charcoal producers, game hunters and other human factors cause this unfortunate bushfires.  Charcoal production has been one of the major causes of environmental degradation in the district.  The District Assembly has put in place stringent measures to overcome that problem.  However, indications are that in certain parts of the district where accessibility is a problem charcoal production activities persist since enforcement agencies are not able to reach such places.

Streams and rivers in the district dry up during the dry season.  This is due to increased human activities in and around watersheds and river banks. Poor farming practices along water bodies, for instance, have led to exposure of riverbanks.  This has led to erosion and evaporation of streams, and dependant on rainfall.

As a result, the Assembly has embarked on forest regeneration activities to check the degradation.

Water and Sanitation Situation

Water Situation

There are about ninety-two (92) existing functioning facilities in the Nkoranza south distributed as follows:

Existing Water Facilities

Source: District Water and Sanitation Team Secretariat

Other sources of water in the district include dams, rivers, streams and ponds.  These other sources are accessed by about 44.5% of the population which is not covered by the three main potable sources listed above.  About 54.5% of the total population in the district has access to potable water provided by Nkoranza District Assembly, Central Government, CWSA, ADRA, Catholic Relief Services and other donor agencies.  Out of the boreholes available, about 8 of them are not functioning.  The four existing hand-dug wells are also in use.

DEMOGRAPHIIC CHARACTERISTICS

Basic Population Statistics

The population of the District is estimated at 93,111 with a growth rate of about 3.6. Out of this population, 52% are males and 48% females. Age bracket between15-64 forms the majority of the district’s labour force comprising 52.1%; followed by children within the ages of (0-17) with 36.4% population whilst people aged 64+ forms the least of the population with 11.5%.  The average household size in the district is 4.7.

Population by Settlement

In line with the national standards, any settlement with a population of 5,000 or more is classified as urban. Based on this definition, only four (4) towns out of 105 settlements in the district can be classified as urban. These towns are Nkoranza, Nkwabeng, Akumsa-Dumase, and Donkro-Nkwanta.  Some of the relatively large settlements in the district and their population over the period can be seen below:

Major Settlements with Population of over 1000

Ethnic Composition

The district consists mainly of the Akan-Bonos with few Northern tribes and others.  The Bonos form more than 90% with about 10% distributed among the other ethnic groups.  Thus, the people could be described as homogenous, in that they have common socio-cultural practices and norms.

Religious Composition

In terms of religion, Christians are more than other faiths. Christians constitute 80.2% of the population.  Muslim population is quite significant and represents about 12 percent possibly due to the in-movement of farmers from Muslim strongholds in the northern part of Ghana.  Traditional religion still keeps its strength and influence in the district with 6.6% of the people.  This is evidenced by fetish houses scattered over the district and local beliefs in spiritual forces which has impact on the use of natural resources such as forests and rivers. About 1.2% claim non-alliance with any religious sect.

Economic Activities/ Occupational Distribution

Nkoranza District economy is predominantly agricultural.  The sector accounts for about 75% of the active labour force, followed by commerce (10.2%), Service (8.0%) and Industry (6.8%).  The type of agriculture is mainly subsistence with low income levels of the people. The rural nature of the district coupled with limited employment opportunities explains why the occupational distribution is skewed to agriculture.

Agricultural Situation

Major Crops

Major crops cultivated include the following; maize, yam, cassava, cowpea, groundnut, watermelon, cashew, mango and tobacco. Farmers are also engaged in vegetable farming.

(a) Maize:-

The District is one of the major leading producers of maize in the country and particularly the first in the Brong-Ahafo Region. Average farm size is around two (2) hectares. Weekly movement of articulated truck loads of maize is estimated at thirty (30mt) during the peak season.

Comparative Production Figures (2009-2010)

Programmes/Projects:-

Achievements

Agro-chemical dealers:-

The use of agro-chemicals in the district is on the ascendency especially herbicides.

The total number of agro-chemical dealers/sellers now stands at twenty-seven (27).

School Feeding Programme:-

Major Challenges:-

1. One major challenge to farming, especially in maize production is the outbreak of army worms.

This is followed closely by the infestation of stem borers and leaf rollers especially in the minor farming season.

1. Inadequate tractor services during the peak farming season.

Contact Details:-