Chereponi district which is one of the twenty (20) administrative districts in the Northern region of Ghana, is located between latitudes 100101 and 100201 Eastwards and longitudes 100101N and 100201 Northwards.
The district which was carved out of the then Saboba/Chereponi district in 1998 has a total land area of about 1080sqKm. (this is however an estimate because no geographic survey has been done since its inception).
The district shares boundaries with Gushegu district to the West, Bunkpurugu Yunyoo district to the North, Saboba district to the South and South-West and then Republic of Togo to the East, borded by River Oti.
Demographics: – Demographically, Chereponi district has a population of 55,932 (Source: Provisional 2010 PHC results) of which 49.9% are males and 50.4% are females.
The district can be described as typically rural and its major settlements are scattered in nature.
The Anufors (also called Chokosis) constitute the main ethnic group, with smaller ethnic groups such as Bimobas, Moshies, Ewes (also called Bators), Konkombas and the Fulanis also found in the district.
Weather: – Chereponi district is located in the Savannah ecological zone, with its climate characterized by alternative wet and dry seasons of equal lengths of 6 months.
Annual rainfall is about 1000mm or less and this usually occurs between May and October. A long dry period follows the end of the rains from November to April.
The weather is generally very warm, with temperatures ranging between 210C and 410C .
The vegetation is made of grass interspersed with a few drought resistant trees like Shea trees (Butyrospermum parkii), Dawadawa (Parkia biglobosa) Neem trees (Azadiracta indica) and Kapok (Ceiba pentandra).
Hammattan conditions are usually very severe during the dry season, producing sandy storms as a result of the poor vegetation cover. The vegetation is greenish only in the rainy season and very dry in the Hammattan period.
Land use: – Agriculture is the mainstay of the people in the district. Only about 40% of the land area is used for agricultural purposes, whilst a greater proportion is left uncultivated.
Subsistence farming is mainly practiced in the district, with very small farm holdings i.e. an average of about 2Ha. Common crops grown by farmers include cereals (i.e. maize, rice, sorghum, millet, fonio etc), Legumes (ieGroundnuts, Cowpea, Soyabeans etc) as well as Yam and Cassava.
A good number of farmers in the district are also into cotton and Vegetable production.
MAJOR CROPS PRODUCED
The agro-ecology of the district has the potential to support a growing season of 120-180 days. The main cropping systems are; sole cropping, intercropping and relay cropping.
Agriculture in the district is mainly rainfed, with the hoe being the main farming tool.
Details of the major crops produced in, the land area cultivated as well as their performance are outlined below:
CROP |
AREA CROPPED (Ha) |
YIELD ACHIEVED (MT/Ha) |
% INCREASE IN Acreage |
REMARKS |
||
Year 2009 | Year 2010 | Year 2009 |
Year 2010 |
|||
Maize | 8000 | 9,625 | 2.61 | 2.80 | 20% | The general increase in production might be as a result of the fertilizer subsidy and the availability of the new AMSEC tractors in the district |
Rice | 1000 | 2,000 | 2.52 | 2.70 | 100% | |
Cassava | 797 | 1,430 | 6.51 | 6.70 | 79.4% | |
Yam | 5000 | 8,000 | 9.50 | 9.90 | 60% | |
Millet | 8,300 | 16,500 | 2.63 | 2.80 | 98.8% | |
Sorghum | 7075 | 14,155 | 1.83 | 2.00 | 100% | |
Soya beans | 7056 | 14,110 | 2.20 | 2.50 | 100% | |
Ground nuts | 9361 | 18,000 | 2.92 | 3.00 | 92.3% | |
Cowpea | 6092 | 12,190 | 2.10 | 2.50 | 100% | |
TOTAL | 50,897 | – | 99,366 | – |
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN THE DISTRICT
There is a high potential for the livestock industry in the district. Farmers rear livestock as a source of crop and family security. Livestock in the district include cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and donkeys and poultry; however, none of these are reared purposely on commercial basis.
Donkeys are mostly used for haulage purposes.
Available figures of livestock production in the district are as follows:
No. | Livestock species | 2009 | 2010 |
1. | Cattle | 11,457 | 15,044 |
2. | Sheep | 12,622 | 14,536 |
3. | Goats | 8,530 | 9,643 |
4. | Domestic fowls | 16,845 | 18,938 |
5. | Guinea fowls | 6,882 | 9,899 |
6. | Pigs | 965 | 1,841 |
7. | Donkeys | 528 | 660 |
FISH PRODUCTION
Fish farming is not practiced in the district; however some communities living along the banks of the Oti river are involved in fishing.
Communities involved in fishing are; Tinchangu and Kpani fishing camps.
SUMMARY OF FIELD DEMONSTRATIONS
Field demonstrations which were carried out in the district for 2010 were mostly under the support of the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) in collaboration with the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and technical support from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA).
Summaries of the various demonstrations in the district are as follows:
No. | Type of Field Demonstration | Communities involved | Total no. of beneficiaries | Remarks |
1. |
AGRA/SARI Soil Health Project |
Akromabila no. 1
Achuma |
60 |
The project started in 2010 and will last for three years. |
2. |
N2 Africa Project |
Ando-nyamanu
Achuma Ugandu |
256 |
Project will last for 1 Year |
3. |
Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) |
Nakaaku no.1 Achuma Nansoni |
130 |
Demonstration was to assist farmers to extend the storage life of harvested cowpea using the PICS bags |
4. |
Liquid Fertilizer demonstration on Maize. |
Mabonbori |
10 |
Demonstration was to compare the efficacy of the liquid sidalco fertilizer with that of the normal solid chemical fertilizers |
FERTILIZER SUBSIDY PROGRAMME
Five agents were involved in the subsidy programme for the 2010 farming season.
These agents include:
No. | NAME OF AGENT | LOCATION |
1. | Yaro Wadata Comp. Ltd. | Chereponi |
2. | Kojo Naabu | Chereponi |
3. | A.A. Ibrahim Cotton Comp. | Chereponi |
4. | Intercontinental Cotton Comp. | Chereponi |
5. | Ghana Cotton Comp. Ltd. | Chereponi |
Fertilizer consumption by the district in the 2010 subsidy programme is indicated below:
Fertilizer Type | Quantity Received | Quantity sold out |
NPK (15:15:15) | 2,602 | 2,602 |
NPK (16:16:16) | 1,850 | 1,850 |
Sulphate of Ammonia | 2,274 | 2,274 |
Actyva | 1,004 | 1,004 |
Sulfan | 335 | 335 |
Total | 8,192 bags | 8,192 bags |
SPECIAL PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES
Only two (2) special projects exist in the district; the Livestock Development Project (LDP) and the Block Farm Project.
The Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) is a special programme for farmers, but is yet to take effect in the district.
Beneficiary farmers were identified from various communities for the programme.The programme intends to link farmers to credit and marketing sources for selected agricultural commodities, however this is yet to take effect in the district.
Summaries of projects and programmes in the district are as follows:
No. |
Type of Special Project/Programme |
Type of Support provided |
No. of Beneficiaries. |
Remarks
|
||
M | F | Total | ||||
1. | Livestock Development Project (LDP) | Supply of sheep to farmers as a credit in kind support |
38 |
20 |
58 |
|
2. |
BlockFarm Project |
Supply of agro-inputs (fertilizer,weedicides,seeds) to farmers on credit |
136 |
34 |
170 |
|
3. |
Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) |
To link farmers to financial institutions for credit support as well as marketing sources | Forty FBOs have applied for crop loans but not yet approved |
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Strengths | Weaknesses |
Availability of land for agricultural purposes | Unwillingness of landlords to release land for commercial agriculture |
Permanent water bodies (River Oti) for dry season farming | Fragmentation of land due to land tenure system |
Vibrant youth willing to go in to agriculture | Inadequate staff to reach all farmers with improved technologies |
Presence of skilled agricultural staff | Inadequate means of transport |
Difficulty in monitoring the use of subsidized inputs due to its nearness to the border | |
Poor infrastructural network (road network, no communication network, financial institutions,etc) | |
Few business men willing to become agro- input dealers in the district |
ACHIEVEMENTS FROM 2009-2010
Since the inception of the district in 2009, various activities were conducted by the District Agricultural Development Unit.
Some key activities conducted in the district and the achievements are outlined below:
No. |
Activity |
Achievement | |
2009 | 2010 | ||
1. |
Home and Farm visits by Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) | 850 home and farm visits made, covering 1008 males and 1,413females | |
2. |
Disease surveillance |
No outbreak of any scheduled disease reported | Reduced mortality rate in animals due to early detection of diseases. |
3. |
Vaccination livestock in the district |
29,600 vaccinations made against scheduled diseases. | 8,956 vaccinations made against scheduled diseases |
4. |
Monitoring and supervisory visits by the DDA and DAOs | AEAs activities kept on track and enhanced | AEAs activities kept on track and enhanced |
5. |
Facilitate the cultivation of 80Ha of maize and 80 Ha of rice under the Block Farm concept. |
Project was not yet existent in the district |
50Ha of maize and 78.8Ha of rice cultivated. 170 youth employed. |
6. |
Organizing district Farmers celebration to honour deserving farmers | 16 farmers honoured for their hard work in agriculture | Total of 16 farmers honoured with various prizes |
7. |
HIV/AIDS sensitization to Farm families | 844 females and 1025 males reached | 641 females and 194 females reached |
8. |
Castration and deworming of livestock in the district. | Livestock performance enhanced | Livestock performance enhanced |
9. |
Inspect and issue movement and slaughter livestock permit. | Risk of consuming unwholesome meat by public reduced | Risk of consuming unwholesome meat by public reduced |
10. |
Train Farmers on Soya utilization |
Nutrional needs of households enhanced through the increased use of Soya | Nutrional needs of households enhanced through the increased use of Soya |