Alhaji Musbau Ahmed, the Acting Regional Director of Ministry of Food and Agriculture, has suggested adoption of dry season gardening by farmers in the region to augment food requirement for the region.

Alhaji Musbau said adoption of rain water harvesting and soil improvement techniques was required to boost farming in the area.

Alhaji Musbau said this during heads of departments meeting with the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr James Zuugah Tiigah, at the Regional Coordinating Council in Bolgatanga.

He said the suggestion was premised on the short and erratic rain fall pattern which affected the region in the 2014 cropping season and if rain water was harvested it would help in cropping during the long dry season.

Alhaji Musbau said crop production was expected to drop this year because of the late start of the rains.

He however allayed any fears of hunger and said alternative food producing regions would be explored to beef up the regional demand.

He said MOFA, in collaboration with research institutions such as the Council For Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) and Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), was introducing improved and early maturing crop varieties for adoption in the region by farmers.

Alhaji Musbau said soil fertility rates in the regions were low and to improve the situation, farmers were being advised to use animal manure and compost.

He said MOFA in the region was in contact with soil compost companies and plans had been put in place to share ideas and sell the local compost to farmers.