OCP Africa, a subsidiary of the OCP Group, is set to re-launch its agro school lab initiative known as the “OCP School Lab” (OSL) at Ejura in the Ashanti Region, to support smallholder Ghanaian farmers.

OSL is a mobile soil laboratory that travels to remote areas to meet smallholder farmers, provides soil testing, and makes recommendations for fertilizer application that meet their soil and crop needs.

According to a statement from OCP Africa to the Ghana News Agency, the pilot programme commenced in Asesewa, Eastern Region in November 2017 reaching 2,000 farmers from 20 communities with one OSL truck.

It explained that the campaign in 2018, covered the Brong Ahafo and Northern regions.

However, the statement said, two OSL trucks and two soil lab equipment were used this time.

It said the campaign had about 160 communities covered, with 21,325 farmers reached and educated on good agricultural practices.

“In the first half of 2019, the campaign has covered the Eastern and Upper East Regions and has been executed with two trucks covering 150 communities and reaching 22,325 farmers,” the statement said.

According to the statement, OCP Africa was raising the campaign a notch higher for the second half of 2019 as the School Lab is set to arrive at Ejura with three trucks to reach an additional 30,000 farmers in 160 communities in both Ashanti and Upper West Regions.

The statement said since 2016, more than 270,000 farmers in eight African countries – Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, and Senegal had benefited from OCP School Labs.

The programme, it said, was now a powerful tool designed to contribute to sustainable development of African agriculture.

The holistic approach was helping farmers to improve their productivity by offering them a wide range of services from demonstrations and interactive training sessions on good agricultural practices to agronomy advice, the statement explained.

OCP Africa was created in 2016 to work hand-in-hand with farmers to contribute to unlocking Africa’s vast agricultural potential.

It produces fertilizer solutions customised to local conditions and crop needs, and works with partners in different African governments, non-profits organisations and private enterprises to connect farmers to the agricultural services, knowledge and resources they need to prosper.

Based in Morocco, OCP Africa is a subsidiary of OCP Group – a leading global provider of phosphate and its derivatives with almost 100 years of experience.