‘Conditions of farmers in Bongo District improve’

The living conditions of farmers in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region are improving as many of them are able to sell the yields from their farm to cater for their families.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview during the celebration of this year’s farmers’ day held at Dua in the Bongo District, the Regional Director of Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Alhaji Ahmed Musbahu, attributed the success story of farmers to the number of interventions and the adherence of the farmers to adopting new farming technologies.

He said under the Northern Rural Growth Project (NRGP), feeder roads had been constructed, thereby opening the area which is very rocky, to the oncho free zones to enable them have access to fertile lands for farming and that had led to the increase of crop production such as maize, sorghum, rice, beans and millet.

“Additionally the NRGP in collaboration with MOFA has linked many of the farmers to banks where they are able to access loans to go into farming hence the good results. I am happy that most of the farmers who hitherto could not pay for their children’s school fees can now afford to pay,” he stated.

Some of the farmers including women, he noted had also been taught soil and water conservation techniques that helped their crops to withstand draught conditions.

Alhaji Musbahu further indicated that under the Ghana Social Opportunity Project (GSOP), farmers in the area had also been supported to cultivate 20 hectares of Mango Plantation and rehabilitated three dam which was being used for dry season farming.

He stated that under the World Food Programme, farmers in the area had also been supported to rehabilitate other dams whilst the Programme gave them some support in the form of cash.

An agricultural based NGO and the Canadian Hunger Project, he stated were also supporting the farmers with farm inputs to implement a Climate Change Project dubbed, “Resilience and Sustainable Livelihood Transformation”, aimed at targeting the more vulnerable particularly women.

“Under the Resilience and Sustainable Livelihood Transformation, 75 per cent of them are women. Some are into income generating activities while others are rearing ruminants,” he added.

In all 17 farmers in the District were honoured for working hard to increase food production. The overall best farmer is Alhaji Bukari Aborigo, who took home a tricycle, pair of wellington boots and hand gloves, two cutlasses, one bar of key soap, Parasol and Royco seasoning among others. The other winners were also given prizes and certificates.