Germany’s Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is providing €7.5 million for a food security project which will improve urban farming in Ghana and Burkina Faso.

Known as UrbanFoodPlus, the project is part of the BMBF’s support programme Global Food Security (GlobE).

Officials say the project will be coordinated by the University of Kassel and the Ruhr University, Bochum.

A statement issued by the University of Kassel May 8, 2013 said the Ministry will supply €4.3 million over the next three years and the remaining €3.2 million for over a period of five years.

The goal of the UrbanFoodPlus project is to understand, boost, and optimise the various forms of urban farming.

Initial field research takes place in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Tamale of Ghana, and will then be extended to other West African cities, according to the statement.

The Kassel University said the the trials will include small-scale crop-growing experiments, questioning of growers, sellers and administration representatives.

There will also be extensive training measures on simple technological innovations, including the use of charcoal both as a water filter and an organic fertilizer, it added.

By Ekow Quandzie