Education Ghana Project #9370

Take Best Practices to Farmers in Rural Ghana

by Self-Help International

Project Report | Mar 17, 2023
SHI Partakes in Ghana's Farmers Day Celebrations

By Bernice Agyekwena | Communications Manager

Self-Help International’s Agriculture and Entrepreneurship Development (AED) Program showcased innovations in agriculture to farmers and other shareholders at this year’s District Farmers Day celebration on December 2nd at Kyereyasi in the Atwima Nwabiagya Municipal in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

The AED Program replicates scientific research undertaken by other research stations to demonstrate its efficacy to farmers and also determine the best practices necessary for the adoption and successful outcome of the research in Ghana’s agricultural environment.

These innovations provide farmers with new technologies and information about soils, plants, poultry and rabbits among others to determine the optimum conditions that support high crop yields and the successful rearing of poultry and rabbits based on practical experimentation and implementation at the SHI training center.

The items exhibited for Farmers Day included a demonstration of cultivating aubergine (eggplant) and cabbage seedlings nursed in soilless medium to educate people on how to use soilless medium to nurse and raise plants to reduce the incidence of diseases and pests.

Also on display was a sack of rice husk which is common in the Ghanaian environment and can be used for producing biochar. Biochar is created through the controlled burning of the rice husk under low oxygen, and can also be turned into biochar compost, which as the name suggests, is biochar that has been enriched with compost.

Strawberries and tomatoes planted in used containers were also showcased in a bid to demonstrate how used containers can be used to nurse and cultivate plants.

In order to promote the rearing of rabbits, a rabbit cage fabricated with galvanized metal mesh which is both durable and hygienic was put on show to help people interested in rearing rabbits to know how best to house them.

An orange plant cloned through air layering which is a method of propagating trees and shrubs from stems still attached to the parent plant was also exhibited. The advantages of using this method of propagation is that the clones produce fruits that are identical to the parent plant and also fruit at a faster rate than plants propagated through seed.

Some of the people who visited the SHI stand left with young seedlings to plant on their own farms and gardens.

Thus, participating in this year's Farmer’s Day celebration did not only offer SHI a chance to educate people on new ways of cultivating plants and rearing poultry and rabbits but also provided an opportunity for people to test and benefit from these innovations by utilizing improved seedlings on their farms.

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Nov 18, 2022
Leading through Action: Teacher rears poultry

By Justice Sam | Project Leader

Joseph tends to his flock

Joseph is a young teacher who has an interest in poultry production in Kobrim, a community on the outskirts of Ejisu. The location of the community makes access to affordable food products challenging and residents are limited to buying food only on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Joseph wanted to start keeping poultry but did not have the knowledge or experience. Though he keeps a small number of local fowls in his compound for his family, he wanted to start a commercial poultry business. To him, keeping poultry in his community meant he could give his community more access to protein (in the form of eggs and chicken), and earn him additional income to support his family. He also looked forward to hiring farm hands among the young people in his community.

As a youth leader, he believed his success would inspire his colleagues to have the courage to start their own agribusinesses. Joseph consulted Self-Help International through the Agriculture Entrepreneurship Development (AED) center for advice.

Joseph constructed his poultry house and received his first batch of 200 broilers one year ago. According to Joseph, it was very challenging as it was his first time handling that many chicks. He learned how to dress and properly present his birds for sale and started to sell chicken to his neighbors when his birds were nine weeks old. Joseph plans to purchase his next batch of 400 layers for egg production. He also intends to keep producing broilers for Christmas and Easter festivities when there is greater demand.

Joseph is happy with the experience he has gathered and is confident to handle larger number of chickens. He is certainly an inspiration to his colleagues in his community and expresses gratitude to the AED team for the support. Joseph is ready and confident he can teach his colleagues who want to start poultry production.

Today, he is a proud owner of a business and is solving a problem in his community.

Mark your calendars: Giving Tuesday is November 29. If you make a gift through GlobalGiving on GivingTuesday, November 29, Self-Help will earn a part of GlobalGiving's $1.2 million incentive fund, meaning your gift will have an even greater impact! Read the full terms and conditions here.

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Jun 9, 2022
Providing extension services to parents & children

By Justice A. Sam | Community Crop and Livestock Specialist

It has been a common practice to see children helping their parents on the farm during weekends and after school. Produce from these farms serve as the major source of food and income for the local market and families. One major challenge has been low yields, which could be attributed to lack of adherence to good agricultural and environmental practices.

Sometimes, it is difficult to teach adult rural farmers how to access new or best-practice information, so they do not always know that modified practices could positively impact their yield. Their children grow up and either migrate to the cities or take over the farming business, continuing to utilize the old farming practices they learned from their parents.

Equipping rural children with science-based, good agricultural and environmental practices plays a vital role in improving the quality of agriculture in these communities because they are directly involved in agriculture activities from a very young age.

To help, Self-Help International introduced the Youth in Agriculture Program through the Agriculture and Entrepreneur Program in 2018. Currently, eight schools are enrolled in the program, and membership is composed of students from the upper primary to Junior High School. The eight schools are located in rural communities in the Ashanti Region where SHI operates: Nkontomire, Nyamebekyere, Kyereyase, Timeabu, Bedabour, Beposo, Nkawkom and Kukuboso. These students are equipped with resources, knowledge in good agriculture practices and entrepreneurship skills training. Emphasis is placed in hands-on and experiential learning methods. Each club identifies and implements a field project to practice what they are learning throughout the year and to generate income to sustain the club. Lessons learned during the club activities and field visits are carried on to their parents’ farms and communities. Some of the students have even started their own individual projects with support from SHI and their club advisors.

Knowing that the future of our country depends on the quality of agriculture, the training we are giving to the youth in partner communities will sustain the food chain in our local market.

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