A two-day workshop aimed at educating stakeholders in the maize value chain on facilitating sustainable intensification of African farming systems has been held at the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The workshop brought together farmers, marketers, processors, extension officers, teachers, and consumers.
It was held by SustInAfrica, a research project empowering West and North African smallholder farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to facilitate sustainable intensification of African farming systems.
The project, which started in 2020 and will continue for five years, has received funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement 861924.
The Coordinator of the Project, Prof. Kwame Agyei Frimpong, said the project was aimed at developing and deploying a reference framework on best agricultural practices and technologies, based on a systems approach, and successfully verified for their efficacy to intensify primary production in a self-sufficient, sustainable, and resilient manner.
"Through knowledge-sharing and hands-on training, participants will gain valuable skills in areas such as improved production practices, post-harvest handling, market access, and value addition," Prof. Frimpong continued.
Coordinator of the Project, Prof. Kwame Agyei Frimpong
He said the choice of maize was because the crop is a staple food in Ghana.
"Maize can be grown in almost all agricultural zones in Ghana. It is useful for food, and serves as raw materials for industry," he said.
Prof. Frimpong further mentioned that the programme was targeting smallholder farmers within the maize value chain system since “the smallholder farmers produce 90 per cent of the staple foods in Ghana.
A beneficiary farmer from Ejura in the Ashanti Region, Afia Kumah, said the workshop had enlightened her about the importance of having values, goals, and a clear vision in her maize farming endeavours.
She said such workshops would significantly aid in enhancing the agricultural sector in Ghana, adding that her mission was to share the new insights with fellow farmers in her area who could not attend the workshop.
Facilitators at the workshop were Mary Sweeney, Gender Advisor, Self Help Africa, Ireland and Fatouma Zara Laquan, Gender Expert, Director of Nitsouwa Consulting Group, Niger.
Participants were given certificates of participation.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC