Cocoa farmers and tree crop nursery operators in the Atwima- Mponua District of the Ashanti Region have undergone ‘innovative farming practices’ training for enhancement of their crop/tree farming and nursery businesses.

Organised jointly by the local Kokoo Pa Farmers Association, the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Sunyani and Royal Tropical Institute, the Netherlands, the one day maiden ‘Cocoa Target Learning Platform’ was held at Bibiani in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality of the Western North Region on the theme “Crop and Tree Nurseries: Exploring Opportunities for Rural Women and the Youth”.

The Forestry Institute of Ghana of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (FORIG-CSIR) has released over 2,500 seedlings to support the Green Ghana initiative rolled out by the government. The institute has also joined in planting trees in some schools to create climate change awareness.

FORIG believes the zero net land degradation agenda can be achieved by planting more trees.

Over 10 schools have benefited from the FORIG-CSIR tree planting exercise to support the government’s Green Ghana initiative.

Somalia and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Thursday appealed to the international community for additional resources to intensify operations against desert locusts.

In a joint statement issued in Mogadishu following a day-long meeting in the city, the participants said Somalia is experiencing a devastating locust upsurge, especially in the southern states where swarms have migrated and destroyed crops.

“The delegation has issued an urgent appeal and call to action to the international donor community for additional resources to continue crucial operations and address the increasing needs and vulnerabilities of affected communities,” it said.

Cocoa farmers across the country who have not been paid by their Local Buying Companies (LBCs) for their cocoa beans are expected to from today Monday start getting paid.

The Minister-designate for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, who disclosed this on Friday said the Bank of Ghana had collaborated with the Ghana Cocoa Board to raise funds to settle the LBCs for onward payment to the affected farmers.

“From Monday, farmers will start getting paid,” Dr Akoto told the 26-member Appointments Committee in Accra.

Mr Francis Ennor, the Upper East Regional Director of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), has called for a special focus on irrigation as a key component in food production and food security in the region.

He said though the country was endowed with water resources, a potential for irrigation, it was under used and called on the youth in the region to go into irrigation framing to improve nutrition and income levels.

Mr Ennor made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at his office in Bolgatanga.

Dr Julius C. Ahiekpor, the Head of Bioenergy, Kumasi Technical University, on Tuesday said Ghana within few years can significantly control its energy and sanitation problems if she paid particular attention to ‘waste-to-energy’ generation.

He said some countries were now importing waste to generate energy for consumption, as it had many advantages as compared to the hydropower that many parts of the world were accustomed to.

He made the remark at a stakeholder consultation meeting organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF), and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) of Ghana, through the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL).

The usage of fertiliser under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative increased significantly from 121,000 tonnes in 2016 to over 400,000 tonnes in 2019.

The national fertiliser use per hectare also increased from an average of eight kilogrammes (kg) per hectare in 2017 to an average of 20kg per hectare in 2019.

This means the country is getting closer to meeting the international standard of fertiliser usage of 50kg per hectare.

The Savannah Agriculture Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SARI) has called on the government to establish a sustainable funding source to promote continued agriculture research to enhance agriculture productivity.

Dr Saaka Buah, Acting Director, CSIR-SARI, Nyankpala, said agriculture research was central in achieving high agricultural productivity and yields and advocated adequate investment be made towards supporting scientists to undertake more research.

The Acting Director made the call during an interview with the media after CSIR-SARI, Manga Station had introduced farmers from six districts of the Upper East Region to improved technologies at its Technology Park, established with support from the Agriculture Manufacturing Group (AMG) Limited, a local fertilizer producer and distributor.

On January 27, the U.S. government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), hosted a virtual learning event culminating a seven-year, $41.6 million U.S. government-funded Feed the Future Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE II) activity.

During the event, participants discussed how the ADVANCE II activity aided in addressing and mitigating the stressors the pandemic placed on the agribusiness sector in Ghana. Participants included the Government of Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Regional Coordinating Councils, representatives of the regional outgrower business networks, the National Seed Traders Association of Ghana, the National Board for Small-Scale Industries, the Ghana Commodity Exchange, the Ghana Health Service, development partners, and local organizations.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has developed a Manual on hybrid maize seed production to equip seed growers with the requisite skills and resource to efficiently produce the desired quality and quantity required by farmers. The Manual also addresses the various requirements, practices and day-to-day field operations for a successful hybrid maize seed production.

It could be used by agriculture extension agents, farmers, students and end-users, who want an education in hybrid maize seed production in the different agro-ecological zones of the country.