Upper West farmers fight poverty

Farmers in some deprived districts of the Upper West Region have been introduced to new mixed farming systems, to help address the area’s perennial hunger and food insecurity.

Under the Project known as Africa Research In Sustainable Intensification For the Next Generation (Africa RISING) the farmers are being exposed to the cultivation of different varieties of maize, cowpea and soya beans.

The crops could be planted at the same time, but would mature and be harvested at different times according to the rainfall pattern.

The project seeks among other things, to promote agro-ecological and agronomic management technologies and practices that combine crops and animals to obtain more output from the same area of land, while reducing negative environmental impacts.

Mr. Abu Huudu, Upper West Regional Crops Officer of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said at Pase that the project, sponsored by USAID, was introduced in January last year in the three Northern Regions.

Mr Huudu said  in the Upper West Region, Wa East, Lawra, Nadowli and Sissala West Districts benefited from the project in 2012.

He said this year, farmers in 16 communities selected from the Nadowli and Wa West District,  are benefiting from the project

Mr. Huudu said the beneficiary regions were selected based on analysis of cropping systems, poverty levels, population, development priorities and the potential for successfully improving agricultural productivity.

According to him, the new project would provide avenues for small holder families, especially women and children, to eliminate hunger and extreme poverty through improvement in food, nutrition, income security and conserve the natural resource base of their communities.

The project is expected to eventually bring about increased farm productivity, efficient natural resource management in the communities, connection to markets and input suppliers, improved nutrition and an enhanced economic and environmental resilience.

Source: GNA