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About ONLY 10% of Cocoa farmers in Ghana are involved in the countless sustainability programmes – CSOs.

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Every day, millions of people around the world enjoy chocolate and other products made from cocoa grown in Ghana. Ghana’s cocoa industry is among the world’s best in terms of export volume and innovation said by the CSOs at the launch of the Easter Chocolate Scorecard.

“Ghana is the second-largest cocoa producer in the world; in 2019/2020 season we produced an estimated 800,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans and hoping to increase it to 850,000 metric tonnes in 2020/2021 season. The issue is that there are concerns about the circumstances under which cocoa is produced.

Cocoa is a major global driver of forest destruction. West Africa produces 75% of the world’s cocoa, with Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana being the largest producers. These two countries have lost most of their forests in the past sixty years around 94% and 80% respectively.

This has prompted several high-level discussions on the future of cocoa production in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire” Managing campaigner for EcoCare Ghana, Obed Owusu-Addai said at the launch of the 2021 Easter scorecard in Ghana that was earlier launched in Washington D.C, USA.

“The Managing campaigner mentioned that Easter is the biggest chocolate shopping holiday of the year. The 2021 Easter Scorecard ranks and grades chocolate companies on key sustainability issues.

The Easter Scorecard, ranking the performance of global chocolate companies’ reveals they are shortchanging farmers in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire by not paying them what they deserve.

The latest findings by six international civil society platforms in the cocoa sector have revealed that some chocolate companies are failing to pay the living income differential meant to improve the wellbeing of the farmers in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire” he said.

Emphasizing the profound shortchanging of cocoa farmers in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, Mrs. Sandra Kwabea Sarkwah, SEND GHANA Project Officer said that the key sustainability issues they want to address now are human rights due diligence, transparency and traceability, living income, child labour, deforestation and climate, and agro-forestry.

“I believe there is the need for retooling in the cocoa sector and with a common front we will win the fight against unacceptable living income differential for farmers in Ghana and Cote D Ivoire.

Ghana and Cote D Ivoire managed to get $400 dollars extra money as living income differential for farmers, but, what we found out was that these multinationals are trying to evade the payment of this extra income,” she said.

Senior Advisor at Might Earth, a global environmental campaign organization, Mr. Samuel Mawutor explained that the scorecard also shows that peace for adopting agroforestry and more climate-friendly farming practices is much slower than required.

“The joint survey was developed, completed, and published by Mighty Earth, Green America, INKOTA, National Wildlife Federation, and Be Slavery Free (Australia and The Netherlands).

We created explanatory videos for Zoom conferences with companies to answer any possible questions and graded the companies. Companies were appointed a liaison from the team, and many companies took the opportunity to meet with their liaisons virtually.

The companies selected ranged from the largest cocoa traders and chocolate manufacturers in the industry to smaller innovative companies. Those selected either can take a large toll or make a big positive impact on people and the planet. The survey covered human rights due diligence, transparency and traceability, living income, child labor, deforestation and climate, and agroforestry. These are some of the most pressing, vital sustainability issues facing the chocolate industry today.

Storck, Unilever, Starbucks, and Valrohna were approached to participate but did not do so. Non-participation was viewed as a lack of transparency; we believe that all companies selling chocolate products should be able to provide the information we are asking for, and consumers have the right to know the conditions under which chocolate is produced.

Storck, a confectioner with production facilities in Germany and 12 international subsidiaries received the lowest marks the ‘Rotten Egg Award’ for lack of responsiveness and transparency.

The ‘Good Egg’ was awarded to Alter Eco, a US-based company with distribution in the US and Europe.

Previous Rotten Egg “winners” substantially improved their performance on sustainability across the board.” he explained.

The Media Launch for the Easter Chocolate Scorecard was held at ECOcare Ghana Head office in Accra.

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LIFESTYLE: Have you ever considered taking the pineapple peel?

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Photo credit: Philnews

Pineapple is one of the most popular fruit in the world because of its health benefits, but many people don’t know that pineapple peels also contain amazing benefits.

Aside from enjoying the benefits of pineapple juice, fermented pineapple skin drink offers many health benefits. This is because pineapple peel composition contains vitamin B, C, folate, thiamin, pantothenic acid, bromelain, niacin, and fiber

Benefits
Anti-inflammatory
Bromelain, a powerful enzyme found in high concentrations in pineapple skin and stems, helps to cut down inflammation in the body. It’s been touted for reducing swelling after surgery or injury and works as an anti-inflammatory in the sinuses and throughout the body.

Digestive Aid
Not only do the peels serve to make digestion smoother, but they’ve also been found to help fight intestinal parasites, constipation, and possibly IBS symptoms. They also build up healthy gut flora.

Immune Booster
The high levels of vitamin C in the pineapple and its skin prevent and fight infections. The power of bromelain and vitamin C act as a bacteria fighter, mucus cutter, cough suppressant, wound healer, and overall system booster in the body.

Arthritis and Joint Pain Fighter
Here again, bromelain works its anti-inflammatory magic in those who have arthritis or joint pain. Mixing up a potion with pineapple peels works directly on the source of the pain. Check out how to make a topical remedy below.

Vision Protector
Beta carotene and vitamin C present in the entire plant aid in battling degenerative eye diseases like glaucoma.

Dental and Bone Strengthener
In addition to fighting inflammation in gums and tissues, pineapple skins have a high manganese content. Manganese helps to grow, strengthen, and repair bones and teeth. In terms of oral health, its vitamin C and astringent properties keep gums clean and healthy.

Anti-Cancer
Some early studies have shown that skins’ amounts of manganese, vitamin C, bromelain, and antioxidants have the ability to fight tumors and aid in cancer prevention.

Good Blood
Bromelain helps with preventing blood clots from forming, and the copper content in pineapple juice increases the formation of healthy red blood cells. Bits of potassium help the blood vessels stay healthy and can counteract large amounts of sodium, enabling the blood pressure to be stable.

Fertility
Women who are looking to conceive usually pay close attention to their diet. Pineapple gets a lot of love because of its beta carotene and bromelain. Reducing inflammation in the womb helps create an ideal environment for implantation. Having warm liquids like the tea or broth listed below also support healthy fertility, and a pineapple dessert certainly wouldn’t hurt either.

How to prepare pineapple peels juice:
Ingredients
1 whole pineapple, unpeeled
1 litre of water
A natural sweetener of taste

Procedure:
Wash the pineapple and separate the peel from the flesh. Put the peel in a pan filled with water and add some pineapple pulp, then boiled them together. Dilute the mixture in a litre of water and add natural sweetener to improve the taste.

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Oil Palm has huge economic potentials for Ghana – Research.

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Research conducted by the University of Ghana Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), has indicated that Oil Palm has a huge economic potential that can significantly alleviate rural poverty.

According to the research, the Oil Palm sector does not only provide livelihoods to farmers but also many others along the value chain which include, operators, transporters, seed distributors, and agro-inputs sellers.
The sector also employs between 1,000 and 3,000 contractors predominantly during harvesting.

This came to light during an Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) Project, a dissemination workshop organized by the University of Ghana Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER).

The workshop brought together key stakeholders, such as researchers, Regional and District Directors of Agriculture, Opinion leaders, Agricultural organizations, farmers, and farmer association in the
Western Region.

The workshop was to discuss a research project undertaken by a team of researchers from the University of Ghana to analyze the impact and outcomes of pathways to agricultural commercialisation on rural poverty, empowerment of women and girls, food and nutrition security in Ghana and across six other Sub- Saharan African countries.

Specifically, the research explored farmers engaged in oil palm commercialization arrangements, analysed the poverty implications of participants in the arrangements, and how these outcomes differed across different groups.

It also explained the relationships between different arrangements and resource allocation to other crops as well as the different arrangements and the varying effect on other farm and non-farm enterprises.

Dr. Kofi Takyi Asante Research Fellow at ISSER, who took the participants through the research findings, indicated that oil palm was selected for the research because it was considered a national priority crop because of its potentials for reducing poverty, its wide geographical coverage, and its use as both food and cash crop.

He pointed out that currently, the oil palm was the second most important out of 10 industrial crops, adding that between 2007-2019 oil palm grew from 680.781 metric tonnes to 1.896.760 metric tonnes creating about two million jobs across the value chain.

Dr. Asante said oil palm had a large growth potential but fortunately Ghana’s current crude palm oil production of 245 000 metric tonnes was unable to meet the global demand for the product.

He said the research took the team to oil palm growing Communities in the Western Region, oil palm companies such Benso oil palm plantation, Norpalm Ghana Limited, and B-BOVId processing factory.

The Research Fellow said in all 20 Communities in Mpohor and Ahanta West were selected of which 726 farming households were interviewed.

On Findings in oil palm commercialization, he explained that 27 percent of farmers had direct sales to oil palm companies, 33 percent sold their products through agents, 29 percent independently sold on the local market while 11 percent processed it into palm oil, alcohol, and soap.

The research also indicated that 5.2 percent of the farmers who had direct sales to Oil Palm Companies (OPCs) had more capital with proximity to Oil Palm Companies.

On livelihood outcomes, the research showed that farmers who sold their produce directly to the OPCs earned more and were happier, while those who sold through agents or sold independently on local markets were less happy.

The research revealed that there was a huge potential for enhancing the sector’s productivity, smallholder performance, and welfare access to financial and resources as well as the ability to deal directly with OPCs or independently process produce.

APRA is a five-year research programme that seeks to among other things impact rural poverty, empowerment of women and girls, food and nutrition security in sub-Sahara African.

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LIFESTYLE: Is Palm oil as good as Coconut oil?

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Photo credit: live science

Coconut and palm oil are both edible, vegetable oils derived from palm fruits are also widely used in personal care.
Depending on the level of processing and type of the oil, the nutritional composition may vary.

Macronutrients and Calories
Edible oils are overall not very diverse in nutrients. Coconut oil contains very little water, while palm oil is completely absent in water.
Coconut and palm oil have equal serving sizes: one tablespoon of oil weighting 13.6g.

Calories
Vegetable oils are very high in calories. Coconut and palm oil contain similar amounts of calories, however, coconut oil is a little higher.
One serving size of coconut oil contains 121 calories, while palm oil has 120.

Fats
Edible oils consist mostly of fats. Coconut oil consists of 99% fats, whereas palm oil is nearly 100% fat. A serving size of coconut oil contains 13.5g of fats.
The fat in coconut oil consists of 91% saturated fatty acids. Next by portion is monounsaturated fat, and last, polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Palm oil contains a lot more of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, however, saturated fat still makes up the majority.
The fat composition changes for partially hydrogenated oils, as poly- and monounsaturated fats turn into saturated fat.

Protein and Carbohydrates
Coconut and palm oil contain no protein or carbohydrates.

Vitamins
Both oils contain only two vitamins: Vitamin K and vitamin E. Palm oil is much richer in both of these

Minerals
Coconut and palm oil contain only trace amounts of minerals as well. However, coconut oil is higher in iron and choline compared to palm oil. It also contains small amounts of zinc and calcium, whereas palm oil does not.

Glycemic Index
As both coconut oil and palm oil contain no carbohydrates, their glycemic indices are equal to 0.

Acidity
Raw coconut is alkaline, however, through heating and further processing coconut oil becomes acidic with an average pH of 3.5 to 5.5.

Palm oil is also slightly acidic with a pH value of 6.34 on average.

Another way to look at the acidity of a food is by looking at the potential renal acid load (PRAL), which shows the capacity of the food to produce bases or acids.

The PRAL value for both coconut oil and palm oil is 0, making these oils neutral.

WEIGHT LOSS
Both coconut and palm oil are very high in calories, due to their high fat content. One tablespoon of these oils contains around 120 calories.

Despite its high caloric value, coconut oil is often claimed to aid weight loss. Most research doesn’t support the idea that coconut oil can lead to weight loss when used on it’s own. Coconut oil could increase high density lipoproteins and decrease the total cholesterol/ high density lipoprotein ratio in men with obesity, when used as a part of a low calorie, balanced diet. However, many studies have concluded that there is not enough consistent evidence that coconut oil has beneficial effects on energy metabolism, satiety or weight loss.

Studies on the association between palm oil consumption and weight loss have not achieved significant results as well. There is also insufficient evidence to claim palm oil’s superior qualities over other vegetable oils in obesity management.

HEALTH IMPACT
In this section, we will discuss what effects coconut oil and palm oil have on human health and how these effects compare to each other.

Health Benefits
Cardiovascular Health
One meta analysis concluded that although coconut oil increases high density lipoproteins (also known as “good” cholesterol), that effect was not enough to make up for the negative effects caused by coconut oil’s property of raising low density lipoproteins (“bad” cholesterol). In contrast to this, another study found that daily consumption of moderate amounts of coconut oil raises high density lipoproteins and shows no significant harmful side effects.

Coconut oil also significantly increased total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations compared with palm oil, as well as other vegetable oils, due to the high saturated fat content.

However, in comparison to animal oils, coconut oil demonstrated more favourable changes in blood lipid profile, lowering low density lipoproteins. Virgin coconut oil performed the best results.

Some research, carried out on animals, has concluded that coconut oil is associated with an improvement in antioxidant activity, lipid profile, blood pressure, blood sugar and abdominal body fat. These effects still have to be studied in humans.

Meta analyses on the topic of palm oil consumption have concluded that it does not have incremental risks for cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular disease related mortality.

Diabetes
Multiple studies have found that coconut oil, especially virgin coconut oil, may ameliorate lipid profiles in diabetes mellitus type 2, as well as support normal glucose homeostasis and modulate the immune response. Virgin coconut oil may also be used as a functional food to prevent the development of diet-induced insulin resistance and associated complications, potentially due to its antioxidant qualities.

Some studies show that substitution with red palm oil as an antioxidant may reduce blood glucose in diabetic patients. However, others have not found significant effects of palm oil on biomarkers of glucose metabolism.

Cancer
Coconut oil has expressed antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic responses in tumor cells. Virgin coconut oil, as well as processed and fractionated coconut oil, have shown anticancer activities, especially against liver and oral cancer. Moreover, virgin coconut oil consumption during chemotherapy may also improve quality of life for breast cancer patients.

As for palm oil consumption and cancer correlation, there is no evidence associating palm oil intake and a higher risk of cancer, incidence or mortality in humans.

Downsides and Risks
Cardiovascular Health
American Heart Association has found that due to high saturated fats, coconut oil raises low density lipoproteins, which can pose a risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (9).

The use of repeatedly heated palm oil, as well as other oils, is also a predisposing factor of atherosclerosis and the consequent cardiovascular issues.

Environmental Issues
The widespread palm oil production can cause environmental hazards that negatively affect not only nature but also our health. Large-scale palm oil production leads to deforestation, not only destroying the habitats of endangered species, but also leading to an increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, further contributing to climate change.

SUMMARY
In summary, coconut oil and palm oil are both high calorie foods, consisting mostly of fats. Coconut oil is a little higher in calories, while palm oil contains a little more fats. Both completely lack protein and carbohydrates and are low in micronutrients. However, coconut oil is relatively richer in minerals, whilst palm oil contains more vitamin E and vitamin K.

Research suggests that palm oil is a healthier choice than coconut oil when it comes to cardiovascular health, due to a lower saturated fat content. Both can have positive effects for people with diabetes type 2.

Overall, these oils can be healthy when used in moderation and as part of a healthy diet.
Source: foodstruct.com

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More than beans: Nestle recycles cocoa fruit waste to replace sugar in chocolate

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As confectionery groups scramble to reduce added sugar, chocolate sweetened with cocoa fruit pulp is about to hit supermarket shelves with food giant Nestle ready to launch its “Incoa” bar.

Using cocoa fruit pulp, which is normally discarded, to flavour products reduces sugar and cuts food waste while boosting the income of cocoa farmers who can “upcycle” their cocoa by selling both the pulp and the beans.

That ticks several boxes with health- and environmentally-conscious consumers.

“This is a big launch, we give it to all the customers who want it and don’t limit supplies,” Alexander von Maillot, Nestle’s global head of confectionery, told Reuters this week.

The company is launching Incoa, which has no added sugar, in supermarkets in France and the Netherlands with other European markets to follow.

Nestle is sourcing the raw material from cocoa farms in Brazil but also working with partners in West Africa to see if pulp production could work there. Von Maillot said cocoa farmers could boost their income by 20-40% if they also sold the pulp.

Lamine Keita, a cocoa farmer in Duekoue, Ivory Coast, said he hadn’t yet been asked to sell cocoa fruit pulp. “If we can sell more than the beans to increase our income, that’s all we can ask for because beans alone are not enough to get us out of poverty,” he said.

Jerome Koffi, who cultivates cocoa on four hectares of land in Soubre, also said he’d gladly sell more, but at the moment there was only demand for beans.

Fruit pulp doesn’t come cheap – Incoa bars on Dutch retailer Albert Heijn’s website cost about 50% more than other dark chocolates. But Von Maillot said although the cost meant pulp was not suitable for replacing sugar in mainstream products, there may be other uses for cocoa fruit chocolate, for example in baking.

UPCYCLING TREND
Lindt & Spruengli and Germany’s Ritter Sport have also launched limited editions of cocoa fruit chocolate which sold out quickly. Both said they planned to launch the products on a larger scale once enough cocoa fruit was available.

Swiss chocolate maker Felchlin’s cocoa fruit preparation found its way into macarons and truffles that high-end chocolatier Spruengli – unrelated to Lindt – called a “world novelty”.

Lindt and Felchlin source cocoa fruit pulp from Swiss-Ghanaian startup Koa https://koa-impact.com, which uses solar-powered mobile units to process fresh pulp from 1,600 small farmers. Koa is able to process 250 tonnes a year but wants to increase its capacity 10 fold within the next two years.

Industry major Barry Callebaut, meanwhile, is getting ready to supply its WholeFruit Chocolate to chefs and artisans. It has also set up a dedicated brand, Cabosse Naturals, to sell cocoa fruit ingredients to customers like Mondelez International to use in fruity snacks.

The Upcycled Food Association said commercializing cocoa fruit worldwide could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20 million tonnes per year. It defines “upcycling” as using food ingredients that humans wouldn’t consume, with verifiable supply chains and a positive environmental impact.

Brigette Wolf, head of Mondelez’s SnackFutures, said upcycling appealed to those who want to “make an impact” with their food choices.

The company plans to have three varieties of CaPao Cacaofruit Fruit Bites on sale this year, in more than 2,000 stores by the end of 2021 or early 2022.

AFRICAN TASTES
Commodities specialist Tedd George said extracting additional value from the crop could boost West Africa’s cocoa sector because current incentives were only focused on growing and selling more beans.

“There’s an opportunity for new products made from cocoa fruits to also be health products and that changes the game for the value you can get out of them,” he said, citing health benefits associated with dark chocolate.

Nestle has been repositioning itself as a health and wellbeing company, reducing sugar in its products, and has also set sustainability targets including cocoa.

George said the launch of cocoa fruit products didn’t address fundamental issues like child labour or deforestation but could fuel investment and drive change in cocoa-producing communities.

He said companies should also develop cocoa products for African tastes. “If there was also local demand for cocoa that would boost farmers’ pricing power.”

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LIFESTYLE: The amazing medicinal benefits of cassava leaves that need to be known.

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Cassava is a plant that possesses an adequate amount of calories. In comparison to the flesh, cassava leaves are more beneficial. Along with the good taste, it also possesses various health benefits. Cassava leaves contain vitamins, proteins, minerals, and essential amino acids. The protein found in cassava leave helps to form body cells and constituent the enzyme system.

The availability of amino acids helps to modify the energy into carbohydrates. Amino acids help to recover skin wounds, helps us with a good memory, bone health, and the body’s metabolic system. The chlorophyll found in the leaves provides anticancer and antioxidant properties.

Health Benefits of Cassava Leaf
Cassava leaves are lower in calories. It provides the satiety effect. The cassava leaves assists in digestion and helps to overcome constipation. It also helps to relieve headaches, cold medicine, worms, rheumatism, ulcers, diarrhea, and enhance stamina. The various health benefits of cassava leaves are as follows:

Good for Pregnant women
The presence of high iron content in cassava leaves helps pregnant women to avoid anemia. The cassava leaves have a high amount of folate and Vitamin C. Due to the bland taste of cassava leaves, it should be cooked with vegetables or meat by chopping.

Helps to fight Kwashiorkor
The leaves of cassava are rich in lysine protein which helps to fight against the kwashiorkor which is caused due to protein deficiency. The leaves and tuber should be cooked and washed properly before eating because the presence of cyanogenic glucosides leads to cyanide poisoning and eyesight loss.

Treating fever and headache
 The three pieces of cassava leaves should be finely ground. This helps to relieve the fever and headaches. In other methods, the root and leaves should be boiled by adding 80 grams of the stem, 400 grams of cassava leaves, and a liter of water. It should be heated till the water is reduced to half and then let cool down.

Treating diarrhea
Boil 7 cassava leaves in 4 cups of water till the 2 cups remain. This liquid should drink two times a day to cure diarrhea. By another method, a liter of water should be boiled and took off the heat. The freshly picked 10 cassava leaves should be made a paste in a mortar and pestle. It should be dropped in the hot water and cover. It should be steep overnight. This liquid should drink by straining the leaves in the morning. The rest liquid should be store in the fridge. It can be kept for three days.

Blurred eye view
The cassava leaves should be boiled with garlic and salt and this should be consumed as a salad with rice. The daily consumption of cassava leaves concoction also helps to treat blurred eyesight.

Increase Appetite
The boiled cassava leaves with garlic and salt should be consumed with tomato sauce and rice. The parts of cassava such as stems and tubers are also considered as traditional medicine. The cassava leaves help to restore the appetite. The concoction of cassava leaves with the ginger should drink every morning after waking up.

Treating Arthritis
Boil 100 grams of cassava stem, 15 grams of ginger, and stem lemongrass with 1000 cc of water till the 400cc remains. It should be drinking as 200cc by filtering two times a day in the morning and afternoon.

Treating worms
Boil cassava bark in 3 cups of water till 1 cup remains. It should be filtered and drink at bedtime. It helps to destroy the worms in the stomach and maintains a healthy body. The experiment performed on the young goats reports that the consumption of cassava leaves helps to reduce nematodes infestation. To eliminate this problem, either the cassava supplement or paste of cassava leaves could be consumed.

Taxable wound heat
The juice of cassava should be squeeze or shredded and apply the starch on the wound as an ointment.

Prevent premature aging
Sure, many people normally have reservations when it comes to plastic surgery or Botox injections; in some cases, they may consider this process harmful, but that is far away from the truth, especially when you have a professional such as Theunissen Aesthetic Plastic Surgery of Baton Rouge carry out the procedure.
Either way, cassava can also prevent pre-mature aging, though it’s a long-term process and not as effective as surgery.

Treating stroke
The study which has been conducted by experts shows that the cassava leaves helps to treat stroke because the cassava leaves possess isoflavone which is an effective substance.

Increase endurance
The presence of high vitamin C helps to enhance endurance. The consumption of cassava leaves helps to maintain personal hygiene by eliminating various diseases.

Increase stamina
Blend 25 grams of kencur, 100 grams of cassava, and 5 points of angco seed with enough water which helps to boost stamina.

Help treat rheumatic diseases
Cassava leaves possess a high amount of magnesium which helps to lower the blood pressure level and eliminates the risk of rheumatic diseases. It could be prepared by boiling 150 grams of cassava leaves, 15 grams of ginger root, some lemongrass, and salt. It should be boiled till it is about 400 ccs. The daily consumption of this liquid prevents rheumatic diseases.

Heals wounds
The presence of various nutrients helps to heal the injuries fast. In the little amount of Aloe Vera gel, add some crushed cassava leaves and make a paste. This paste should be applied to the wound.

Strengthens immunity
The cassava leaves contain a huge amount of Vitamin C and folate which helps to boost the immune system. Vitamin C helps to destroy bacteria and viruses. The cassava leaves also help to maintain bone health. The antioxidant helps to eradicate the free radicals in the body. Folate helps to enhance cell production by assisting in the genetic material for life and avoid DNA mutations.

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5,000 people in Ghana supported to recover from the socio-economic effects of coronavirus.

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The Coronavirus pandemic took a heavy toll on human lives and economic activity which has made the eradication of poverty and hunger impossible without urgent focused by the internal cooperatives’ effort directed at long-term development.

This was said by the partners during the launch of the Emergency Support to Rural Livelihoods and Food Systems exposed to Covid-19 at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture Information and Resource Centre in Accra.

“The coronavirus pandemic and the climate crisis must drive home the message to all rich and poor that their destinies are tangled” Rukia Yacoub, World Food Programme Representative and Country Director in Ghana, told Representatives at the launch.

The Country Director mentioned that there is a need for a common plan and strategy for internal recovery and the survival and prosperity of all in the region.

Well-targeted social protection cushions the poor protect them from economic destitution and prevents the complete erosion of long-term gains in human development.

She added that they are providing cash transfers to protect the livelihoods, incomes, and resilience of 5,000 extremely vulnerable households in the poorest districts in the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East, and Upper West regions, from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and from climate change.

“The World Food Programme’s role is to support the implementation of the cash transfer component of this Emergency Support to Rural Livelihoods and Food Systems project which will provide US$ 1.5 million to 5,000 extremely vulnerable households. The World Food Programme itself has also contributed US$ 300,000 to this project. The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity, and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change” she said.

Emphasizing the profound economic damage that the pandemic is having on rural folks where poverty and hunger are on the rise, Mr. Robert Patrick Anokobiah, Acting Chief Director for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture said the challenges of the rural folks need new innovations within the agriculture value chain to provide good agricultural infrastructures across the country.

“Regional cooperation with development organizations was crucial for our struggle against the Covid-19 pandemic and it continues to be necessary so that together we can tackle the effects of the pandemic.

This project is targeting 25,000 households including youth, persons with a disability, and smallholder farmers between the ages of 18 to 35 with each person receiving about GH¢ 1000.

The government will continue focusing on technological solutions and innovative financing models” Mr. Anokobiah said.

According to the Partners, fighting growing global hunger and poverty needs to be addressed through global partnerships and greater long-term investments in the rural people who produce food for the world, but often are the poorest and hungriest.

“This initiative will enable the vulnerable to be better and able to build resilience against shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

An estimated 63 percent of the world’s poor people work in agriculture, the overwhelming majority are rural smallholder farmers. While they produce much of the world’s food, they remain vulnerable to hunger and often struggle to make a decent living” they added.

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LIFESTYLE: Foods that weaken the immune system which needs to be avoided.

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The immune system is the organs and processes of the body that provide resistance to infection and toxins. Organs include the thymus, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. As essential as the immune system is it needs to be taken good care of with good food nutrients.

There are some foods that weakened the immune system which needs to be avoided. These foods are;

Processed foods
Processed foods tend to contain unhealthy fats, sugars, and additives, which can improve taste, texture, and shelf life. These may weaken the immune system.

Some processed foods include:
Microwave meals
Breakfast cereals
Chips
Cakes and cookies

One 2017 study found that eating foods containing additives may lead to an increase in the risk of several immune conditions. The study looked at additives such as sucralose, aspartame, carboxymethylcellulose, polysorbate-80, sodium, and carrageenan.

The researchers point out that people who eat a diet that contains foods with additives are more likely to have obesity, immune inflammation, and insulin resistance.

Eating sugars and fats in processed foods can also lead to consuming too many calories, which can increase a person’s risk of obesity.

When a person has obesity, this leads to inflammation. This inflammation can lead to insulin resistance, cirrhosis, and liver failure, as well as immune system dysregulation.

Foods high in sugar
Consuming foods that are high in sugar may weaken the immune system.

Some foods that may be high in sugar include:
Preserves, marmalades, and confectionary
Cookies and cakes
Flavored milk and sweetened dairy products
Sugary breakfast cereals
Sugary drinks, such as soda
People with high sugar diets have a higher risk of several chronic conditions, including coronary heart disease and diabetes.

Also, eating a diet high in sugar may limit the immune system’s effectiveness in combating disease. It may do this by reducing the effectiveness of white blood cells and potentially by increasing inflammatory markers in the blood.

Refined carbohydrates
Processed foods and refined carbohydrates, such as white flour and refined sugar, are associated with increases in inflammation and oxidative stress, which can impact the immune system.

Some foods that contain refined carbohydrates include:
White rice
White bread
Refined sugar

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Agrihouse Foundation unveils market accessibility for women in agriculture.

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Women form a greater proportion in Ghana’s agriculture value chain yet they struggle to get market accessibility for their produce. The advent and the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic have affected farming communities across the country, with women in agriculture being hit the hardest.

Upon seeking redress to this issue, Agrihouse Foundation has provided market accessibility for the women in the Agriculture value chain called AGROWOMAN MARKET PLACE.

“Our overall goal is to support women farmers and agribusinesses to recover fully, gain some stability, increase their income, enhance the nutrition of households and support the livelihoods of women farmers, by developing and providing them with a WOMEN-ONLY online and direct marketing platform, to sell and market their products and services basically at no cost,” Alberta Akyaa Akosa, the Executive Director of Agrichouse Foundation said.

Agrowoman marketplace is an innovative way of influencing food systems and market access for smallholders as it creates value for the agri-food chain.

According to her, contactless payments have become the norm amid the worldwide pandemic response, the platform when developed and rolled out would help farmers avoid physical contact with buyers and cash transactions as they sell their produce in direct compliance to social distancing which would reduce the spread of infections.

Speaking to Agric Today, Madam Alberta said the Foundation seeks to use the event to highlight, ‘International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste,’ commemorated annually on September 29, to highlight the critical need to reduce food loss and wastage around the world. She said there are two phases of the Agric-Women Market Place and they are Direct Market Place which would be held on the Last Friday of Every Month and the Digital/Online Market Place which would be an online marketplace, created by women, for women and managed by women.

“Agrihouse Foundation will be leading the commemoration of this day in the country, come September, as part of efforts to support Ghanaian women farmers and also, highlighting the issue of post-harvest losses, which is a big challenge in the agricultural sector”, she added.

She called on Ghanaians, and all stakeholders in the agricultural sector to mark the date on their calendars, and use it as an opportunity to push forward and support events and projects that scale up the efforts of Ghanaian women farmers, as they face intensified agricultural challenges in these times of COVID-19.

To cushion the women in market accessibility, the communication officer of Ghana Commodity Exchange, Madam Roselyn Siaw said the institution has provided market accessibility for the commodities that are listed on the exchange market.

“We have warehouses at Ejura, Bolgatanga, Wenchi, Kintampo, Tamale, Tumu, Sandema, etc. any farmer (woman) who has a product that has been listed on the exchange should store it at our warehouse after harvesting. Our warehouses are fumigated, cleaned, we dry and repackage the produce to meet the standards to appeal to the international market”, she explained.

Aside provision of the warehouse for the storage of farm produce, Mrs. Siaw said the institution has partnered with certain banks to give loans to farmers without any collateral. She noted that any farmer whose produce is at the warehouse is issued a receipt and when the receipt is submitted to the banks at the areas where the warehouses are situated loans would be granted to them.

She urged all women in the agriculture sector to take advantage of their products and services to grow and scale up their businesses.

Speaking to some of the women in agriculture at the event, Margaret Afriyie, a nurse and a farmer extolled Agrihouse Foundation for such a wonderful initiative to provide market access for the women in the agriculture sector.

She underscored how she combines her nursing work with farming. To her, she engages the community members in her farming business. “The community members are my backbone in the agribusiness, I cannot do without them. I make sure I involve them in all my activities, in fact, they are the main reason for the agribusiness”, she said

She challenged other women in agriculture to work sedulously irrespective of where they find themselves in the value chain to achieve their goals.

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Automobile company ‘recommended’ by MOFA disappears with farmers’ big cash.

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Some farmers are in life-and-death grief in the Upper East Region as an automobile company said to have been officially recommended to them by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) is believed to have fled with some large amounts of cash they deposited individually to acquire subsidized tractors and other automobiles for farming purposes.

Amos Abane, one of the affected farmers, told Starr News he made a partial payment of GH¢36,200 in 2013 (8 years ago) to ADPL Auto Services for a 70-horsepower tractor valued at GH¢76,000. Then, he was assured that the tractor would be delivered in 3 months’ time as part of an agreement he had with the company.

His expectations grew into uncertainties as the company failed to keep its word. Anxious, he placed a complaint call to the company soon after the promised period had elapsed; but the firm, in response to that call, rather sought to dispatch a 50-horsepower tractor to him on the excuse that the price of the 70-horsepower brand he requested had been increased generally on the market.

“They said I should go for the tractor at the MOFA office in Bolgatanga. When I went there, it was a small one I met— 50 horsepower— not the 70 horsepower that I paid for. I called them again and told them the agreement was 70 horsepower and asked why they were giving me 50 horsepower without a trailer and a harrow.

“I asked them how much I was supposed to pay for the small one even if I would have to accept it like that. They told me it was the same cost as the 70 horsepower because inflation had made tractor prices go up. I said the 50 horsepower could not serve the purpose. Then, they said if I wanted the 70 horsepower, the price had gone up and that I should add Gh¢15,000 to the Gh¢76,000. I paid the extra Gh¢15,000 but the tractor never came,” Abane said.

He said he kept pressing for the tractor until the company finally came clean about its inability to provide the tractor and promised to return his money. Later, he received a letter from the company saying the promised refund would be made through a post-dated cheque in 6 months’ time. The cheque came through MOFA but it could not be processed when Abane took it to a branch of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) in the Upper East regional capital, Bolgatanga. The amount that was discovered in the company’s account at the bank at the time was just a little over GH¢36, according to him. He says the company does not answer telephone calls from him anymore since then— since 20th August 2015. The company “fails” to show up at High Court

Robert Ababil, another agro-businessman, suffered the same disappointment after he paid Gh¢17,500 to the same company to procure a subsidized Kia truck for a sachet water packaging business and for farming activities.

Ababil also complained to the company in a telephone call about the non-delivery of the long-paid-for truck and he, too, received a post-dated cheque from the company for a refund of his money. But, as it did happen to Abane at last, he, too, had his hopes dashed after the cheque “bounced back in his face” at the ADB’s branch in Bolgatanga. The amount of money he met in the company’s account could not even help him back home on a cheap public minibus if he withdrew it at the bank.

Frustrated, Ababil and Abane resorted to legal action. But they became even more depressed as the company reportedly remained evasive by failing to appear at the Bolgatanga High Court Two from the time the case began in 2015 up to a moment in 2016 that saw the two complainants suddenly decide on their own (out of increasing weariness) to stop appearing for the hearing.

“What I am going through is worse than what anyone can call challenges. I was selling cement and I put all the money I had from that cement business into trying to purchase a tractor for farming. That ended it. Now, I’m out of business. The most painful part was when my children got admissions and couldn’t proceed. One of my children gained a university admission to study architecture but I could not raise money for him to join his colleagues because of what had happened to me. He is now in Kumasi working miserably as a loading boy at a lorry station.

“My daughter also had admission at the Navrongo College of Education. The extended family had to sit in a meeting to mobilize money in bits before she was able to go to school. I have suffered a lot. Ababil’s business, too, as I am much aware, is suffering today because there is a limit to how far he can distribute the pure water he is selling without the Kia truck he paid so much for. He is struggling seriously,” Abane said.

Telephone calls placed to the company by Starr News upon receipt of the complaints from the bankrupt farmers went unanswered. When Starr News approached authorities at the MOFA’s regional department in Bolgatanga with copies of documents bearing the MOFA stamp and detailing transactions that have left some already-poor farmers in the region rather more impoverished, the authorities said they would contact the “National Agric Engineering Directorate” on the matter and investigate the staff involved in the deal. Starr News will keep the spotlight on this subject.

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