The Presidential advisor on SDGs to the president of Ghana, Dr. Eugene Owusu has urged the youth to make agriculture an integral part of their lives and see it as a profitable business Avenue for job creation and poverty reduction.
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The Ghana Young Entrepreneurs Roundtable on Sustainable Development Goals (GYERSDGs) Launched.
Adopt climate-smart measures to improve coffee production – Deputy COCOBOD CEO
A deputy Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in charge of Agronomy and Quality control, Dr. Emmanuel Dwomoh, has urged farmers in the production of coffee in the African continent to adopt Climate-Smart options in their day-to-day farming practices in order to boost their yield so as to increase production.
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United Nations IDO (UNIDO) presents Farmcrowdy with Disruptive Innovation in Agribusiness International Award.
Farmcrowdy Group, Nigeria’s first Digital Agriculture Company, yesterday received theDisruptive Innovation in Agribusiness Awardgranted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in Rome, Italy.
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Over 1000 Dynamic Agro Forestry Dynamic Farms to be Established in Eastern Region.
Over one thousand (1,000) Dynamic Agroforestry farms covering a land area of 2,500 hectares are expected to be established by farmers in the Kwaebibirem Municipality of the Eastern region by 2021.
This is an initiative of an Organic and Regenerative Agriculture company in Akyem Asuom, Serendipalm Company Limited with funding from AgDevCo through its Small-holders Development Unit programme in Ghana.
Commencing the first phase of the programme, thirty (30) dynamic agroforestry farms have been established by farmers as a measure to curb the depletion of the climate and to create multiple streams of income from their farms.
Dynamic agroforestry is an ecologically-friendly farming system or technique of growing different types of crops on the same piece of farm lands with respect to the conservation of the natural biodiversity.
The farms were established with different crops with different economic values grown on the same piece of land. Some of the crops established by the farmers were cocoa, oil palm, avocado, plantain, cassava, cocoyam, orange, maize, pigeon peas, cowpea, ginger, tumeric and other vegetables.
Timber species such as “Emire”, “Ofram”, “Gmelina”, “Acacia” and “Denya” and “Avodale would be grown as well.”.
The farmers were from Akyem Pramkese, Asuom, Bomso, Abaam and Abodom who are working with the Serendipalm Company Limited in its effort to regenerate the depleted ecosystem.
Speaking with the beneficiary farmers at a Workshop and Training session on the installation and management of Dynamic Agroforestry field, the experts and consultants from Eco-Top Bolivia, Mr. Bastian Dreher and Mr. Joachim Milz introduced the farmers to the techniques and practices of the farming system which has been adopted in other parts of the world and making a positive effect to the environment.
The farmers were encouraged to practice farming systems that will conserve the biodiversity and to ensure sustainable environment and food security.
The Managing Director of Serendipalm Company Limited, Mr. Safianu Moro on his part encouraged the beneficiaries to co-operate in the effort to establish a system that would help conserve the environment for our present and future living. “The Dynamic Agroforestry system of farming is definitely the future and we must all direct our effort to make it a reality” Safianu Moro said.
He also expressed appreciation to the Dr. Bronners the founding sister of the Serendipalm, the workers, farmers and the consultants from Eco-Top for their various role towards sustainable agriculture in the Ghana.
The farmers were full of joy and are in the position to commit themselves to the conservation of the environment for the present and future generations through sustainable farming. They said “The farming system would ensure a continuous stream of income for our home management and food security”.
Aborbi Boateng, a farmer from Akyem Asuom said “Serendipalm since its inception in the area has made a greater impact in our lives through its sustainable activities and I believe this farming practice introduced to me today is here to improve upon our lives”.
Dynamic Agroforestry system of farming has become necessary as result of the destruction of the natural biodiversity for large scale crop production, mining and other degrading activities on the environment. To ensure sustainable farming system there is the need to practice a dynamic cropping system that supports the ecology.
Abass Iddrisu/agrictoday.com.gh
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€50m EU aid fund agreed for Irish beef farmers.
The European Commission has agreed a €50 million exceptional aid fund for Irish beef farmers.
The money is to compensate farmers for the fall in beef prices suffered as a result of Brexit.
The Government will be allowed to top-up the fund to bring the total amount to €100m.
The Irish Farmers’ Association had complained that some of its members were facing financial ruin on foot of what they said was a horrendous loss of €101m suffered by beef farmers due to Brexit- related uncertainties, changes to the value of sterling, and price cuts since the Brexit vote.
The European Commission examined the case and agreed that Brexit has indeed caused a substantial market disturbance for beef farmers in Ireland that exceptional aid is justified.
European Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan says he expects the €50m in EU assistance will be topped up to €100m by the Government to fully compensate the farmers.
The full details of how the fund will be operated will be finalised as a matter of urgency between his own officials and those at the Department of Agriculture.
The commissioner said the timing of the announcement was not linked to the Local and European elections.
He said there are ten national elections in the European Union, three presidential elections, as well the European Parliament elections and if the commission had to wait for a time with no elections they would never make any announcements or any decisions.
He said the fund is a recognition of the particular difficulty that Irish beef farmers have experienced due to events beyond their control and that the European Commission concluded that the sector needed an immediate response.
The financial support for Irish farmers is an emergency measure provided for in the Common Market Organisation Regulation, under the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy.
It is similar to other measures taken by the European Commission in response to other specific problems, whether arising from the introduction of the Russian ban or particular difficulties in the European diary sector in recent years.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also rejected suggestions around the timing of the aid package to beef farmers.
“If we could have got it over the line a few weeks ago, we would have been very happy with that”, he said.
IFA President Joe Healy said every advantage must be used to ensure the agriculture industry is protected.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Mr Healy said the IFA has been pushing for this for some time.
“We know there’s an election, and you use every advantage you can to ensure you safeguard an industry that’s worth €3 billion to Ireland. We’re always lobbying, it just so happened that this coincided with an election. We’re a lobby organisation, we make no apologies for that.”
He said the agriculture sector has suffered more than others due to Brexit, and that the anger from farmers who have seen beef prices fall is “palpable”.
“There was anger, frustration and despair. We’ve highlighted the losses that farmers have incurred since the onset of Brexit, because no country has been as badly affected as Ireland since the Brexit referendum, and no sector as badly as agriculture.”
Mr Healy said that although Brexit has not yet happened, it was the uncertainty surrounding the situation that was causing problems.
He said Ireland exports 90% of its beef, and 52% of that goes to the UK and any uncertainty around currency can have an effect.
He said now that they have the fund, they need to ensure that it is paid out to farmers as quickly as possible and with as little red tape as possible.
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SCORES OF FARMERS TO BENEFIT FROM FREE COCOA SEEDLINGS IN KWAHU EAST DISTRICT.
In an effort to improve and boost the agriculture base of the Kwahu East District of the Eastern region, farmers are to be benefit from free cocoa seedlings distribution from the District Assembly for planting in the 2019 crop season.
The District Assembly is to distribute fifty thousand (50,000) quality and high yielding cocoa seedlings to farmers across the district to enhance cocoa production in the area.
The free cocoa seedlings distribution is in line to support the government of Ghana’s flagship programme dubbed “Planting for Export and Development (PERD) under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) of which cocoa is an integral crop in the implementation of the programme.
Speaking with the media in Kwahu Abetifi, the District Chief Executive Hon. Isaac Agyapong said the cocoa seedlings project is the vision of the Assembly to support the farmers across the district to expand, develop and rejuvenate their old cocoa farms to boost the internally generated revenue of the district.
Cocoa is a key crop cultivated by the gallant farmers in the district and supporting them with viable and high yielding seedlings at no cost is an incentive to encourage more people into the agriculture sector and to add up to the district funds for development – Hon. Isaac Agyapong said.
The beneficiaries of the free distribution of the cocoa seedlings would also benefit from free modern trends, skills and management of their cocoa farms through the District Department of Agriculture to enhance and improve the farm’s productivity. Cocoa production has the potential to create jobs and also help expand income generated qualities for all farmers who cultivate it.
The District Chief Executive urged the teeming unemployed youth and the indigenes of the Kwahu East district to involve themselves in the various agriculture policies outlined by the government so far to create jobs and some considerable income for their living.
Hon. Isaac Agyapong also said “The government of Ghana is committed to enhance a better economic standard of living for all citizens and this has been through various programmes and we must all take them seriously and become the greater beneficiaries”.
Abass Iddrisu/agrictoday.com.gh
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Anti-GMO Forces in Nigeria Have Abandoned Reason and the Nation’s Best Interests.
Anti-GMO forces in Nigeria are ratcheting up their opposition to the commercial release of the nation’s first two genetically engineered crops – versions of cotton and cowpea designed to resist a devastating pest.
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IAAS KNUST TO HOST EXCELLENCE DINNER AWARDS.
The International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS) of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) will, on Friday, 10th May, 2019, host the Excellence and Dinner Awards for 2018/ 2019 academic year.
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Leaders, farmers clash on verification exercise.
Officials from Naads want to conduct a verification exercise before making payment yet farmers say the some seedlings were destroyed during the dry seasons
Confusion. Officials from Naads want to conduct a verification exercise before making payment yet farmers say the some seedlings were destroyed during the dry seasons.
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Rescind Your Decision Over May-June Closed Season – Chairman.
The Gt. Accra regional chairman of the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC), Nii Tetteh Ako Djamroja VI has appealed to the ministry of fisheries and aquaculture and other stakeholders to rescind its decision for the May 15 closed season to June as recommended by the Scientific and Technical Working Group (STWG).
The Scientific and Technical Working Group which includes representatives from the UCC, UG, FC, NAFAG, GNCFC etc. under the Sustainable Fisheries Management Project recommended that the closed season for 2019 should begin in June and end in July rather than the announced date of May 15 to 15th June by the Ministry of fisheries.
The research report sighted by Agric Today news dated 14, march 2019 and addressed to the Minister of Fisheries and aquaculture, Hon. Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, showed that May 15 to June 15th date given by the government would only produce minimal results of 5% while that of June to July will have a percentage increase of 20%.
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