New technologies to help farmers diversify income

GraphicOnline Business News Dec - 16 - 2023 , 06:50

Subsistence and smallholder farmers in Ghana have been exposed to seven technologies aimed at diversifying their income-generating opportunities for improved livelihoods.

The technologies include SLECI Irrigation technology, ethnobotanical and intercropping, as well as multifunctional constructed wetlands. Additionally, they encompass biorefinery for biogas and biochar, black soldier fly production, and mushroom production.

Initiative

This initiative is under the auspices of the Crops Research Institute of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-CRI) and falls within the framework of the Revenue Diversification Pathways in Africa through Bio-based and Circular Agricultural Innovations (DIVAGRI) project. Launched in 2021, this four-year EU-sponsored project aims to increase the productivity, income, and economic opportunities of farmers.

The project is expected to enhance agricultural production, facilitate crop diversification, increase added value, create environmental, social, and economic sustainability, and generate new local economic opportunities.

Interview

Following the exercise conducted in the Ashanti region, Ing. Dr. Shadrack Kwadwo Amponsah, the principal investigator of the project, expressed optimism that the initiative would lead to the establishment of a knowledge exchange platform.

He noted that Ghanaian farmers possess knowledge but lack the technical know-how to harness it. Ing. Dr. Amponsah, also known as the catfish expert, called for the establishment of a knowledge exchange platform to enable farmers to learn how to diversify their revenues.

The focus of the DIVAGRI project, according to Ing. Dr. Amponsah, is to teach farmers how to fish by providing them with tailor-made agri-based knowledge and solutions. He emphasized, "The idea is to help them diversify and introduce novel revenue generation pathways to their farming activities. All these efforts are geared towards the realization of a more sustainable environment, improved food and nutritional security, and enhanced livelihoods for the farmer."

Speech

During the project, Prof. Moses Brandford Mochiah, the Director of CSIR-Crops Research, provided a comprehensive overview of the seven technologies under pilot and almost ready for demonstration on farmer fields.