20 Farmers, agric officers on study tour of Australia

Twenty farmers and agricultural extension officers have been sponsored by the Australian Government to study in Australia for two weeks.

The study tour, which cost Aus$2 million, forms part of a two-year Australian Government support programme for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).

Specifically, it is aimed at strengthening agricultural extension services and selected farmer-based organisations (FBOs) to improve extension and advisory services to farmers and other participants in the agricultural value chain.

Itinerary

The Ghanaian group will be visiting farmer groups and agricultural specialists across Victoria and South Australia. They will have access to first-hand information on how agricultural extension is practised in Australia and the roles played by the public and private sectors in delivering extension services.

They will also be exposed to good practice models for setting up and managing economically viable FBOs and umbrella bodies.

The study tour will also provide a unique opportunity for specialists from both countries to compare and share common interests and constraints to achieving on-farm adoption of farming practices.

Speakers

Speaking at a short ceremony in Accra, the Australian High Commissioner in Accra, Ms Joanna Adamson, explained that the initiative was part of the Australian Government’s commitment to assisting MoFA and Ghanaian farmers to increase their produce.

She noted that while farming households in Ghana struggled to achieve year-round food security and improved farm incomes, Australian farmers produced, on average, enough food for themselves and for export, adding that agricultural extension in Australia was very successful.

“This is a great sign of international goodwill by Australian farmers and agricultural specialists who are prepared to share their experience in running local farming groups with our partners in Ghana,” she said.

For his part, the Deputy Director of Agricultural Extension at MoFA, Mr Theophilus Osei Owusu, commended the Australian Government for the gesture and promised that the ministry would do its best to ensure that FBOs in Ghana performed to expectation.

He urged the beneficiaries of the programme to make the best of the opportunity and come back to assist Ghanaian farmers.