Equipping farmers for success: EWS-KT leads agriculture education drive in 3 regions
Experts in Ghana's agriculture sector believe that the industry can perform better if smallholder farmers are empowered with quality seeds and knowledge on producing crops.
Indeed, access to quality seeds and knowledge on how to grow crops plays a crucial role in increasing agricultural production, supporting food security and improving the living standards of farmers.
Additionally, techniques and technologies are essential methods needed in the agriculture industry to boost yields and incomes of industry players.
In that regard, the East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation in Ghana (EWS-KT), a non-profit organisation, in partnership with East-West Seed, a vegetable seed company in Thailand, has established a learning farm to train and supply farmers with the right vegetable seeds to transform the industry.
Climate-smart agriculture
Located at Duayaw Nkwanta in the Tano North Municipality in the Ahafo Region, the learning site is also expected to introduce the farmers to the various aspects of climate-smart agriculture and sustainable agricultural practices to promote resilient agriculture.
A portion of the Duayaw Nkwanta learning site
The learning site is also expected to educate the farmers on responsible use of pesticides to minimise health and environmental risks, provide practical knowledge on how to grow their crops and produce improved seeds.
It is the second learning facility to be established in the country after the pioneering Abesim farm in the Bono Region, which equally has similar varieties of crops such as cabbage, garden egg, cucumber, onion, beans, tomato, okra, hot pepper, eggplant, watermelon, pawpaw among others.
The training hubs are anchored on farmer-led demonstration plots, which showcase better practices and improved seed varieties.
14 districts
The project to transform vegetable farming as a business was rolled out in November 2023, across 14 districts in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions.
A section of the participants
Financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) and East-West Seed, the project has trained 10,493 farmers.
It has established 356 demonstration farms in the 14 districts, with 46 per cent female participation and 41 per cent youth involvement.
The foundation has targeted to train 39,520 farmers in five regions, namely Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Ashanti and Northern, to promote sustainable vegetable production through improved seeds and modern techniques.
Viable
At the learning farm's opening ceremony and farmers' field day last Tuesday, the Project Lead of the EWS-KT, Kwadwo Boakye Donkor, said the goal was to position vegetable farming as a viable and profitable business venture.
One of the Technical Field Officers, schooling the farmers to prepare mulching to sustain soil moisture
He said approximately 45 per cent of surveyed farmers had adopted at least one improved technique, and 26 agro-input dealers were trained across the beneficiary regions.
Mr Donkor added that EWS-KT had targeted to scale up its activities to reach the full 39,520 farmer target and deepen its partnerships with local governments, academic and research institutions and market actors.
He said the foundation had targeted one million farmers globally between 2021 and 2025, explaining that so far, they had trained 948,494 farmers.
He also disclosed EWS-KT had planned to expand the use of digital learning to make the content more accessible and deepen their focus on youth and women's participation.
Mr Donkor said funding approval was granted for a four-year extension, allowing them to scale their impact further.
Unlock full potential
He emphasised the need for farmers to acquire technical knowledge and support to unlock the full potential of the seeds.
Nana Osei Kufour II (2nd from left), Gyaasehene of the Duayaw Nkwanta Traditional Council, being assisted by Kwadwo Boakye Donkor (right), Project Lead of the EWS-KT, and some dignitaries to inaugurate the demonstration site
"In essence, EWS-KT provides hands-on training, technical support, and demonstration sites to ensure that farmers fully benefit from improved seed varieties," he said.
Mr Donkor added that the hub would serve as a learning centre for EWS-KT staff, farmers and agricultural enthusiasts and a platform for research, including trials on green manure and organic inputs.
Climate resilience
In a speech delivered on his behalf, the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Jeroen Verheul, emphasised that quality seeds were the foundation of successful farming.
He explained that quality seeds determined crop yields, climate resilience and nutritional value.
He said that establishing high-yielding, climate-resilient seed variety hubs such as the East-West Seed, and equipping farmers with the necessary tools would help increase productivity, boost incomes, and improve food and nutrition security.
"These seeds are more than agricultural inputs; they are empowerment, innovation, and sustainability instruments.
"They will fuel the success of this learning centre and contribute meaningfully to the future of Ghana's horticulture industry," Mr Verheul said.
New techniques
He explained that the centre would help farmers explore new techniques, adapt to a changing climate and strengthen their market links.
Mr Verheul said agriculture had always been a cornerstone of the Netherlands and Ghana's bilateral cooperation.
"We believe that a robust, inclusive and innovative agricultural sector is vital for ensuring food security, generating employment and driving economic development," he said.
Mr Verheul commended EWS-KT for the effort in supporting and strengthening Ghana's horticulture sector.
He said the foundation was pivotal in empowering smallholder farmers and advancing agricultural knowledge.
He added that through the embassy's agricultural programme, they had supported diverse initiatives across the country from horticulture and sustainable nature management to cocoa production and seed systems development.
Economy
For his part, the Ahafo Regional Director of Agriculture, Kingsford Nyame, said data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS 2025) indicated that the agricultural sector remained a key driver of the country’s economy.
He said the sector employed 38.3 per cent of the workforce, providing foreign exchange earnings from agricultural commodities export.
Mr Nyame said it also accounted for approximately 22.2 per cent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) had introduced the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA) to accelerate the growth and modernisation of the agricultural sector.
To implement the agenda, Mr Nyame said MoFA had designed the Feed Ghana Programme (FGP) as the government's flagship programme to provide food to the people and raw materials for the agro-industry.
He said the programme targeted increasing food production and improving agricultural efficiency to boost exports and contribute to long-term economic growth.
Irrigation
Mr Nyame indicated that under the FGP, full-scale irrigation projects would be implemented in major vegetable-producing areas.
He said vegetable aggregation centres and processing plants would be established.
Mr Nyame said that under the programme, the government intended to construct 27 initiated aggregation centres, 12 vegetable pack houses and cold storage facilities to minimise post-harvest losses.
He said the government would facilitate partnerships between private investors and farmer cooperatives to improve value chain linkages in vegetables.
Some farmers told the Daily Graphic that establishing the site would help eliminate the frustrations they go through to access improved seeds.
They said out of frustration, they sometimes plant any seed they could lay their hands on.
The situation, they said, threatened the country’s food security, nutrition, and the income of farmers and demotivated them to venture into commercial agriculture.
They, however, appealed to the foundation to set up improved seed banks in their communities for easy access.
Writer's email: biiya.ali@graphic.com.gh
