Manual on conservation agriculture launched

The negative impact of the global climate crisis on the country’s agriculture sector calls for sustainable farming practices that will help smallholder farmers to build resilience and improve production. 

The Deputy Head of Missions of the European Union (EU) in Ghana, Jonas Claes, who made the call, said it was important for farmers to adapt to conservation agriculture as a measure to withstand the vagaries of climate change.

"Climate change is here with us; we cannot stop it, but we have to move towards adapting to it; and this is why conservation agriculture is a good approach for Ghanaian farmers," he said.

He was speaking at the launch of a manual on conservation agriculture to mark the EU Climate Diplomacy Week in Accra last Wednesday.

The Conservation Agriculture Manual is a collaboration between the EU, the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).

Participants in the event, which was held at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) of the University of Ghana, included members of the diplomatic corps, the academia, researchers and farmers groups.

Conservation agriculture is a climate change adaptation measure being promoted for small-scale farmers.

It is defined as a sustainable approach to agricultural production which aims to protect soil from erosion and degradation, improve its quality and biodiversity, contribute to the preservation of natural resources, water and air, while optimising yields.

The manual

The manual, which was launch to promote the concept of conservation agriculture, contains a wealth of knowledge and best practices essential to the practice of sustainable agriculture techniques.

Mr Claes explained that the manual was aimed at equipping agriculture extension agents with standardised and climate-smart agriculture methods for the Savannah regions of Ghana.

He said the new manual had been integrated into the curriculum for training extension agents in the five agriculture colleges.

"The unveiling of the Conservation Agriculture Manual is a significant milestone in EU's support for Ghana’s efforts towards promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

Working together with experts from MoFA, I am proud to say that the manual is practical and provides useful tips and guides to extension officers so they can, in turn, provide their knowledge to small holder farmers," he said.

GIZ’s commitment

The German Ambassador, Daniel Krull, said the launch of the manual was a major step towards building the capacity of smallholder farmers to adapt to resilient practices against climate change.

He observed that since climate change was no longer a risk but a reality, it was important for policymakers, research institutions, farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture value chain to work together to implement sustainable practices outlined in the manual.

Mr Krull underscored the need to put women at the centre of initiatives that sought to promote the efficient management of natural resources as that would ensure sustainability.

The German ambassador said women served as better stewards of the environment and resource management and must be made to play a lead role in conservation agriculture.

MoFA assurance

A specialist in climate change at MoFA, Kingsley Kwasi Agyemang, said given that the country's agriculture was vulnerable to climate change, the manual would come in handy.

He said MoFA would remain committed to promoting sustainable agricultural practices as outlined in the country's National Climate Change policy of 2013.

Mr Agyemang said the climate-smart agriculture and food security policy by MoFA had been tailored to ensure increased production and income for farmers to increase their adaptive capacity and help them to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.