Improved cowpea varieties for three northern regions

The Savanna Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) has launched a project aimed at providing improved cowpea varieties for the three northern regions.

The three-year project is being executed by the institute, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

Dubbed the USAID cowpea project, it seeks to improve the livelihoods of dry land farmers in the three regions and enhance the sustainability of the crop.

Beneficiary regions

About 63,000 households in 38 districts in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions are expected to benefit from the project.

According to the 2010 Ghana Living Standard Survey, the three regions are the poorest in the country, with 70-80 per cent of the population living below the poverty line.

The project is, therefore, expected to increase cowpea production and processing technologies, considered most crucial in improving the living standards of the people of northern Ghana.

Public-private partnership in agriculture

Speaking at the launch of the project in Tamale, the Director of SARI, Dr Stephen K. Nutsugah, said the government had demonstrated its role by partnering the private sector to address the challenges and improve agricultural development in the country.

He said the project had come at an opportune time to enhance food security and improve the living standards of the people.
He urged USAID to collaborate with all partners by delivering interventions that would address the series of challenges facing the cowpea sector in the country.