Ghana

Sustainable Livelihoods and Women’s Rights Programme

African Initiatives has been working in northern Ghana for 12 years on sustainable agriculture and women’s rights.  During that time around 30,000 people living in the project area have seen some important changes in their lives. Since 1995 we have been strengthening local organisations that work with farmers, including our own partners the Zuuri Organic Vegetable Farmers’ Association (ZOVFA) and the Community Self-Reliance Centre (CSRC). They address issues of local concern, such as access to land and sustainable agricultural practices.

“There has been an increase in the number of trees, zinc roofs, donkeys, carts and bikes. People now have a wide range of knowledge especially things like female genital mutilation and Aids. Here people talk.  The Assemblyman has been challenged, even the MP. People are listening to the news more. In family compounds different people support different political parties and discuss them. And there has been no conflict over land, politics or tribe. There is unity.”
Zakaria Arango, Community Leader

Sustainable agriculture and Natural Resource management

What’s the issue?

The majority of the population of Northern Ghana is made of subsistence farmers who earn their living from rainy season crop production, dry season vegetable gardening, small livestock and poultry raising. The earnings and living standards of these farmers remain low as they have to face a number of problems. Fragile soils are becoming rapidly infertile partly due to an intensification of agriculture. The situation reached a crisis point for many farmers in recent years, who found they could no longer afford the increasingly expensive agro-chemicals on which they had come to depend. Credit is rarely available to these farmers. Due to high inflation rates and subsidy cutting structural adjustment policies, the cost of even the most basic tools is often beyond the reach of most farmers. The lack of credit also reduces the effort to set-up alternative income generating activities.

Having only one marked rainy season in the year means that farmers are largely reliant on the sale of the wet season's crops to provide income for their families in the dry season. In this process farmers are also vulnerable to exploitative urban traders or middle-men who come to village at harvest time when there is a glut of food and prices are low. Farmers can usually not afford transportation to more distant markets where they would get better price.

What’s African Initiatives doing?

African Initiatives’ role in this programme is now mainly strategic, our programmes, run in partnership with ZOVFA and CSRC have already reached 30,000 people across the region. We attempt to integrate new sustainable farming methods with local knowledge that has been passed down through many generations. Organic methods include education against the use of pesticides, fertilisers and soil and water conservation.

Our Natural Resource Management project examines how communities manage those natural resources which are available to them, for example, water sources. The resources are comprehensively mapped and then the area is examined to find ways to manage them better. Access for women to resources is particularly important in their campaign for equality and acknowledgment as farmers in their own right.

African Initiatives plans to launch a campaign against unregulated agrochemicals coming into Ghana from the EU. They are now swamping the country despite the fact they are banned in Europe. This is a direct result of privatization. Private companies are now selling them to farmers but there are no labels on them, and no regulations means no protection for the farmers or communities. There are also no instructions on how to use these chemicals apart from those that the sellers impart. The new threat is now that of hormone treatment which is unnecessary and dangerous. There have been reported increases in cancer, infertility, hair growth and men developing breasts which can be directly attributed to agrochemicals. African Initiatives and our partners are working with farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture to explore alternatives.

“The programmes of Zoufa are so much beneficial to me that I can use the whole day without finishing. I used to apply chemical fertilizer DDT to my vegetables which was not easy to afford and was also harmful to my health. Now I use organic manure in my garden, it is less expensive for me and it is not harmful to my life.”
Alima Harundi

Achievements so far: the Facts

• Farmer Field Schools in 8 communities have provided training to over 200 farmers who in turn pass on their skills to 3,200 neighbouring farmers.
• A network of 24 farmer organisations has been established to share good practice and techniques to improve pest management, post harvest storage, soil and water conservation and agro forestry.
• A successful pilot project has introduced sustainable agriculture into adult literacy classes.
• 26 communities and farmers’ organisations are supported in promoting organic farming and educating people about the financial, environmental and health costs associated with the misuse of agrochemicals.
• 32 people, aided by African Initiatives have trained and educated farmers to participate in democratic processes. This has improved the implementation of water and soil conservation policies and practices and a reduction in petty corruption has resulted in more government funds getting to farmers.
• In 2006 African Initiatives started training and supporting 12 farmer based organisations in advocacy skills and strategies to strengthen their work.