Transcript By Sylvester Gyamfi Ghana Statistical Service Nov. 2006

FOOD SECURITY IN GHANA:THE DEVELOPMENT AND
DIFFUSION OF APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES
By
Sylvester Gyamfi
Ghana Statistical Service
Nov. 2006
Introduction
 Right to food , a fundamental human right
 Households must have reliable supply of food to maintain good health
 Over 800 million people worldwide are food insecure
 Ghanaians, no exception though the economy is endowed with
numerous natural resources
 In effective production techniques, low yielding crop varieties,
inadequate supplies of water, etc constraints to the achievement of
food security
 These factors coupled with bushfires resulted in severe famine in the
country 1983
 Concerted action became imperative to improve food security in
Ghana.
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Action by various Governments
 Successive Governments shown interest at improving food security
 National Liberation Council (NLC) Government – Operation Feed
Yourself (OFY)
 The leadership of the National Democratic Congress – Pledged
support for the World Food Summit (1996) Plan of Action
--Coordinated efforts at ensuring food security at the individual,
household, national, regional and global levels
--Eradicate Poverty to improve accsess to food
-- Ensure Peaceful and Stable Environment, a condition for the attainment
of sustainable food security
 The ruling government, the New Patriotic Party Government,
commissioned a joint FAO/WFP mission to assess food supply
situation in Northern Ghana in 2002.
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Activities undertaken to improve food security in Ghana
 Realisation to move away from traditional to modernising agriculture
through the application of science and technology
 Activities concentrated on:
•
Increased production of selected food crops
•
Production and preservation of fish
•
Livestock production
•
Prevention and management of crop and animal diseases
 Increased production of selected food crops
•
Major staple crops selected as starting point
 Maize
 Rice
 Millet
 Sorghum
 Cassava
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Activities on selected crops
 Ministry of Food and Agriculture link up with research institutions
 Research Institutions produce breeder seeds through the application
of science and technology
 Foundation seeds produced from the breeder seeds through various
multiplication projects
 Teams of crop protectionists inspect planting materials before they are
coppiced for distribution to farmers
 Field trips organised for farmers to research-managed demonstration
fields as part of technology transfer
 Effective use of low cost irrigation techniques (23 Chinese irrigation
experts deployed to rehabilitate dams) – ADB/FAO-SPFS
 Currently piloting Urine Technology – Urine as liquid manure to
fertilize maize, rice, sorghum, plantain, paw paw and other crops on
pilot basis
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Results of application of science and technology
 New hybrids of major staples developed
 Local names given as follows:
• Maize
Mamaba
• Sorghum
Kapaala
• Cowpea
Akpaabala
• Soya bean
Salintuya
 National yield improved considerably under improved
technology eg. Cowpea, yield under traditional management
practices is 0.3 metric tonnes per hectare whereas yield under
improved technology is between 1.8 – 2.0 metric tonnes per
hectare
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Release of improved crop varieties for cultivation
 A Committee, The National Varietal Release Committee, announces the
release of the improved crop varieties into public domain
 Procedures and Processes followed before certification and release
•
Fieldtrips to sites/farms
•
Measurements taken
•
Size of field compared to yield
•
Time for maturity
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Prevention and Management of Crop Diseases
 Establishment of Seed Testing and Health Laboratories
 Healthy and resistant crop varieties cultivated
 Farmers trained in simple methods of preventing and controlling
diseases
 Use of approved chemicals
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Fish Production, Support and Preservation
 Improved fishing methods devised
 Construction and stocking of fishponds ( Production of fingerlings)
 Fieldtrips organized to well established research-managed fish farms
as tool for technology transfer
 Observation and participatory approaches adopted
 Government ‘s support to the fishing industry:
•
•
•
•
Supply of pre-mix fuel
Provision of outboard motors and other fishing gear
Construction of fish harbours
Development of the chorkor smoker
 A whole ministry, Ministry of Fisheries has been established to see to
the development of the fishing industry
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION
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