Farmers train in organic food production

Fiaso (B/A), Oct. 18, Fifty farmers of Abrono Organic Farming Programmes have completed a three-month training in indigenous organic food production at Fiaso in Techiman. The farmers, all community-based extension agents, were drawn from Fiaso, Tanoso and Forikrom.

Sponsored by Care International, an NGO, the training was aimed at empowering the farmers with the necessary skills to enable them to educate colleagues on the application of organic manure. Madam Gyamila Wahab Abdul-Razak, Organisation Development facilitator of Care International in-charge of Northern Ghana, said the NGO was dealing with four components of the programme, including sustainable farming system extension.

Other components are Civil Society Capacity Support, Sustainable Land Tenure and Forest Management and Rural Livelihood, which have been allocated in different parts of the country.

Madam Abdul-Razak said sustainable farming system extension as a component of Care International was making extension services available and accessible to poor farmers in Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions.

She said the main objective was to establish and strengthen community-based extension systems, build the capacity of NGOs and civil society organizations to be able to design and implement sustainable farming systems.

The facilitator expressed the hope that the participants would share the experiences and knowledge they had gained with their colleagues in other communities. Nana Kwao Adams, Twafohene of Forikrom, who is the Co-ordinator of the Abrono Programmes advised the farmers to adopt a pragmatic approach on organic farming methods for sustainable agriculture, through compost making, land preparation, organic pesticides and practical demonstrations.

He said Fiaso, Tanoso and Forikrom were selected as a pilot base to enable the extension agents to supplement the work of the limited number of agricultural extension officers to enhance the agricultural industry. Madam Georgina Baah and Mr Charles Opoku, both participants, on behalf of their colleagues lauded the use of compost manure and called for more training workshops for farmers to update their knowledge on the use of animal droppings in their farming activities. Nana Kwarteng Ameyaw, Fiasohene, who presided, appealed for assistance to complete a clinic under construction in the area.