How the IDH's Grains for Growth Programme is impacting lives through social enterprise

As part of efforts to impact social enterprise in Ghana, the Grains for Growth Programme, implemented by IDH in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is touching many lives.

The programme aims to develop inclusive and economically viable grain supply chains that will offer employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, contribute to better incomes, and improve the livelihoods of farmers, especially women and youth.

Under the programme, IDH has partnered with the Mastercard Foundation under its Young Africa Works program to implement this three-and-a-half-year grains value chain development program in Northern Ghana.

Through a market-led approach, the programme will contribute to the development of the grains sector – maize, rice, millet, fonio, and sorghum supply chains, support the inclusion of smallholder farmers (SHF), and create jobs, with a central focus on women and youth empowerment.

The program’s components and anticipated results include Diagnostic and Service Delivery Model (SDM) analyses, SME technical, operational, and managerial support, improved production and mechanization, digitalization for SHF engagement, business development, and access to affordable financing.

Robert Asugre, Country Manager of IDH Ghana, said IDH believed that there was a congruent interest to create more impact at scale, which is why they partnered with the Mastercard Foundation to develop the Grains for Growth Programme.

“We are able to reach out to so many farmers, off-takers, and brands to support industrial processing and food security,” he added.

Razak Bongo, a beneficiary of the program, shared that life was difficult for him before IDH came in to support because he was unable to get money to buy farm inputs to apply to his farm for increased output.

“IDH has supported me with seeds for planting, weedicides, and fertilizers, and trained me on how to farm. I was only farming one acre, but with IDH's support, I am now farming up to three acres, with two acres of maize and one acre of groundnut,” he added.

Another beneficiary of the program, Kadiri, CEO and Founder of Agromart Ltd, mentioned that through the program in 2022, she was awarded a contract to supply 200 bags of NPPK and 200 bags of millet seeds, totaling $23,000.

She also shared that in the 2022/2023 cropping year, she was awarded a contract to provide mechanization services and supply inputs, totaling $47,000.