PAS-G Develops Platforms to improve capacity of farmers

The Presbyterian Agricultural Station-Garu (PAS-G) has developed a programme dubbed “Life Long Learning for Farmers (L3F)” focused at creating platforms to build the capacities of farmers in the area.

The programme which is receiving funding from the Commonwealth of Learning, an NGO, is focused at training farmers and other groups using Information Communication Technology (ICT) to improve on farmers’ capacity in new agricultural methodologies.

This was disclosed at a day's stakeholders’ engagement workshop at Garu in the Upper East Region.

It focused at soliciting ideas to improve on the platforms, which included; relying on relevant information through the use of text messaging to famers on farming methods.

The participants who included; farmer groups, staff from the Department of Agriculture from the two Districts, Financial institutions, Community Based Rehabilitations (CBR’s), the Non-Formal Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service, the Information Services Department, and the Media to brainstorm on ways to improve on the platforms.

Among the platforms are; the uses of smart mobile phones for sending video information on farming methods including; land preparations, pest and weed control, planting, harvesting and postharvest among other interests from the relevant expertise.

Mr Solomon Atigah, Manager at PAS-G in a presentation noted that last year about 4,000 farmers were rolled onto the platform and explained that about 6,500 farmers would be rolled on it this year.

He indicated that to get more farmers on board the programme, it would be targeting about 13,000 farmers next year to improve on farmers’ production in the area.

Mr Atigah said the programme was focused at training farmers in sorghum production as most of the farmers expressed interest in cultivating the crop.

He mentioned that the station was moving further steps by establishing a fast mobile learning platform that would enable the programme to upscale the training of the farmers and strengthen the capacity of field extension agents.

Mr Atigah stated that the general aim for the programme was to build the capacity of farmers to be able to cultivate good yields to improve on their livelihoods.

Mr Atigah further indicated that the programme had an overall objective of promoting food security to fight poverty and diseases since the region in general was noted for poor weather conditions.

He called on the farmers to take the messages sent to them seriously to help them improve on their production.