Three districts in Central Region benefit from food security programme

Cape Coast, July 17, GNA- The Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) has adopted three districts in the central region for its five-year development assistance programme to enhance food security in the region.

Under the programme about 800 farmers from Cape Coast, Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem and Mfantsiman districts would be trained to construct about 200 improved narrow ventilated cribs to store maize, and how to cultivate citrus and woodlot plantations. Mr Agya Asamoah-Muno, Field Project officer in charge of agriculture and natural resources, made this known at Cape Coast at the end of a five-day trainer of trainer workshop for 26 farmers from the communities on Friday.

The workshop was aimed at educating the participants to manage the programme effectively.

Mr Asamoah-Muno noted that major setback for food security at that household level was post harvest losses especially during the storage. He said it was in this regard that ADRA in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) was training their client farmers in the construction of the cribs to store their produce. He said their target was to reduce storage losses particularly in maize, help farmers have good market after storage and to increase annual yield.

He said ADRA, apart from helping their clients to construct the cribs, provided credit facility and inputs such as Matchets, Wellington boots, improved seed maize, cassia, citrus and cashew seedlings. He said 10,000 cassia seedlings had been supplied to communities and schools for planting and urged the beneficiary communities to take good care of them.

He asked the participants to take the workshop seriously and endeavour to share what they have learnt with their colleagues.