Communities supported to boost soyabean production

SEND-Ghana, a non-governmental organization, has embarked on a strategic mission to retool and project the production of soya bean in 130 communities in the Northern and Volta Regions.

The beneficiaries are being trained on field demonstration farms on new practical farming strategies that would enable them to transfer the knowledge learnt on their farms with the objective of improving production.

Mr Issahaku Ibrahim, the Cooperative Development Officer of SEND-Ghana, who briefed the media on the project on Wednesday at Salaga in the East Gonja district, said the project has introduced inoculants into the soil to improve nutritional content of the soil for a good crop yield.

The soya bean production was a model of the Food Security through Cooperatives in Northern Ghana (FOSTERING), a project which is aimed at reducing food insecurity and improve the standard of living of the people in the beneficiary areas.

The 8,032,149.00 million Canadian dollar project is being implemented in eight districts in the Northern and Volta regions and expected to reach 130 communities with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada and the Canadian Co-operative Association.

Mr Ibrahim said the farmers meet frequently on the demonstration farms to gain knowledge and experience and then translate the knowledge onto their own farms, noting that the average yield on production was 800k per acre.

Miss Clara Nyarkoah Anim, the Project Coordinator, Ghana Co-operative Unions Association (CUA), noted that the Association was partnering with the project and assisting them to create many credit unions that would loan credit facilities to the farmers for production.

She said based on the various farming groups that have been created, a total of GH?457,200.00 was disbursed to farmers in six communities in the 2014-2015 farming season, noting that many other women groups were also being supported to venture into petty trading.

Mr Mohammed Aminu Luckumanu, the East Mamprusi District Chief Executive indicated that the Assembly had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SEND-Ghana through the FOSTERING project and expressed the readiness to work positively with the NGO.

He said the project complemented the development efforts of the government, adding that it had been very transparent and accountable to the people.

Madam Esther Mensah, a beneficiary of the FOSTERING project commended SEND-Ghana for introducing the project in their communities, explaining that the project had improved on her family's income.