Farmers in Bawku benefit from new dams

Livestock and Vegetable farmers in some communities in the Bawku area have started making good use of the dams constructed under the one Village one dam policy.

The farmers have started preparing lands for irrigation farming while their livestock have source of drinking water.

Farmers in five Communities in the Bawku Municipality, four in Garu, three in Bawku West, four in Binduri and five in the Pusiga districts are currently using the dams for irrigation this dry season with the optimism that they would produce enough food to enhance food security in the area.

They are growing Onion, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Carrots, cabbage and green leafy vegetables.

Others are also cultivating groundnuts, rice and maize.

The idea of the policy by government was to encourage all year round farming in the northern part of the country, with each District to benefit from ten dams.

Hajia Hawa Ninchemah, the Bawku Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Wednesday in Bawku, lauded the policy as it had begun to provide jobs and would soon increase the income of the farmers.

“When the projects in all the districts are completed the dams will encourage many people to do all year farming and rear as many animals as they want due to the availability of water and thus ensure food security in the area”, she said.

She said out of the ten dams ear-marked for the Municipality, five were completed and being used while two were 80 per cent complete and three were at a tender stage of construction.

“As you know the Bawku area is an agricultural hub noted for its vegetable production and the dams will be of much help to many”.

Mr Paul Azumah Abugri, the District Chief Executive for Tempane said the dams in his district were much appreciated as it would boost both crop and animal production, “this area is a potential livestock farming area that would complement the Rearing for Food and Jobs programme”, he added.

He said the provision of human development policies that would project the welfare of the citizenry was a priority to government and it was rolling out proactive policies that would ensure quality livelihood of the people.

Mr Mohammed Paeda, a Vegetable and livestock farmer at the Kolnaba community in the Pusiga district lauded the flagship programmes and said his livestock would no longer roam in search of water since the community had a dam to provide water for the animals.

He said most of their livestock such as cattle, goats, and sheep among others formerly had to trek long distances in search of water and that exposed them to thieves.