Government urged to incorporate the PFJ into its policies | General news

The government has been urged to integrate the "Plant to Feed and Create Jobs" (PFJ) program into national agricultural policies such as the Food and Agriculture Sector Development Program (FASDEP). ) to ensure that this government does not get rid of this program.

This was part of the recommendations of a research conducted with the PFJ to gather concrete evidence on the experience of farmers with the program and on how to facilitate its effective implementation in the interest of all.

The research was conducted in the districts of Saboba, Karaga, Kumbungu and Mion and in the municipality of Savelugu in August 2018 as part of the Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP) under the Empowerment for Women program. Life implemented by the Ghana Association of Developing Communities, Youth Empowerment for Life and Ghana Friends in Denmark.

The findings of the study were presented by Mr. Abdallah Mohammed, Technical Adviser for Food Security, Livelihoods and Enterprise Development at CLIP, at a dissemination workshop held in Tamale on Thursday. farmers, input dealers, agricultural extension officers and district directors of the agricultural sector. from the districts where the research was conducted.

Research has shown that despite some challenges such as access to fertilizer, the use of improved seeds, the low number of AEAs and limited access to funding, the PFJ had contributed to increase agricultural productivity since its inception, hence the need to integrate it into national agricultural policies. successive governments to undertake it.

It recommended appropriate planning involving all relevant stakeholders in the agricultural sector and the establishment of a management mechanism to ensure effective implementation of the PFJ to increase productivity.

The majority of farmers were unaware of the effectiveness of improved seeds, calling for more education and awareness to ensure that they realize the importance of improved seeds in agricultural production. to be able to plant them.

He called on the government to provide the district agriculture departments with the logistics necessary for the effective implementation of the PFJ.

It recommended that more staff be recruited to strengthen AEAs in the implementation process to allow them sufficient time to fulfill their responsibility to provide extension services to farmers.

"There is a need for the government to put in place policies that encourage private banks to provide credit to farmers at low interest rates. The Ghana Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Loans (GIRSAL) in Ghana, a model of value chain finance to ease the sector's credit burdens, is a commendable step which must be maintained and applied effectively ".

He called for "the integration of a large number of agrotechnologies into the campaign to improve the whole value chain: seed monitoring, soil preparation, irrigation, harvesting, storage and packaging can improve production ".

He also recommended the need to "give Ghana's seed growers the means to meet the demand of the program. Imported seeds must also be authenticated before they are delivered to the beneficiaries.