Women farmers receive donkey carts for use on their farms

Company News of Friday, July 12, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-07-12

Women farmers in the Far East region congratulated the World Food Program (WFP) and the Savannah Agriculture Institute (SARI), Manga Station, for the implementation of the donkey project in the region.

According to them, the provision of donkeys and carts as a means of transport would not only help to move agricultural products from their various fields to their homes, warehouses and market centers, but also to increase their productivity, to reduce heavy and painful work. crop losses.

The women praised the inauguration of the Donkey-Cart Transportation project in Manga, Binduri district, where 60 donkeys and 20 four-wheeled cars were donated to 20 female farm managers from 10 peasant groups in 10 communities in 5 districts of the region.

Beneficiary districts included the municipal districts of Bawku, Bawku West, Bindduri, Tempane and Bongo and each farmer was badigned a donkey for breeding and two donkeys for labor.

The WFP facilitated labor-saving transportation initiative is being implemented by SARI at Manga Station, in collaboration with the Upper East Regional Branch of the Ministry of Food and Rural Development. of Agriculture, with financial support from the Government of Canada.

The pilot project, which is expected to benefit more than 1,500 farmers in the region, was part of WFP's Enhanced Nutrition and Value Chains (ENVAC) and the Sustainable Food Systems component of WFP's Ghana Strategic Plan for Food Security. 2019-2023.

Mrs. Rebecca Awelinga, a beneficiary from the Boya-Gumo community of Bawku West District, explained that the project was a major badet for the entire community because it would be used to transport not only the badets of her group members, but also those of the members of his group. not in the group but may need help.

She said that contrary to what had been done before, they had to carry their farm produce on their heads and walk several kilometers. Sometimes they could not carry all their produce off the farm, resulting in post-harvest losses, adding, "We can transport our crops with ease with Donkey-Cart transportation systems."

Ms. Grace Asampanbila, another beneficiary from the Dua community in Bongo District, expressed gratitude to donors for her support and said donkeys would be used more to plow their farms and help increase the quality and quantity of crops. produced.

Ms. Assibi Nbaagos, another beneficiary of the Boya-Zoying community in Bawku West District, also strengthened her capacity on how to increase production, reinvest products, and manage post-harvest situations, adding that this would allow them their income levels.

Ms. Paulina Patience Abayage, Regional Minister for the Upper East, welcomed the initiative as it would help smallholder farmers improve their production, reduce the intensity of their work, access new markets, to improve their well-being and to encourage young women to go into agriculture. a sustainable business.

The regional minister urged her female colleagues to inculcate the culture of maintenance and use donkeys and their cart to improve their livelihoods, and that when women, who make up more than half of the agricultural population, will be empowered , the country will benefit from food security and sustainable development. Development objectives, especially objective two.