UE/R Workshop on Agriculture Technology Transfer ATT Project Ends-

A Cross Section of participants at the ATT IFDC workshop in Bolgatanga 

Statistics has shown that only 10 percent of farmers in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions of Ghana used certified seed for farming. The remaining 90 percent still rely on the indigenous seed for crop production. Ghana’s Agriculture will not thrive and compete favorably in food production if farmers continue to rely on unimproved seeds for farming. 

Seed is considered key and a basic technology for crop productivity. There is therefore the need to look at ways of increasing technologies that can help bring about improved and sustainable crop production in the Northern sector and for that matter Ghana as a whole. 

It is this in line with this that, the International Fertilizer Development Center, IFDC, implementers of Agriculture Technology Transfer, ATT, has organized a day’s workshop to herald the end of the organization's four year program dubbed ‘‘An End-of-Project Learning Event’'. 

The Project, Agriculture Technology Transfer ATT was established in 2014, in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale, with funding from the USAID and Feed the Future FTF, a US Government’s Global hunger and food security Initiative. 

The project focuses on Agriculture Transformation in the three regions of the north. 

The project which had a five year mandate ends in 31st December, 2018. 

ATT was implemented through The International Fertilizer Development Center, IFDC, a science-based public international organization, working to alleviate global hunger by introducing improved agricultural practices and fertilizer technologies to farmers and linking farmers to markets.

The organization has projects in over 25 countries. 

The workshop brought together researchers, Directors of Agriculture, Representatives of farmer groups, Seed Growers and Processers, Agriculture related Non-Governmental Organizations among others. 

The aim of the workshop was to bring partners together to deliberate on the gains chalked and the legacy to be left behind and how to sustain those legacies, think through, document some of the legacies and find a way of making recommendations to donor agencies, the way forward, the kind of activities they need to put their resources into and the best approaches they need to adopt to get the needed results at the end of the project.

Chief of Party, ATT Project of IFDC, Musah Salifu Taylor in an interview at the workshop

Speaking to Radio Ghana, the Chief of Party, ATT Project of IFDC, Musah Salifu Taylor, indicated that, ATT has been impacting modern Technologies to farmers by way of interventions in the areas of early maturing varieties, good agronomic practices, mechanization, an integrated soil fertility management approach, soil testing and analysis, test kits for farmers to determine soil nutriments level among others. 

Mr. Salifu stated further that since the rainfall parttern is not the best in the Northern parts of the country, all these factors must be considered before a farmer can boast of high productivity.

He said for instance the Obatanpa variety of maize which is 25 years cannot give maximum yield as compared to Sansasema and Wandata which are early fast growing and early maturing, with higher yields. 

Mr. Salifu Stated that, ATT works with SARI a lot in the varietal release, soil fertility area, building their capacity to communicate their findings to the farmers because most at times their findings stay at the institute without getting to the farmers. 

They also strengthen the local implementing partners such as CBOs, to carry the technology to the ground, since ATT does not work directly with the farmers. 

He indicated, the strategy is that, as a project, after five years, is ended the local partners can handle while you are gone. Regarding the five year mandate, working to transform Agriculture in Northern Ghana, Mr. Salifu explained further that ATT have been able to help established about five private seed processing companies, increased the number of farmers that used certified seed from 11 percent to 38 percent, established an Irrigation Dam for SARI, to enable them have three seasons for varietal release. 

The Executive Director of Meta Foundation David Azupogo

The Executive Director of Meta Foundation Agriculture related Non-Governmental Organization David Azupogo a beneficiary of ATT, expressed satisfaction of how his organization has been strengthened by ATT’s assistance. 

He stated that, his out fit benefited through capacity building for data management in the office and field, integrated soil fertility management that will help farmers adapt good agronomic practices that could lead to improve yields, access to improved seed and input to farmers and climate change issues among others.