Farmers in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality in the Central Region have urged colleague farmers to adopt modern farming techniques to drive Ghana's growth, since they occupy a greater stake in the country's developmental agenda.

Their expression follows how thrilled they have become over a year and months refresher course offered them as part of the DANIDA Fruitbunch Project, spearheaded by the Aarhus University in Denmark, in partnership with the University of Cape Coast (UCC), University of Ghana and the Agric Department of the KEEA Municipality.

The training saw the capacity of 25 vegetable farmers in the KEEA municipality together with 15 agric officers enhanced on the knowledge acquisition of biochar and compost as soil conditioner to improve soil's health and structure for improved crop viability, particularly under harsh weather conditions.

Farmers through the refresher course were trained on modern farming skills, business acumen, seed nurturing with potting mix, crates, and trays, entrepreneurship, and financial management, focusing on sustainable soil practices which they attested have made enormous thrive on their farm produce over the period of experiment. 

The DANIDA Fruitbunch project, sponsored by the Danish Development Organisation (DANIDA), is an initiative aimed at enhancing food security, improve agricultural productivity and build climate resilience in Ghana, with focus on crops like eggplant and okra to promote the use of soil amendments.

Farmers speaking in an interaction with Sompa TV's Eric Annan at the final closeout of the training with a certificate of participation issued to them, they expressed excitement and appreciation for the privilege offered them to acquire hands-on training to augment their work, which they underscored has positioned them well above their compatriots.

They encouraged other farmers to be open minded to innovative farming techniques, since the work of a farmer has evolved over time and pledged to do their bit to also impact others with their knowledge gained from the training for the collective growth of the country's agricultural industry.

They cited that thanks to the modern farming techniques the DANIDA Fruitbunch refresher course provided them, they're now financially resilient through the application of the knowledge they derived from the training on their farmlands which has made their crops adaptable to changing weather patterns with increased farm produce, enhanced their skills and market access.

Madam Victoria Dansowaa Abankwa, the Agric Director for KEEA, heaped appraisal on the fact that the training wasn't based on talks but practical knowledge for farmers to practice in their daily farm routine, as she admonished the uniqueness of the Fruitbunch Project to highlight how rare it is for such projects to devote enough attention on soil fertility and the need to prioritize soil improvement since without that farming will be inexistent.

Dr. Alexander Tetteh Kwasi Nuer of the Department of Agric Economics and Extension at UCC and the WP4 Co-Principal Investigator of the project also mentioned that dissemination of biochar, compost and vegetable technologies has aided farmers and agric extension officers to adopt a co-creation pathway at KEEA.

He elaborated that the development of inclusive business model and cost benefit solutions, have led to a real time sustainability pathway beyond the project. This he mentioned serves as an important contribution of the Fruitbunch project in Ghana.

The Fruitbunch Project's key objectives focuses on equipping farmers with modern farming skills and best practices to strengthen resilience to climate change, create sustainable and inclusive business models to ensure farmers derive financial benefits from their products and apply university research to solve real-world challenges and improve agricultural development.

Sompaonline.com//Eric Annan