2004
Mid-year Report
Ghana Country Programme
This
overview includes the activities of the three zones (Southern, Middle-Belt
and Northern).
National Co-ordinating Committee
The nine-member National Co-ordinating Committee (NCC) was inaugurated,
with the Director of Agricultural Extension of MOFA, Mr. A. A. Osei-Frimpong,
as Chairman. The NCC deliberated on the Terms of Reference of the
Committee as well as the roles / functions of the NCC. Members are
representatives from: CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research), RTIP (IFAD project), FONG (NGO network), VEPEAG, GOAN
(NGO coordinator in the Centre), ACDEP (Coordinating NGO for the
North), ECASARD (NGO coordinator in the South and overall coordinator)
and MOFA (Ministry of Food and Agriculture).
Formation of zonal teams
-
The Southern Zonal Team was established during the period under
review. Members are 3 NGOs, 3 MOFA representatives, 3 staff from
research Institutions, and 3 representatives from farmer organisations.
The team deliberated and approved the zonal programme of activities.
- A
seven-member “maiden” local working group for the Middle-Belt
zone has been established with representatives from MOFA, CSIR
institutes, Soil Research Institute (SRI) and Crop Research Institutes
(CRI), farmers from the forest zone and transitional zone and
a representative from GOAN (Middle-Belt zone Coordinator).
- Two
planning meetings were held to prepare the input of the Northern
zone into the national action plan. Two meetings were also held
in May and July to receive feedback from the Ethiopia international
planning workshop and from the training workshop in the Philippines,
respectively. The Northern zone is contemplating the engagement
of a permanent PROLINNOVA facilitator. The zone has operated without
any budget and thanks ACDEP for financing some of the meeting
costs.
Strengthening
farmer groups
The Middle-Belt zone has conducted two separate zonal farmer workshops
in the Sekeyere West District and Jaman District in the Ashanti
and Brong Ahafo Regions, respectively (May 2003). The topics discussed
were: utilisation of plants and botanicals to control insect pest
and disease on crop fields, utilisation of household-generated waste
to produce compost, and group dynamics in cooperative development.
In total, approximately 200 farmers were trained, 30% of these are
women. These activities have resulted in the identification of new
farmer groups in the Sekeyere West and Jaman Districts (Middle-Belt
zone).
In
the Middle-Belt zone, farmers received training in: i) promoting
innovation through PTD/PID methodologies, and ii) group dynamics
and leadership tools.
Communication and information
One meeting was held between the zonal coordinators to discuss the
problems of communication and information, coordination and programme
implementation. There are decided inefficiencies that are leading
to frustration among the members. These were discussed and steps
taken to improve the situation. The meeting also reviewed the budget
and workplan in the light of comments from the International Support
Team.
PID
training of facilitators
Two persons, one co-ordinator from an IFAD project in the North
and another from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture from the South
participated in a two-week training of facilitators in Participatory
Innovation Development held at IIRR in the Philippines.
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