Ecoland International Ghana in collaboration with German Association for Organic Agriculture ECOLAND e.V has partnered University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies (UCAES) in Bunso in Eastern Region of Ghana to set up organic farming demonstration and research field in the university as part of intervention to promote organic farming in Ghana to cut down over reliance on fertilizer.
The €1,520,000.00 ” PartnerAfrica project ” aims at developing and upgrading ecologically sustainable value chains for the export of organic agricultural products and thereby contributing to more and better employment opportunities in agricultural sector in Ghana.
Inaugurating the organic farming demonstration and research field under the theme “The role of Ecoland Ghana in promoting Organic farming in Ghana”, Dr. Isaac Adodoadji , the projects long term expert of Ecoland International Ghana, said ” We identified some challenges and gaps within the organic sector in Ghana and the intervention was that Ecoland Ghana will be able to breach that gap, so the organization in itself seeks to promote organic farming , strengthen organic institutions and organizations in Ghana”
He said the demonstration field established in UCAES is to facilitate organic farming practices in Ghana.
Dr. Isaac Adodoadji said the organization is committed to advocating for a national legislation on Organic farming in Ghana in order to provide policy direction and integration, and build capacity of the many small holder farmers in the country to reduce over dependency on inorganic fertilizers.
” so some of our interventions we want to implement include setting up a demonstration and research field to promote organic farming , as well as trying to push for national legislation for organic farming and offering advising services in organic farming” he said.
” It will contribute a certain quota to the impact of fertilizer shortages in Ghana, I wouldn’t say entirely but as things stands now a lot of farmers are being push the back , they are suffering by the fact that they cannot import fertilizers so why is it that the government wouldn’t give the chance ? with the NPK , it can also be gotten from organic source in small quantities and in a little bit, it makes a positive contribution to these substances that are imported, so at the moment in order to up skills we need to start from somewhere ” he added.
Rudolf Buhler ,President of Ecoland International Germany said Ecoland International operates in parts of Europe , Africa and India adding Ecoland Ghana was established in October 2021 with the aim of introducing sustainable organic agriculture through training of farmers ,provision of seeds, implementation of organic farming in the curriculum of some universities, certifications for local farmers and create profitable market at the international level for farmers.
” The Organic farmers here will be providing the market for us then we get about governing price for the products and we will send them for export to Germany and to European countries and also at the same time for subsistence farming to feed the local people so it goes in hand in hand” he said .
He reiterated that as part of strategies for the eradication of poverty to achieve a sustainable development for all, Ecoland Germany in partnership with Ecoland Ghana in the initial phase aims to supply the farmers with special varieties of imported organic seedlings and offer them the market in the next phase.
” They have to follow the organic practices and they have to accept the Organic standards so we are looking forward so that the farmers will have a future on good prices upon sustainable products”
The Acting Rector of the University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies UCAES, Dr. Charles Yaw Bempong Yeboah , said promotion of organic fertilizer has become more critical particular at this time of global shortage of fertilizers due to Russia invasion of Ukraine which Ghana is bearing the brunt of the shortage .
“the input cost of inorganic fertilizer is going higher everyday and the remnants of these products in the soil is also increasingly prohibitive so it is imperative that we all turn toward organic farming or more sustainable agriculture”
He told Starr News that, the University has therefore developed a new program awaiting accreditation to train students in Organic farming beging next academic year .
The local partners of the organic farming project in Ghana are Alma Mater Education ,Aponoapono Biakoye Organic Cocoa Farmer’ Association (ABOCFA)
Bunso Cocoa College , Ecoland Organic Ghana LBG (Ecoland Ghana) and
University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies (UCAES)
The project which officially started in October 2021 ends December 31,2024
Source : Ghana/Starrfm.com/Kojo Ansah