The workshop aims at enhancing rice, vegetable, soybean and maize production through the strengthening of Innovation Platforms (IP) within the country by bringing together strategic stakeholders who will be trained on IP setting-up and running for downstream dissemination.
Innovation platforms which serve as a space for learning, experience sharing, co-creation, business relationship building, problem solving and decision making also facilitate the promotion of innovations, interactions, and collaboration among multiple actors such as agricultural producers, researchers, extensionists, and policymakers. They are therefore critical in promoting interactions among stakeholders to generate, test, and disseminate innovations that will provide solutions to constraints that hinder the performance of agricultural value chains.
The target audience for the workshop includes rice, vegetables, soybean, and maize value farmers and producers, agricultural extension workers, research institutions, academia, government agencies involved in agriculture, private sector actors and traditional authorities. These stakeholders will be taken through sessions on setting up innovation platforms, monitoring, evaluation and learning, governance, knowledge management and resource mobilization on innovation platforms.
The 5-day workshop which will include presentations, discussions, teamwork, and role playing based on practical cases seeks to achieve the following:
Empower a network of farmers and stakeholders with the necessary skills in setting-up and running innovation platforms for enhancing the rice, maize, soybean and vegetable value chains in Ghana.
Establish/support and strengthen rice, soybean, maize, and vegetable Innovation Platforms in Ghana.
Strengthen the agribusiness capacity of stakeholders within the rice, soybean, maize, and vegetable value chains, especially women and youth, for improved profitability.
Promote collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation within the rice, soybean, maize, and vegetable value chains
The secretary to the Paramount Chief of Gukpegu (Tamale Traditional Council) and Kpalung Zobogu Naa, Mohamed Rashad Abdulai
The secretary to the Paramount Chief of Gukpegu (Tamale Traditional Council) and Kpalung Zobogu Naa, Mohamed Rashad Abdulai welcomed all participants to the Northern regional capital and assured them of the Traditional Council’s support for the event and the promotion of improved agricultural practices in the Northern region.
Dr Issah Sugri, Deputy Director at the CSIR-SARI
In his opening speech, Dr Issah Sugri, Deputy Director at the CSIR-SARI, speaking on behalf of the Director, expressed his gratitude to donors for contributing to food security across all levels and stressed the need for training on access to technology and knowledge building for capacity development and the creation of more learning platforms to increase reach. He also encouraged participants to adapt and implement these technologies to increase productivity for more sustainable livelihoods.
This workshop hosted at the Pioneer Hotel in Tamale, is set to produce a strengthened network of digitally connected farmers empowered with IP thinking through capacity building, knowledge, and experience sharing, enabling farmers to adopt best practices and improve their productivity.
The University of Ghana (UG) in partnership with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and its Partners, working under the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture project – “Enhancing the production and consumption of African indigenous fruits and vegetables to improve nutrition in Ghana and Mali” are advocating for the consumption of indigenous crops with particular reference to fruits and vegetables.
Indigenous fruits and vegetables which are grown locally usually on a small scale, are known to have high nutritive value, are often resistant to diseases and tolerant to environmental stresses. However, they have not been mainstreamed in the staple diets due to the fact that consumers complain about their unavailability in large quantities, poor postharvest management as well as the lack of awareness of their nutritional quality.
Stakeholders met in the University of Ghana to validate findings from the analysis of the value chain of the four indigenous fruits and vegetables (namely turkey berries, cocoyam leaves, garden eggs and okra) and engage in meaningful discussions to formulate actionable policy recommendations that will support the integration of these indigenous fruits and vegetables into the diets of Ghanaians.
The well patronized workshop brought together representatives from the Project Consortium Partners, various sector Ministries, Private Sector, Regulatory agencies, Civil Society Organizations, the Media, and farmer groups among others.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Director of FARA, Dr Aggrey Agumya stated that “It is important to recognize the strategic significance of the event, in that, Indigenous fruits and vegetables not only improve diets, they are also essential in strengthening the resilience of food systems. They also provide opportunities for smallholder framers to generate income”
Executive Director of FARA, Dr Aggrey Agumya
He mentioned that the African Union Commission and AUDA are coordinating the crafting of the agenda for the next phase of CAADP, wherein indigenous vegetables feature strongly in this agenda within the nutrition agenda and the resilience agenda. Recommendations have been crafted calling for the integration of indigenous food systems and knowledge into national and regional food and nutrition security plans and in resilience plans.
He expressed concern that scientists in the tertiary education institutions are spread very thin across the growing number of colleges and universities. The very rapid growth in student enrollment in most colleges and universities has meant that faculty are fully programmed with teaching responsibilities. With few research facilities, little budget, and little time available for academic staff to allocate to research activities, the scale and scope of agricultural research at the colleges and universities is quite limited.
He underscored the need for stronger collaboration between research, extension and education actors at country level. He said ‘this need is demonstrated by these numbers: It is estimated by IFPRI that 80% of funding for agricultural research goes to the NAROs (and 20% to the universities), facilities, infrastructure; while 80% of the Africa’s agricultural scientists qualified to do serious research are located at colleges and universities.
The Consultant, Eric Worlanyo Deffor, sharing highlights of his findings, noted that although the four crops studied have immense potential, they are confronted with some challenges.
He indicated that “The project is basically looking at the value chain for indigenous crops, looking at okra, kontomire, garden eggs, and turkey berry, from the production right up to the marketing and consumption. From the highlights, there is potential for growing these crops, but for now farmers still have lots of challenges. Challenges related to access to finance and inputs.”
Eric Worlanyo Deffor
He added, “The whole agenda is also to make sure that we can promote turkey berries, especially as an export commodity within Ghana, because of the health values that are associated with it.”
Speaking to some of the recommendations, Mr. Deffor, said, “We want to look at how we can modernize our transport system to be able to convey our vegetables from the farm gate to the farms so that we still keep them intact and also maintain safety along the value
The Project lead, Dr. Gloria L. Essilfie who is a Postharvest and Food Safety Specialist at the Department of Crop Science, University of Ghana, said the project “Enhancing the production and consumption of African Indigenous fruits and vegetables to improve diets in Ghana and Mali” covers five areas, including identification and characterisation of selected indigenous fruits and vegetables, conducting value chain analysis of the selected indigenous crops, as well as improving postharvest handling and preservation of indigenous fruits and vegetables.
Project lead, Dr. Gloria L. Essilfie
Other areas are the establishment of an Incubator for enterprises involved in or would be involved in the selected indigenous fruit and vegetables and finally, the dissemination of processes, technologies, and methods for prolonging the shelf-life of selected indigenous fruits and vegetables and creating awareness of the importance of indigenous fruits and vegetables.
This she noted will go a long way to influencing policy to enhance the production and consumption of the fruit and vegetables to improve diets.
Dr. Essilfie explained that the value chain component of the project will provide a better understanding of the vegetable and fruit value chain for large-scale production.
According to her, “They are nutritious, but you know, some are volunteer crops and thus are not produced intentionally, making them unavailable in large quantities. So, we are conducting this value chain analysis to really understand the whole value chain, provide a better understanding of the different nodes of the value chain, leverage points in terms of investment and entrepreneurship opportunities, and policy, legal and governance frameworks affecting the trade of indigenous produce markets.”
She called for concerted efforts in creating awareness on the benefits of Indigenous vegetables and fruits.
The Director of the Food Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Prof. Charles Tortoe, who delivered the keynote address during the policy dialogue on the theme “The Role of Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables in Enhancing Ghana’s Food System” indicated that indigenous vegetables and fruits have immense potential yet untapped, adding that linkages in the value chain must be enhanced for maximum benefit.
“We can also look at them in the sense of superfoods. That means they have this quality of nutrition of which we can tap in and make good use in terms of our nutrition needs as a country and even beyond our jurisdiction. There are some that come with very interesting antioxidants and anti-inflammatory as well as anti-carbohydrate properties.”
Executive Director- Food Research Institute of CSRI Prof. Charles Tortoe
He said it is unfortunate that deforestation, bush burning, and illegal mining are contributing to the extinction of most Indigenous crops.
“A lot of these indigenous crops, which I’m sure when you were a kid you were familiar with, go back to your community and you can’t find them again. These are the challenges we are facing with illegal logging, deforestation, and bushfires, especially the dry season, is also another challenge.”
Prof. Tortoe said data on the nutritional value of these indigenous crops could significantly improve its acceptance and called for investment in the sector. Prof. Tortoe encouraged the public to integrate indigenous fruits and vegetables into their eating habits.
“We need to integrate our indigenous crops into our food system so we can gain from it. We do agree that the indigenous crops in Ghana hold immense potential to enhance our food system, to promote our health and to support sustainable agriculture” He said investing in effective harvesting and storage technologies would also go a long way in addressing some of the challenges that confront the sector.
There was a panel discussion where discussants advocated deliberate plans and strategies that would help promote indigenous vegetables and fruits. Some recommendations were generated to be translated into policies.
Certified Knowledge Manager & Communication Intern, IITA Communication & Knowledge Center, Ibadan, Nigeria.
It was a thrilling experience participating in the KM4AgD challenge and conference in Kigali, Rwanda as part of the 2024 Science and Partnerships for Agriculture Conference #SPAC2024. The KM4AgD Challenge which ran from April to June 2024 was an enriching experience that broadened my understanding of Knowledge Management. Even though I had read about knowledge management before the challenge, being a part of the challenge gave me a fresh perspective especially the diverse sessions with knowledge experts who shared practical insights and innovative approaches to Knowledge management at various levels.
The challenge took a participative approach where we had group & individual presentations, group discussions, and the knowledge café. It was challenging to discover that many African agricultural organizations have valuable knowledge but struggle to manage or don’t know that they can manage knowledge.
One of my major highlights was drafting a policy brief on including women and people with disabilities in agricultural KM policies which I presented at the KM4AgD Conference in Rwanda. I believe it would change the face of knowledge management in African agriculture, in terms of inclusivity.
Receiving my certification as a Knowledge Manager for Sustainable Development was a proud moment that marked a significant milestone in my professional journey.
One lesson I learned that was inspired by the theme of the conference and my reflection is the necessity of Adapting KM practices to the unique challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss in Africa. Knowledge Management must be quick and zestful and must leverage Indigenous knowledge to build resilient agricultural systems.
Also, I learned that Knowledge alone isn’t as powerful as knowledge sharing and Knowledge management is most effective when it is targeted, integrated, and systematic – ‘KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IS POWER’.
At the #SPAC2024 Conference in Rwanda, I had a great time networking with fellow participants from across Africa, whom I had only interacted with online for 3months. I also enjoyed listening to agricultural experts proffer solutions to many agricultural problems. I particularly enjoyed Prof Linus Opara’s presentation on how partnership can address some of the major challenges in Agriculture. His presentation revealed that Africa has everything it needs including the money to change the face of agriculture in Africa. However, after listening to all the solutions proffered, I had so many questions left unanswered.
As I move forward, I plan to be a KM champion in whatever organization I find myself starting from the organization where I presently intern. I am particularly interested in ensuring that KM practices are particularly inclusive of people with disabilities.
“Knowledge management is something many companies are sure they need, if only they knew what it was.” – Mary Lisbeth D’Amico
Sometimes you never really know that you need something until it is given to you. The quote by Henry Ford that said “If I had asked people what they needed, they would have said faster horses” resonated with me as I participated in the Knowledge Management for Agricultural Development (KM4AgD) Conference 2024. The conference which took place between 29 – 31 July 2024 at Lemigo Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda provided me with insights I did not know I needed. It was one of many conferences organised under the Science and Partnerships for Agriculture Conference (SPAC) 2024 and was themed ‘Scaling up Successful Knowledge Management Models for Agricultural development in Africa’.
SPAC brought together over 340 agricultural enthusiasts from different countries to discuss issues concerning agriculture in the continent. Despite efforts being made in the attainment of the Malabo declaration to end hunger in Africa by 2025, 50% of Africa’s population still lack access to sufficient food. I was surprised to learn that, Rwanda is the only country on track towards achieving these goals. This then poses the question, “What is happening to the other 53 countries?” These conferences and side events therefore aimed at discussing ways of improving agriculture to ensure sustainable development in Africa through collective learning and knowledge and experience sharing. The discussions underscored the need to deepen our collaborations and foster collective efforts. Effective partnerships was identified as one of the key drivers in achieving the Africa we want.
“Our collective intention should be to connect, to reflect, to construct, to commit and to ensure accountability to increase the effectiveness of the implementation of our actions – Bongiwe Njobe, Board Chair, FARA
The KM4AgD conference was indeed an enlightening forum for me. It provided a platform for interacting with knowledge management experts and advocates. The discussions took a variety of formats including group discussions, knowledge cafes and individual presentations. Knowledge indeed is at the heart of humanity. Knowledge management was identified as a major contributor to organisational performance and effective decision-making.
Issues such as strengthening knowledge linkages, indigenous knowledge, gender-responsive and disability-inclusive knowledge management were discussed. It was great watching participants who had identified some challenges facing the agriculture sector provide practical solutions and recommendations to address them. There was a collective acknowledgment of the power of timely knowledge-sharing and the need to ‘let knowledge travel’. One of the key highlights that stood out for me was the need to make knowledge available, accessible and applicable.
Some participants presented interesting agricultural techniques such as micro-dosing and integrated soil fertility management being practiced in some indigenous communities that could improve agricultural yield.
To crown the conference, a knowledge café was held that sought to gather perspectives on the way forward regarding knowledge management for effective agricultural development. This was my first time attending an in-person knowledge café. I even sat at the same table with the Deputy Director General in charge of Agricultural Development, Dr. Florence Uwamahoro, very brilliant and simple lady.
The discussions centred around creating open agricultural commons for Africa, capitalising on the continent’s community knowledge and identifying the investments needed to sustain our agriculture for development KM systems. It was indeed a life-changing event as it expanded my network and served as a springboard in propelling me into my KM journey.
The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa participated actively in the discussion organized by the AICCRA project through the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), at The Urban Hotel, Lusaka Zambia between 19th -21st August 2024. The discussion engaged more than 30 intellectuals representing key continental and regional organizations and leading countries in Eastern and South Africa. The gathering discussed how to leverage Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Multi-stakeholders’ platforms for sustainable investment and action.
It is well known that CSA is the way to ensure that Africa continues to feed its teaming population and sustain the agrarian livelihood on the continent. The actualization of this feat needs good science and investments. Circumventing the negative effects of climate change will need smart preparation in terms of generating adaptable technologies and putting the right infrastructures in place. While this is acceptable to all stakeholders, putting together the right investment strategies at all levels remains the next hurdle to scale in Africa. It is apparent that the right investment will be made at the country level to leverage the power of science and key infrastructures to ensure resilience. Africa needs to increase its investment in irrigation facilities and to optimize the existing irrigation schemes for delivery. Investment in soil health and fertilizer systems is required to ensure sustainable production for smart livelihood also needs to be considered.
I am of the opinion that Africa needs to think about the sustainability of the current food system; we need to think green. I observe that front-line countries are already investing in food production systems that avoid the risks of traditional open-field productions; they are increasing food production from the protected greenhouse systems, hydroponics, aeroponics, and other urban agriculture-compliant systems.
Advancing the need for great partnerships among stakeholders and partner organizations is the way to go. Since 2021, FARA commenced the development of the “Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Framework” (ACSAF), which represents a Science-based response to the agriculture components of the Africa Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022-2032); this is an instrument developed by the Africa Union Commission to be used by all stakeholders within and outside the continent as a guide for investment and action. The FARA presentations at the conference explicate the importance of the ACSAF and its merit to advance the African Climate Smart Agriculture and deliver the African agriculture we want in compliance with Agenda 2063.
Bringing ACSAF to the fore is vital to ensuring that African agriculture becomes truly “Climate Smart.”
