BRINGING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY TO RURAL GHANA
Our strategy is to address poverty from a bottom-up approach through decentralized system that embraces communal ownership/responsibility. The sense of shared ownership and shared responsibility in protecting communal natural resources and improving community’s living standard through economic upliftment of individual members [in rural communities in Ghana] make this approach unique and ensures sustainability of projects. Agro-forestry, forest farming, agro-diversification and alternative livelihood programs build on existing skills and resources while developing new related interests and capacity to maximize farmers’ output/income in a [low input] sustainable manner.
Some of the topics we would be treating are-
Organic technology
Nursery management
Crop protection
Pre and post harvesting management
Post- harvest processes
Record keeping
Land preparation
Crop cultivation techniques uses improved hybrid seeds and open pollinated seeds plus good agricultural farming practices. Darsfoundation (www.darsfoundation.org) is promoting the greenhouse farm technology in rural areas as a means of increasing yield and increase income of vegetable farmers in Ghana and across Africa. For instance comparing greenhouse farms to open field farms has shown that an hectare of tomato yield seven tons compared to quarter size of an acre of greenhouse of tomato yields twenty four tons and so therefore, greenhouse farming has shown to increase food production and promote food security to creating more wealth.
Over the years, we have undertaken massive advocacy and information drive in the areas of improved innovative technology, including newly released varieties of roots and tubers, cereals and grains, in addition to poultry, livestock and value addition of selected fruits and vegetables processing.
We have constructed a greenhouse to grow vegetables for tomatoes, cucumber and sweet peppers under fully controlled environmental condition for optimum growth and increased productivity. The greenhouse technology can be found three communities of Nsawam, Akwadum and Swedru in the Central region.
The introduction of this technology would open fresh window of opportunity to build on capacity of rural agricultural operation and for stakeholders in agriculture to learn from. This however, would change the way we do carry out our farm activities in Ghana and on the continent creating more jobs for our women and youths and creating more defined food distribution networks to satisfied the need of the populace.