About 150 smallholder vegetable farmers in the Bono Region have received training in good agronomic practices and vegetable nutrition to improve the production of tomato, okra and amaranth.
The farmers, drawn from the Berekum West District, Berekum Municipality and Dormaa Municipality, were taken through best practices in seed selection, planting seasons, land preparation, nursery management, and the safe and effective use of agrochemicals, including fertilisers and fungicides.
The training forms part of efforts to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by promoting the adoption of improved vegetable varieties, increasing productivity and strengthening the vegetable value chain.
The sensitisation programme was organised under the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative, launched by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2018 to accelerate agricultural growth, enhance food security and promote inclusive economic development across the continent.
In Ghana, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research–Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) is implementing the TAAT II Vegetable Compact Project, which aims to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the country’s vegetable sector through the dissemination of improved technologies and production practices.
Addressing a durbar of farmers at Jinijini in the Berekum West District, a Principal Research Scientist and Vegetable Breeder at CSIR-CRI, Dr Michael Kwabena Osei, expressed concern about the persistently low productivity in vegetable production across the country.
He explained that tomato farmers currently harvested between 7.5 and 10 tonnes per hectare using local varieties, compared to improved varieties which could yield up to 20 tonnes per hectare under good agronomic practices.
He noted that a lack of relevant knowledge continued to make farming unattractive and less productive.
Touching on the excessive use of agrochemicals, Dr Osei underscored the need for continuous education and capacity-building to ensure their safe and judicious application.
He said farmers needed to be guided on the appropriate use of such chemicals, including when and how to apply them, as well as the recommended waiting period before harvesting after application.
A Research Associate with the World Vegetable Centre, Dr Paul Alhassan Zaato, underscored the importance of vegetables in promoting good health and improved nutrition.
He noted that many people remained unaware of the nutritional value of vegetables, explaining that they were rich in essential vitamins and minerals that boost energy levels, strengthen the immune system and promote overall wellbeing.
Dr Zaato called for intensified public education to encourage regular consumption of vegetables as part of a balanced diet.
A farmer, Mr Dominic Oti Yeboah, appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to make improved tomato varieties, such as “Kwabena Kwabena,” readily available to farmers.
He said access to high-yielding and disease-resistant seeds would increase production, improve incomes and contribute to national food security.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, JINIJINI
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