AGRICULTURE in Ghana accounts for about 55 per cent of employment and nearly 40 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Soil degradation is, however, considered a major setback to ensuring food security in the country.
About 70 per cent of the soil in northern Ghana and the eastern part of the Brong Ahafo Region around Atebubu is considered as degraded and infertile. This is evidenced in the poor yields of crops particularly cereals.
The most degraded areas are the north-eastern part of the Upper East Region from Navrongo-Bolgatanga to Bawku-Zuarungu and to further east.
Indeed, about 10 per cent of the land mass of sub-Saharan African is considered severely degraded with an additional 10 per cent showing signs of rapid degradation.
It has also been established that 39 per cent of the continent and 65 per cent of agricultural land are affected by desertification and the subsequent lost of land fertility thus affecting the livelihoods of over 60 million people in the continent.
According to a senior soil scientist with the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) at Nyankpala in the Northern Region, Dr Mathias Fosu, the institute had developed many technologies to help farmers improve on soil health.
The technologies include fallow management where some locally adapted leguminous crops such as crotalaria, mucuna and calopogonium have been identified and used as cover crops to increase organic matter and soil nutrients.
Crop rotation systems that increase legumes in the crop system to fix atmospheric nitrogen and improve soil fertility and inter-cropping that allow for targeted fertilisation of cereals within the crop system.
He mentioned other methods as the combination of minimum tillage and the use of plant residues and herbicide to reduce erosion, building of the capacity of farmers in soil and water management and on the selection and appropriate use of mineral and organic fertilisers within an integrated soil management system.
Dr Fosu also explained that his outfit carried out soil tests for farmers and practise it with them on their fields by applying appropriate fertiliser recommendations.
He stated that “good soil quality is the most important link in the agricultural value chain and since most soils, especially in northern Ghana that is considered the bread basket of the country are known to be poor, ensuring good soil quality is key to agricultural production”.
Dr Fosu further claimed that “the work at SARI has been shown to improve yields as crop rotation and inter-cropping has increased cereal yields between 15 and 60 per cent over the monocrop systems”.
A farmer, Mr Afah Tahiru Wumbei of Gbalahigu in the Tolon/Kumbungu District in the Northern Region, said “my colleagues and I have benefited tremendously through the use of these new technologies from SARI as we continue to record increase yields in maize and rice production”.
On the safe usage of fertiliser, Dr Fosu observed that in Ghana and Africa, fertiliser is not the major threat but rather, the practice of cropping without fertiliser referred to as nutrient mining.
The soil scientist, however, stated that farmers were constantly educated on the best practices in fertiliser handling and application.
Dr Fosu acknowledged the importance of partnership to improve on the agricultural sector.
He mentioned funding for technological generation, collaborative research, knowledge sharing, training skills development and exchange of information as some of the areas that could impact positively on the work of SARI.
“The policy changes or shifts needed for SARI to grow include increase in government’s support in the areas of research, capacity building, innovative financing of agriculture and good access to market by farmers,” Dr Fosu said.
Other measures include, increase access and subsidising of fertiliser and credit availability to farmers.
Indeed the problems and solutions in agriculture are not unique to Ghana. The endemic poverty in farming communities in Africa limits the use of improved technologies and inputs in the sector as many governments in Africa often pay lip service to the sector.
The African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) is showing the way in driving change across the agricultural value chain and supporting Africa’s agricultural development through the mobilisation of support from African leaders.
It involves the mapping out of strategies for increase in fertiliser supply, promoting investments and policy support to increase farmers’ incomes and combining public and private sector expertise in the accelerated growth of the sector.
It was, therefore, very refreshing when in April, this year, a $1.54 million project aimed at increasing maize-legume production through up scaling of proven integrated soil fertility for the three northern regions was inaugurated in Tamale.
The three-year project is being funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), an international organisation that seeks to transform small holder agriculture into a highly productive, efficient, sustainable and competitive system while protecting the environment.
The Director-General of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-Ghana), Dr Abdulai Salifu, sums it up when he said, “Any strategy that seeks to turn around the general soil infertility constraint northern Ghana into a resource must be welcome news for our agricultural policy makers and farmers.”
