CAMFED-Ghana, a pan-African movement that supports young women, has established the Agriculture Guide Programme.
The idea was launched in Accra on May 2, 2024.
CAMFED noted that the initiative is part of an attempt to assist community members, particularly women, in establishing and operating sustainable agribusinesses, increasing community resilience to climate change, and ensuring food security.
The CAMFED Agriculture Guide Program targets about 150,000 members and 400,000 school children being reached with climate-smart agricultural education by 2026.
The programme is expected to improve climate resilience, better nutrition, girls thriving in school, and green livelihoods.
The organisation intends to employ a cascade model to recruit and educate Agricultural Guides from the CAMFED Association (CAMA).
These Agricultural Guides will then identify ten other CAMA members in their communities who are “agripreneurs” and mentor them over time.
Following the selection of the ten other CAMA members, they would go into their areas and present Climate-Smart Agriculture information to residents.
Speaking at the launch, National Director of CAMFED-Ghana, Fairuza Safian, disclosed that a curriculum has been developed for use during the program’s implementation.
“We have put together a curriculum, with support from the technical working group coming from research institutions, universities, and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. So, there are various interventions in there, based on what we are experiencing in Ghana – the soil, the water system in Ghana, the rainfall pattern, what kind of seeds people should be farming based on their location, and what they can do to ensure that there will be higher yields. So, these people will share their knowledge with people within the agriculture-value chain to improve their work.”
Speaking on behalf of the Acting Chief Director of MoFA, the Principal Agricultural Officer with the Crop Services Department at MoFA, Kinsley Agyemang, said the ministry remains committed in supporting the initiative.
“The CAMFED Ghana Agriculture Guide Programme is very much aligned with the ministry’s objectives and vision in combating climate change impacts, especially among women and other vulnerable groups. Thus, providing women farmers with practical guidance, tools, and knowledge to adopt climate-smart practices complements our ongoing efforts to empower smallholder farmers, promote sustainable agricultural development, and improve food security.”
He underscored the need for a stakeholder collaboration to improve the outcomes of the programme.
“It is worth indicating that the implementation of this programme will not be without challenges. It will require concerted efforts from all stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector to address any challenge that would hinder the successful implementation of this programme. We must work together to provide CAMFED-Ghana with the necessary support and guidance, to enable them to succeed in this endeavor, to empower Ghanaian women, build resilience of communities, and improve national food security.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
