Mr. Rasheed Imoro, Nabdam District Director of Agriculture, has raised concerns about logistical challenges hindering effective agricultural extension services in the district.
He warned that the situation threatened the success of key government initiatives, including the Feed Ghana programme, and must be addressed to facilitate the full implementation of the programme.
The Director made the remarks when he addressed farmers, traditional authorities, and development partners at the district’s celebration of the 41st National Farmers’ Day at Nangodi, the district’s capital.
Mr Imoro said although the district had a few extension officers at post, the lack of logistics and mobility remained a major obstacle to effective field operations.
“Inadequate extension officers is already a challenge, but the bigger problem is logistics. Even the few officers we have cannot function effectively without the necessary tools and support. Agriculture activities require field presence, farmer engagement, and constant monitoring, and without logistics, this becomes nearly impossible,” he emphasised.
Despite these constraints, he said the Agriculture Department, in collaboration with partners, including the Food Systems Resilience Programme, Institute of Tropical Agriculture, NABCADO, the University for Development Studies, Trax-Ghana, among others, continued to roll out essential agricultural technologies across the district.
According to him, a total of 20 on-farm demonstrations were conducted in 20 communities, directly benefiting 1,500 smallholder farmers.
These demonstrations, he said, covered improved crop varieties, pest and disease control, soil and water conservation, post-harvest management, and the rearing of guinea pigs.
“These technologies are designed not only to increase productivity of our local food system but to build the resilience of farmers to secure long-term sustainability,” he said.
Mr Imoro also highlighted the need to promote local food consumption to address persistent malnutrition despite the abundance of nutrient-rich indigenous foods.
He said 1,112 women were trained this year in food processing and value addition to improve household nutrition and ensure that local foods become more palatable and acceptable.
Touching on the government’s Feed Ghana programme, he emphasized the need for farmers to organise into farmer-based organisations (FBOs) to qualify for support under the initiative.
He disclosed that 183 FBOs had been registered but described the number as “woefully inadequate.”
“Individual farmers cannot access the benefits of the Feed Ghana programme. You must belong to a registered FBO or cooperative before you can benefit,” he stressed.
Mr Imoro thanked all development partners for their support and announced that Trax-Ghana would soon commission a seed bank at Gunduor to improve access to quality indigenous seeds and enhance food sovereignty in the district.
Mr Francis Yenwona Tobig, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Nabdam, acknowledged the many challenges confronting farmers, including the high cost of inputs, limited access to finance, poor roads, climate change, and inadequate market access.
He said government was responding through the newly launched Feed Ghana flagship programme, which seeks to boost production, create jobs, and strengthen agricultural value chains.
Mr Tobig said the Assembly was also undertaking key development projects to support the sector, including a 24-hour economy market at Pelungu, construction of an animal pen at Nangodi to prevent crop destruction by stray animals, new classroom blocks, a maternity ward, mechanised boreholes, sanitation facilities, and completion of the Kongo slaughterhouse.
He urged the youth and women to embrace agriculture and emerging opportunities, warning young people to avoid drug abuse and illegal mining, which undermined their future and community well-being.
Naab Adongo Mustapha, the Chief of the Dasabiligo community, emerged as the Best District Farmer and was awarded a motor tricycle (Motor King). The first runner-up, Ntal Tule, received a motorbike, while the second runner-up, Yaribil Nabire, was also presented with a motorbike.
Source: Access Agric
