The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), a nonprofit public international organization, has reaffirmed its commitment to developing appropriate technologies and practices to enhance and sustain food security and agricultural output.
It said the surge in global population required sustainable food production practices, therefore the organisation had resolved to contribute to healthier soils and plants for a more food-secure and environmentally sustainable world.
Mr James Thigpen, the Global Corporate Communications Manager of IFDC emphasised this during the 2024 Open Door and IFDC Global event to commemorate the organisation’s 50th anniversary of supporting global agriculture.
In the last 50 years, the Centre has been focused on promoting relevant technologies, soil fertility management, crop productivity, agricultural value chains, market information systems, and supportive policy on both public and private sector development in the agriculture sector.
“Good soil health has answers to mitigate against the threat of climate change, ensuring prosperous livelihoods for all and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Mr Thigpen.
He argued that achieving impact at scale required research and technology tailored to smallholder needs that went beyond technological development.
According to Mr Thigpen, the IFDC and its partners, as part of their 2020 to 2030 global strategy, would work across the discovery-to-consumer system to ensure food security.
Dr. Bocar Diagana, Director of the IFDC Enabling Impact Program, stated that the organisation was committed to supporting the agricultural transformation agenda in Ghana and across the continent.
He stated that the Centre, which began operations in the country in 2002, had been working with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to boost agricultural output.
“IFDC has supported the development and deployment of innovative fertilizer data access tools, including the Ghana Fertilizer Dashboard, which was developed by the organization’s AfricaFertilizer initiative, in cooperation with Development Gateway, an IREX Venture, with funding from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” he said.
At the request of the Ghanaian government, Dr Diagana stated that the Fertilizer Research and Responsible Implementation project established the Fertilizer Platform Ghana to bring stakeholders together to address difficulties in the fertilizer and soil health sectors.
He recalled that the IFDC had already invested over 22 million Cedis in the country through project implementation, which impacted the lives of farmers and other stakeholders.
Mr Michael Owusu, Deputy Chair of the National Fertilizer Council, said IFDC support had significantly lowered fertilizer smuggling by 70 per cent.
“Every year they support us with a technical team to advise us on the fertilizer management, research, pricing, and other cost elements. Their recommendations have never failed us,” he said.
Prof. Paul P. Bosu, Deputy Director-General (DG) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), said Ghana’s soil map had been changed from analogue to digital with IFDC support.
That, he said, had provided experts adequate knowledge and understanding of various soil types in the country.
Prof Bosu said by converting soil maps of Ghana from analogue to digital formats and making them available online, “we in CSIR believe that we are on course towards helping the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) build a more modern agricultural system for Ghana.”
The IFDC is implementing four major projects in Ghana: Toward Sustainable Clusters in Agribusiness through Learning in Entrepreneurship, Fertilizer Research and Responsible Implementation, Feed the Future Enhancing Growth through Regional Agricultural Input Systems project for West Africa, and AfricaFertilizer initiative.
Source: GNA
