Author: Sefakor
Dr. Daniel Masaba is a chicken farmer who owns one of the biggest poultry farms in East Africa after he left his former medical doctor profession to venture into full-time chicken farming. According to an interview he had with Youtuber, Wode Maya, it was such a difficult decision he made as poultry farming is regarded as a job for the poor. Daniel has been farming for the last five years after starting with about 800 chickens on his father’s piece of land. He currently owns 400 acres of land housing more than 20,000 chickens, over 150 cattle, over 750 goats…
Poultry farming business is one of the sectors many experts have predicted as a cash cow for investors due to the high demand for poultry products, especially chicken and eggs. However, the sector has been struggling to grow in Ghana with about 85% of farms collapsing, according to the poultry farmers association of Ghana. While sharing best practices on how to make the best out of a poultry farm as a business venture, the Municipal Agric Director, Amenfi West, Patience Amoah Frimpong has shared some tips to help farmers make generate enough revenue from the business. While granting an interview…
Every year, smallholder farmers in Africa suffer yield losses due to changes in timing and length of growing period – a phenomenon induced by changes in rainfall and water availability for irrigation. When farmers record low yields, it is not only their livelihoods that are affected, but the food security, nutritional balance, and an entire value chain of a nation could be plagued and disrupted. Africa’s arable land With Africa possessing more 60 per cent of the world’s arable lands and agriculture employing about 65 per cent of African workers, the sector is key to the continent’s transformation, economic…
Farmers in Ahanta West District of the Western Region have been counting their massive gains through maize production, thanks to some three varieties of maize seedlings. According to a teacher and the team lead for the Ahanta West Maize Growers and Buyers Association, Osagyefo, after introducing the three hybrid seedlings known as Lake, Pioneer and Pannar, farmers in the area have increased their yields about five times of what they used to get in past using local maize seedlings. “In 2010, my school had a national Best Agricultural Farm award and I was introduced to Panna maize seedlings and I…
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has emphasized the need for government to engage with farmers directly in order to help them take advantage of existing opportunities in the agriculture sector as well as create new ones through engagements. In an address at the third edition of a national dialogue under the auspices of the Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers, National Facilitator of Forest and Farm Facility, Elvis Kuudaar, indicated that it is time for the relevant government agencies to share information with farmers on developing actionable plans to help farmers survive climate change. He…
Ghana Poultry Farmers Association has blamed the high importation of poultry products in Ghana on the collapse of over 85% majority of poultry farms in the country. According to the President of the Ashanti Regional Poultry Farmers Association, Boris Baidoo the collapsed farms were unable to bear the cost of production as it keeps going up. “Look at the imports we make into our country which has collapsed 85% of our poultry farms at this moment in the county. The poultry industry is collapsing, people are unable to grow more birds, those of us who are still in the industry…
Enyonam Manye, host of the Ghanaian Farmer TV Show has been selected as one of the ten outstanding individuals to receive the 2023 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders award. This prestigious award from the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) recognizes young professionals who have shown exceptional skills and leadership potential in agricultural journalism and communications. The Young Leaders will be recognized at the 2023 IFAJ in Canada, in June. They will participate in a special Boot Camp prior to the congress, which will include leadership and skills training as well as farm visits in Alberta, Canada. The IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders award,…
The prices of tomatoes at local markets have skyrocketed to astronomical levels lately. For instance, a box of tomatoes that was sold at ¢600 earlier this year now goes for ¢2,500. Importers of the product attribute the surge in prices to the high exchange rate of the CFA Franc and the activities of the militant group, ‘Boko Haram’, who they said have been attacking both farmers and importers. According to a report by myjoyonline, some traders in tomato markets within the Kumasi metropolis confirmed the situation. A retailer at Race Course Market, stated that the same quantity of tomato fruits…
The comment section of a Facebook post sharing a success story of some students of the University of Cape Coast was filled with congratulatory messages with some subscribers saying agriculture is the surest way to reduce graduate unemployment in Ghana. Mr. Ackah Jr. is a strong advocate for agribusiness and home gardening wrote on Facebook: “These are Level 400 Agribusiness students from the University of Cape Coast. As part of their students’ enterprise project, they decided to go into vegetable production and sell it to the general public. This is their first harvest and it was all joy. One of…
As part of its activities under the EU LEAN project in the high forest ecological zone of Ghana, Rainforest Alliance has trained selected farmers on alternative livelihoods such as pig farming, beekeeping, cabbage farming, snail farming, and others. Dorcas Amoah, a farmer and beneficiary who also serves as the Vice Chairman of LMB in Sefwi Wiawso and Bopa Community, where Rainforest Alliance is implementing the project dubbed ‘The Landscapes and Environmental Agility across the Nation’ (LEAN), commended the efforts to improve the livelihoods of people in the Western North region. The LEAN project, funded by the European Union for four…