CREATING HIGHER YIELDS FOR THE POOR:Empowering farmers in the field

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Co-Chair Melinda French Gates recently visited PASS grantees and partners in Ghana. The visit was a rare opportunity to demonstrate progress of work on the PASS value chain and how it is delivering impact in farmers’ fields.

The visit began at the Crops Research Institute (CRI), Kwadaso Station, where CRI Director Hans Adu-Dapaah told Mrs. Gates how the grants awarded to the institute enabled the development of improved varieties of maize, rice, cowpeas, groundnuts and cassava. The CRI maize breeder, Manfred Ewool, explained how farmer-preferred traits were bred into the hybrid maize variety (Etubi) using farmer participatory techniques. Richard Akromah of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology and Eric Danquah (West African Center for Crop Improvement) discussed capacity building in research through training of MSc and PhD students.

Mrs. Gates also visited the premises of Hannah Boakye, a female agro-dealer in Offinso. Dr. Makinde gave an overview of how the other components of the value chain connects to crop breeding to ensure seeds reach the farmers’ fields thus ensuring increased productivity and incomes for smallholder farmers. Dr. Kapran discussed AGRA’s support for 5 start-up seed enterprises. The seed companies were represented by M&B Seed Company at Ho and Alpha Seed Company, Kumasi. He spoke about the proposed establishment of the West Africa Agricultural Investment Fund (WAAIF) and explained how seed production and seed management experts are helping seed companies grow viable businesses.

Ghana Agro-Input Dealers Association Vice-President Mrs. Afia Nyatakyi provided more insights on their work on building pipelines of input delivery. She registered the association’s gratitude and presented Mrs. Gates with the Directory of Agro-input Dealers in Ghana. Mrs. Hannah Boakye said she has benefited from the agri-inputs trade after losing her job as a cleaner and shop attendant with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in 1988. Her experience with MoFA and as a new agrodealer paid off as farmers grew accustomed to her. She has since built her own shops, lives in her own house and finances her children’s education. Farmers explained how improved seeds and other inputs have enhanced their productivity and income. The agro-dealers and local farmers described the big difference that the new hybrid (Etubi) brought to them describing it as higher yielding, drought tolerant and as giving tastier food.

Mrs. Gates also visited the Kuapa Kooko Business Development Center implemented by CNFA and the Farmer Business School near Asakrakra implemented by GTZ.