Building a resilient agricultural sector in Northern Ghana through community involvement

Tamale, 16 April 2025 – A delegation from the European Union, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations visited beneficiary communities under the European Union Food Security Response in Northern Ghana Project. The communities visited included Kablipe, Lingbinkura, Old Buipe, Nwampe, and Sankpala in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region. The visit reaffirmed the European Union, the Government of Ghana and FAO’s commitment to strengthening Ghana’s agriculture sector through community engagement aimed at bolstering food security. 

As part of the mission, the team observed a mass vaccination exercise against Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) for small ruminants in Kablipe and Lingbinkura communities. PPR also known as sheep and goat plague, is a highly contagious animal disease affecting small ruminants. Once introduced, the virus can infect up to 90 per cent of an animal heard, and the disease kills anywhere from 30 to 70 per cent of infected animals. Eradicating PPR is crucial to protect the livelihoods of smallholder farmers who depend on sheep and goats for food and income. It also enhances food security and strengthens rural economies.

In addition, the delegation visited Old Buipe, Nwampe, and Sankunde communities as part of a validation exercise aimed at engaging directly with project beneficiaries to assess the impact of support received and gather insights on current needs, particularly after the dry spell. 

Under the European Union Food Security Response in Northern Ghana project, these communities have benefited from a range of interventions, including the provision of improved maize seeds, foundation seeds of sorghum and millet, and training in Good Agronomic Practices (GAPs) to promote sustainable cultivation. Beneficiaries have also received support in post-harvest management and training in livestock and poultry production. The communities expressed their heartfelt appreciation to the team for the support, which has significantly improved their food security and livelihoods.

During their visit to the Central Gonja District, the delegation also visited a warehouse used by beneficiary communities to store their harvests from the 2024 planting season. Farmers used Purdue Improved Crop Storage bags to protect their crops from pest damage and to secure better prices from buyers.

To strengthen coordination and ensure effective delivery, a Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was held in Tamale. The meeting brought together a delegation from the European Union, FAO, the senior leadership at MoFA, Regional and District Directors of Agriculture from the six targeted districts, as well as implementing partners. To support implementation at the grassroots level, six motorbikes were handed over by the EU and FAO to MoFA to facilitate the work of Agricultural Extension Agents assisting farmers in their communities. The PSC reviewed the project’s key deliverables for 2024 to assess progress, identify challenges, and align strategies to achieve targets for 2025.

During the meeting, Mr. Massimo Mina, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Ghana, emphasized that the €10 million support represents the commitment and solidarity of the EU and its Member States to boost rural agriculture and support vulnerable livelihoods in Ghana in the face of rising food insecurity and the climate crisis.

Priya Gujadhur, interim FAO Representative in Ghana, highlighted the importance of the meeting and the key role of the committee in providing guidance to ensure the project's success. According to her, “regular meetings of the committee are key to ensuring alignment with the objectives of this project as well as ensuring the sustainable impact of the interventions.” She further emphasized that strengthening market integration remains a key driver for sustaining the gains achieved through the project.

Kwasi Etu Bonde, Chief Technical Advisor at MoFA, expressed his gratitude, saying, “The Government of Ghana appreciates the EU and our ever-reliable partner, the FAO, for coming in at a time when there is a pressing need to refocus food systems to deliver on food and nutrition security in line with the Feed Ghana programme.” The meeting approved the 2025 project work plan for implementation. 

About the EU Food Security Response Project:

In 2023, the European Union launched a €10 million Food Security Response Project in Northern Ghana, in partnership with FAO and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA). The project aims to support over 50,000 smallholder farmers affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, and increasing climate variability. In early 2024, maize seeds, sorghum foundation seeds, and millet foundation seeds, along with NPK and urea fertilizers, were distributed to over 12,262 smallholder farmers to support the 2024 planting season. In August 2024, the Government of Ghana sought support for a prolonged dry spell, which has severely impacted agricultural activities, particularly in Northern Ghana. The EU Food Security Response Project in collaboration with FAO and the Government of Ghana, is accelerating efforts to mitigate the effects of the dry spell. The project will focus on boosting livestock and poultry production, promoting dry-season vegetable cultivation, offering alternative livelihoods to the affected farmers, and building resilience against future climate shocks.