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Ghana Farm 9172

Navrongo-Bolgatanga Farmer Training Centre

Project Location: Pusu-Namongo, Ghana

This video explains the work of the Farmer Training Centre

Background

The Farmer Training Centre (FTC) is located in Pusu-Namongo, in the Talensi District of Upper East Region of Ghana and operates in the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese. The diocese stretches across a large, rural landscape, with most of its population depending on agriculture for income. Throughout Ghana, government officials from the Ministry of Agriculture are sent to rural locations to aid farmers. This includes training on improving farming practices to become more sustainable and increase yields.

In Ghana, the ratio of officials to farmers is 1:3000;[31] that is for every 3,000 farmers, there is only one government official to provide the training. This ratio worsens in rural areas such as the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese. In 2003, the Diocese established the FTC to help supplement existing government services. While serving the whole community, the Centre focuses on helping marginalised and vulnerable people, such as female-headed households (widows, single mothers), orphans, abandoned children, people with disability and the elderly.


Over the years, however, due to irregular and insufficient funds, the FTC has not been able to maintain its equipment and infrastructure. Although the Centre has always generated modest income through hospitality and agribusiness, these funds have not been enough to sustain itself and its community outreach activities.

  1. Percent of the people in the Talensi District have had no formal schooling
    90

Ghana Farm 9066

A local girl visits a farm in Northern Ghana

About the Project

This project will help the FTC to carry out much-needed repairs and renovations, review its business practices and create more income streams, improving its capacity to make a profit and become self-sustaining.

A key element of the project is to expand and commercialise the FTC’s hospitality and agribusiness services. Along with providing training and education to farmers, the FTC currently has basic accommodation and catering facilities, which, with renovation and a new management approach, will open new business opportunities. Strategically situated just outside the town of Bolgatanga, and with facilities to host and cater local business functions, the FTC has the potential to grow its enterprise in this space.

Another innovative element of the project is the FTC mushroom farm. Although in its early days, the mushroom farm is already proving to be a success, growing exotic mushrooms to sell to markets and high-end restaurants in Accra, Kumasi and other cities in the south.

In these ways, the farm itself will become a model centre for training and community development as well as a learning facility for farmers, students, business people and local institutions. With its projected increased revenue, trainers from the FTC will be able to carry on the outreach services, travelling to meet the most vulnerable people, who are unable to make the journey to the Centre. Through this project, the FTC is aiming to become self-sustaining, allowing it to continue its much-needed and valuable outreach work and farmer training for many years to come.

Ghana Farm 9235

A local farming woman

Project Aims

Targeting the entire population of the diocese, this project has the potential to help thousands of people. Overall it is aiming to:

• Contribute to addressing the long-term livelihood and food security needs of vulnerable people across the diocese, including 749 female single-headed households, 22 women with disability and 27 men with disability.

• Contribute to the empowerment and capacity building of local communities, by providing agricultural training and assistance services to 1,665 rural farmers over three years.

• Contribute to the financial and institutional sustainability of the FTC.

• Help reduce poverty in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

How you can make a difference

By contributing to this project through Catholic Mission, you will be helping communities across the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese to achieve long-term food security and sustainable livelihoods. In supporting this project, you will contribute to the FTC and its efforts to become self-sustaining. With the ongoing outreach of the FTC, your generosity will be multiplied as the project continues to touch the lives of thousands in northern Ghana.

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