Area
Economic
Summary (description and reason to be)
Planting for food and jobs is a flagship agricultural campaign of the government, with five implementation modules. The first module PFJ (crops) aims to promote food security and immediate availability of selected food crops on the market and also provide jobs. The programme was officially launched by president of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo on April 19, 2017. The various modules are listed below;
• Food crops (PFJ)
• Planting for export and rural development (PERD)
• Green house technology
• Rearing for food and jobs (RFG)
• Agriculture mechanization services (AMSECs)
The planting for food and jobs motivates farmers to adopt certified seeds and fertilizers. The programme also improves the marketability of the increased food produced for farmers in Ghana. The government of Ghana brought this brilliant initiative to reality because the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has done an intensive survey and realised precisely that the food crops sector is dominated by peasant/small holder farmers whose cropping practices among many are characterized by;
i. Inadequate use of productivity and
ii. Adopting enhance technologies
iii. Weak market linkages.
iv. Inadequate agricultural machinery and including accessibility issues in the country
As these collectively hinder growths in the farm productivity. In response, the Government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) initiated the first flagship module, Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) campaign in 2017 to increase productivity and Youth employment in Ghana.
Target: Vulnerable Group (VG) and/or type of community
Farmers; both peasant and commercial farmers.
Application setting: context
Planting for Food and Jobs revolutionizes agriculture in Ghana. The Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative implemented in the regional-based agricultural zones in the country, like Northern, Upper East, Upper West region etc., where a huge chunk of farming activities take place most often to feed the people/citizens and export. The programme largely targeted and centred on improving the agricultural sector in order to make the industries sustainable and attractive to farmers and the youth.
Objectives
The objectives for planting for Food and Jobs are;
• To serve as food imports substitution;
• To provide jobs opportunities for the teeming unemployed youth in the agriculture sector and the allied sectors;
• To create general awareness for all formal workers and public institutions to farm and establish backyard gardens.
Requirements
Being a Ghanaian-Farmer.
Performance procedures
The project would prioritise all activities necessary to ensure that the project perform well and implemented in accordance with the project implementation principle and guide. There is appropriate and broad stakeholders’ consultation at all levels for the actors involved to do the needful for the success of the project.
Activities
• Creation of public awareness about the PFJ initiative;
• Highly subsidise fertilizer for farmers as at the time of implementation at %50;
• Provision of subsidize at %50 certified seeds;
• Creation of e-agriculture platforms;
• Free extension services to farmers;
• Creation of market opportunities.
Results
The model results show that Ghana’s subsidy programs, particularly PFJ, have contributed substantially to crop output. For example, PFJ contributed to %42.6 to maize output and %44.3 to rice output (17 May, 2020).
Also, success of the PFJ relating to the provision of subsidised certified seeds are as follows;
• Availability of improved seed;
• Accessibility to improved seed;
• Varietal suitability;
• Distribution Marketing.
Strengths
• The country has arable farmland especially in the farming Regions/communities suitable for farming;
• Government support PFJ in terms of financing the entire programme;
• Favourable environmental conditions for the kind of crop we farm in Ghana;
• Availability of cheap labour;
• The existence of practical indigenous knowledge on agricultural practice.
Weaknesses
• Insufficient/lack of broad consultation on the implementation process;
• Inadequate financial services;
• Poor production technologies and rural infrastructure;
• Over reliance on climatic conditions;
• Poor post-harvest management practices and market coordination.
Difficulties or constrains for its implementation
• Complex administrative bureaucracies in seed distribution;
• Unavailable of financial support from banks;
• Inadequate foundation seeds;
• High interest charge on credit;
• Lack of government commitment to support the development of the local seed sector;
• Poor seed uptake by farmers;
• Inadequate foundation seeds;
• Cumbersome registration process;
• Long distance to registration and distribution points;
• Late distribution of seeds and fertilizers in some districts;
• Poor quality of seeds and fertilizers and political interference.
CRITERIA actors or stakeholder are using to assess it as a “good practice”
The criteria actors or stakeholders adopts to assess the PFJ initiatives is that MOFA took account of the views of members of NASTAG and some farmers. Overall, the provision of certified seeds under the PFJ programme has been successful from the perspective of private seed producers. This success stories stretched from improvements in the availability, accessibility, quality and varietal sustainability. The success is however without challenges.
Year and length (duration)
The PFJ implementation plan was for 2017 to 2020 aimed to increase the number of smallholder beneficiary farmers from 200,000 in 2017 to 1.6 million by 2020.
Comments (additional info, remarks)
For government to ensure effective implementation and sustainability of the programme, measures should be put in place to ensure prompt and an effective and timely payments for seed supplied. Government should also consider the views of youth led businesses by engaging them thoroughly throughout the programme.
Government should redirect the focus of the Agricultural Development Bank to its core mandate of giving soft loans to small holder farmers to help boost the agricultural production at the local level.
Government should also consider digitising the extension services because it will promote rapid dissemination of information from the officers on the field to research centers and government institutions responsible for the agricultural sector.
References (Bibliography, URLs, suggested readings)
https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/
ASDEV-Consult Report Written by Shaibu Baanni Azumah (Ph.D.) to National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG)
https://www.proquest.com/
