Agriculture Extension Agents from 18 districts in the Northern Region have received training on the Climate Change Mitigation programme, called “Food for Life” (F4L).
The initiative, developed by Climate Change think thank from different institutions in the country seeks to disseminate strategies mapped out through the participants to farmers to increase agricultural production in vulnerable communities with the advent of changes in climatic conditions and their effects.
Dr Richard Yeboah of the Department of Agribusiness Management and Finance University for Development Studies said F4L had been designed to improve linkages between research and farm household practices in vulnerable communities through dissemination and adoption of climate resilient technologies.
The two-day workshop was organised by Community Life Improvement Programme in Tamale.
Dr Yeboah said: “This initiative is also to provide
food-insecure-farmer-households with opportunities to improve their household food security situation through Climate Change adaptation strategies for farming and protection of agricultural assets and livelihood activities.”
Dr Yeboah explained that 60 per cent of farmers in 30 communities were still glued to local farming strategies in their effort to address Climate Change adding that, “The trends need to be modified to suit the current weather conditions to improve smallholder farmers’ capacity to adapt to Climate Change for sustainable livelihoods and to promote best practices”.
As part of the project, there would be awareness creation on Climate Change and its effects, testing and promoting innovations, building concerted efforts to tackle climate variation issues through dialogue with farmers among others.
Mr James M. Kombiok of the Savannah Agriculture Research Institute said some farmers often get low yields at the end of the farming season because most crop seeds used were not of good quality.
He advised that seed viability should be checked before planting.
“This can be done by conducting germination test 10 days prior to planting in order to ensure good plant stand,” he explained. “Only seeds with germination of 85 per cent or greater should be used for planting.”
Mr Kombiok said currently the majority of farmers were planting food grains bought in the market or grain retained from their produce which often resulted in low crop yields.
He said farmers could get bumper harvest when they used improved seeds to counteract the changing weather pattern.