Organised by the SAIRLA Ghana National Learning Alliance (GH-NLA), the dialogue aimed at influencing policy or programmes on alternative protein feed sources and encouraging development partners and donors to invest in these feed sources.

The workshop comes on the background of the ever-increasing demand for meat, which far exceeds supply in the face of a growing population in the country.

The knowledge-sharing workshop offered the opportunity for three PhD students under the CABI-Sterling University-CSIR collaborative research project to present some of their research findings for further discussions and to stimulate social learning among stakeholders and participants.

The three looked at topics: Black Soldier Fly Larvae meal as alternative protein feed source: Assessment for farmers’ willingness to pay and implications for broiler production in Ghana, Production of black soldier fly larvae using organic waste substances and Using house fly larvae as alternate protein source in poultry feed: Health and safety implications in Ghana.

Professor Emmanuel K. Adu, the Director of the Animal Research Institute under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, underscored the importance of such innovative researches to the development of the livestock sector.

He said it was time to make available such important works, such as the one on alternative protein field sources, to farmers for early adoption and to help in addressing the challenges on the field.

“It is high time we rose as scientists to address it or else, we become irrelevant. The Agriculture Research Institute (ARI) is making itself more relevant to you by addressing issues that confront our livestock farmers- bringing innovations, making production more efficient than we have seen,” he said.

Prof Adu said innovative researches could help reverse the tide of the unbridled importation of meat products into the country as it could help local producers to boost production.

“Local producers have done it in the past and I believe with adequate support they could reverse the unfortunate trend of heavy reliance on imported meat by becoming competitive,” he said.

Participants stressed the need for increased awareness backed with evidence to increase the prospects for early adoption and investment.

There is also the need for legislation and regulation as well as policy support for further research into the alternative sources.

The SAIRLA-GH-NLA is working together with relevant stakeholders to identify the different policies and mechanisms that could provide smallholder farmers, including women and young people, with better access to resources and information relating to Sustainable

Agricultural Intensification (SAI) in crops, livestock and fisheries subsectors.

Based on the above, the SAIRLA GH-NLA has identified three key themes, including Pesticides Use, Gender and Climate Smart Agricultural Investment and Alternative protein feed sources for social learning.