SUBMITTED BY:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
14 JULY, 2022
INTRODUCTION
One of the major constraint posed to effective agricultural development is weak linkages between research and extension in many developing countries. To enable various stakeholders, share ideas on how to improve on the weak linkages existing between research institutions and extension agencies in the country, lead to the creation of Research-Extension-Farmer Linkage Committees (RELCs) to serve as an interface between the National Agricultural Research System and the National Agricultural Extension System. Their primary purpose is to create a bridge between research, extension, farmers and agribusiness and other stakeholders along the Agricultural value chain. It is also to encourage active participation, enhance interaction and bring decision making in technology development and dissemination closer to farmers and agribusiness. The RELC have since made reasonable progress towards the achievement of the objectives for which it was created. It has since become mandatory for all Agricultural departments in the country to organize RELC planning sessions annually to discuss activities and identify constraints within the sector, the possible causes of such challenges and come up with possible solutions to address them.
The department of Agriculture in the New Jauben North Municipal in line with these objectives conducted this year’s R.E.L.C. planning session at the Municipal Assembly hall. A cross section of stakeholders in the rural development and the agricultural sector in and out of the Municipal were convened to deliberate on issues challenging Agriculture development and the way forward. The session begun with arrival and registration of participants. It continued with a brief self-introduction of all stakeholders. A word of prayer was said by a participant Mr. Peter Tetteh Botwe. The Acting Dept. Director of Agriculture Mr. William Akrofi Asiedu welcomed all participants and encourage all to contribute effectively towards the success of the program. He explained to participants the reason for the meeting. Hon. Comfort Asante, the Municipal Chief Executive in her opening remarks edged participants to bring out all constraints facing them in their area of work and encouraged them to fully participate in all activities for day. The regional Agriculture department were represented by Mad. Stella Ampiah, Mr. Solomon Attipo, Mr. David Nyavor and Mr. Asiedu Appiah. Teams from the Upper Maya Krobo Rural Bank and Ghana Enterprise Agency educated participants on the services they provide to client and how they can also benefit from these facilities.
ZONAL RELC MEETING
Small focus group discussions were conducted in all the four Agricultural zones in the Municipality to identify stakeholder constraints to reduce the number of participants at main RELC panning session. All identified constraints listed, during the focus group discussions were compiled and presented to participants.
IMAGES FROM THE ZONAL RELC SESSIONS
PRESENTATION ON PREVIOUS RELC CONSTRAINTS
The first part of the presentation highlighted on the key constraints identified during previous year’s RELC session, the activities implemented to resolve identified constraints and outcomes or achievements attained. Success stories recorded to key issues identified during the previous year’s RELC are outlined in the table 1.0 below
KEY ACTIVITIES PLANNED & IMPLEMENTED TO RESOLVE PREVIOUS YEARS RELC CONSTRAINT TABLE
1.0
| key Constraints Identified During Previous Years RELC Session`
|
key Activities Planned to Resolve Identified Constraints
|
key Activities
Implemented to Resolve Identified Constraints
|
Outcomes/
Achievements
|
| Maize
Removal of Seeds
|
§ To conduct demonstrations with farmers on the depth of planting. § To Advise farmers to erect scare crows in their farms § To educate farmers to engage in timely planting. § To educate farmers on application of seed dressers before planting
|
Farmers were trained to:
§ Plant at good planting depth. § Erect scare crows in farms § Engage in Good Agricultural practices (Timely planting) § Apply seed dressers to seeds before planting.
|
§ After the implementation, removal of seeds by birds and other predators have been minimized § Germination problems associated with removal of seeds have been reduced. § There have been increased in plant population resulting in increased yield and income.
|
| Cassava
Stunted growth
|
§ To advice farmers to apply fertilizers to improve status of soil nutrients. § To educate farmers to practices Climate Smart Agriculture. § To advise farmers to use improved seeds
|
§ Farmers were educated on: § Application of fertilizers (organic & inorganic) § Timely planting § Use of improved seeds § Crop rotation. § Planting cover crops (leguminous plants) § Application of manure and compost to improve soil texture. § Soil conservation practices.
|
§ Farmers who adopted the technologies have healthy maize farms and high yields
|
| Cassava
Curly and leaf distortion
|
§ Training of farmers to use improved planting materials. § Training of farmers to practice farm sanitation. § Practice crop rotation
|
Farmers were trained to: • Select and plant healthy, disease resistance cassava varieties eg. Bankyehemaa, Tekbankye, Ampong etc. • Practice farm sanitation.
|
§ Through technical advice and demonstrations, farmers now plant disease free and disease resistance planting material and now harvest healthy roots. § |
| Cassava
Tuber rot
|
§ To train farmers to use healthy and disease free planting material. § To advise farmers to adopt good agronomic practices (GAPS).
§ Educate farmers to select and plant disease resistant.
§ To advise farmers not plant in water logging areas. |
Farmers were trained to:
§ Select and plant healthy, disease resistant cassava varieties eg. Ampong Bankyehemaa, Tekbankye, etc.
§ Adopt good agronomic practices
|
§ Farmers who adhered to training guidelines have their farms free from cassava root rot
|
| Okra
Fruits Blight Black spots on leaves
|
• Educate farmers to plant at wide space to avoid overlapping of leaves. • Educate farmers to mulch to create a barrier between the soil and the plant. • Plant improved seeds. • Advice farmers to harvest fruits while they are small. • Educate farmers to practice farm sanitation.
|
• Carried out farm visits to advised farmers to avoid extracting own seeds and purchase improved seeds • Carried out soil conservation practices with farmers. • Recommended to farmers the use of organic fertilizers. • Apply recommended fungicides e.g Dithane m45 at early stage when identified • Crop rotation
|
Farmers are applying more organic fertilizers(compost)
• Practicing split fertilizer application • Applying recommended pesticides has resulted in controlling the leaf curl disease
|
| Cabbage
Worm infestation and Snail Infestation (slugs)
|
Farmers will be educated to:
• Apply recommended pesticides to control worms in cabbage. • Practice good sanitation • Bait slugs
|
Farmers were trained to:
• Apply recommended pesticides. • Practice good farm sanitation • Baiting and trapping of snails.
|
Cabbage worm and snails infestation have been minimized on the field.
|
|
Inactive birds Pox on the face Newcastle disease
|
• Farmers will be educate to: • Provide proper feeding and vaccination routine. • Vaccinate birds against • fowl pox , • Newcastle and other poultry diseases.
|
Farmers were educated to:
• Provide proper feeding and vaccination routine for birds. • Vaccinate birds against fowl pox , • Practice good hygiene • Vaccinate birds against Newcastle and other poultry diseases |
Birds that were vaccinated are healthy. Most farmers have healthy birds for adopting proper vaccination protocols.
|
|
Marketing and Storage Facilities
|
• Sensitization and training of farmers no FBOs formation
• Home visits to advise on storage facility construction • Training on the use of hermetic bags
|
Farmers were educated to:
• Assess market information and produce to meet a target market. • Strengthen the existing FBOs. • Interlinked market information from near- by markets • Demonstrated to farmers on the use of hermetic bags for storing grains. • Advised farmers to construct cribs
|
• Some FBOs have been strengthened and have
enhanced access to market information • More farmers are into the use of hermetic bags than previous years. • Some farmers have Constructed cribs
|
VISIT TO DISEASE FREE CABBAGE FARMS
GROUP WORK AND PRESENTATION
Participants were grouped into six for further identification of constraints to be compiled at the RELC session. The problems identified were then prioritized under selected commodities using set criteria. They analyzed the causes underlying the major problems and possible solutions. The problems were then categorized as researchable, policy or requiring action from extension services. Each of the, constrains depending on the action to be taken and by whom were put in a tabular form as shown in table 2 below. The various groups after their group work made presentations for further deliberations.
2.0 CEREALS AND LEGUMES
| COMMODITY | PROBLEMS | POSSIBLE CAUSES | POSSIBLE
SOLUTION |
EXT. |
RES. |
POLICY |
| Maize | Fall army worm infestation
|
· Fall army worm attack | · Application of recommended pesticides such as Agoo, Adepa, Gro- safe organic pest control
|
√ | √ | |
| Beans | No fruiting
Flower abortion |
· Aphids / white flies infestation
· High level of nutrients in the soil (Nitrogen) · Excessive rain. · The use of non-resistance seeds. |
· Spray with recommended chemicals
· Plant on recommended soil · Plant improved seeds |
√ |
3.0 VEGETABLES
| COMMODITY | PROBLEMS | POSSIBLE CAUSES | POSSIBLE
SOLUTION |
EXT. |
RES. |
GOVT POLICY |
| Pepper
|
Leaf curl
|
· Bad agricultural practices at the nursery sites.
· White flies/aphids infestation. · Viral attack. · Inadequate soil nutrient. · Soil borne diseases. · Planting of infested seeds. |
· Avoid planting in waterlogged areas.
· Planting on raised beds and ridges. · Creating gullies to drain excess water. · Practice GAPs at nursery sites · Practice crop rotation · Application of recommended chemical · Plant improved seeds |
√ |
√ |
| Okra | Leave curl | · Virus transmitted by whiteflies.
· Planting of infested seeds.
|
· Planting of improved seeds.
· Timely application with recommended chemical. · Removal and destruction of infested plants. · Trap whiteflies. · Practice farm sanitation. |
√ |
√ |
|
| Yellowing of leaves | · Untimely planting.
· Planting in moist conditions. · Soil nutrient deficiency · Excessive rainfall · The quality of seed used · Continuous cropping · Soil type (sandy) · Type of land preparation (burning)
|
· Use of appropriate chemicals.
· Timely planting. · Good Agricultural Practices.
|
√
√ |
√ |
| Cabbage | Leaves turn brown and die gradually
Hardening of mature leaves |
· Excessive rainfall.
· Fungal attack. · Insect attack. · Use of poor seeds. |
· Adopt good nursery management practices. Planting on raised beds.
· Planting on ridges. · Construct gullies to remove excess water from the farm. · Application of appropriate fungicide. · Netting can be used to prevent white flies laying eggs into the plant before transplanting. |
√ |
√ |
|
| Pepper | Dropping of leaves
Wilting prior to flowering |
· Pest & disease infestation
· Water stress. · Planting of poor seeds. |
· Spray with recommended chemical
· Timely irrigation. · Use improve seeds. |
√ |
4.0 FRUIT & TREE CROPS
| COMMODITY | PROBLEMS | POSSIBLE CAUSE | POSSIBLE SOLUTION | EXT. | RES. | POLICY |
| Coconut | PERD coconut seedlings not received. | · PERD coconut seedlings not yet in.
|
· Distribute coconut seedlings to farmers by the Municipal Assembly
|
√
|
|
√ |
| Sour sap | Wilting prior to flowering | · | · | |||
| Mango | White spots on leaves
Fruit drop |
· Varietal type
· Insect infestation |
· Buy from a recommended source.
· Apply recommended chemical.
|
|
√ |
5.0 ROOT AND TUBER CROPS
|
Cassava
|
· Rotten of matured roots
Stunted growth |
• Poor sanitation • Diseased planting material
• Fungi/ bacterial infestation • late harvesting of tubers • Untimely planting. |
· Good farm management practices. Planting resistance cassava varieties eg. Bankyehemaa, Tekbankye, Ampong etc.
· Spray with recommended chemicals · Practice crop rotation
· Avoid planting in waterlogged areas · Harvest when root is physiologically matured · Practice farm sanitation. · Crop Rotation · Planting early maturing varieties |
√ |
√ |
|
|
COCOYAM
|
Yellowish leaves
|
· Delayed harvest · Using diseased planting material · Planting in a waterlogged area · Late harvesting. · Drought Soil type |
· Planting improved varieties. · Planting early maturing varieties · Avoid planting in waterlogged areas · Harvest roots when is physiologically matured |
√
|
√ ü |
|
| Taro | Improved variety not well cook
|
· Delayed harvest.
· Drought.
· Varietal type |
· Planting improved varieties that cook well.
· Planting early maturing varieties · Avoid planting in waterlogged areas · Harvest roots when is physiologically matured
|
| PLANTAIN | Lodging of plants. | · Use of infested suckers.
· Sources of planting material · Excessive wind |
· Paring of suckers before planting.
· Good Agricultural Practices. · Use of appropriate insecticides. · Plant short variety materials. · Practice staking |
√ | √
|
6.0 POULTRY & LIVESTOCK
| COMMODITY | PROBLEMS | POSSIBLE CAUSES | POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS | EXT. | RES | POLICY |
| Pig | Paralysis | · Malnutrition
· Worm infestation · Ecto parasites · Anemia · Trauma |
· Deworming
· Proper feeding & clean water · Good husbandry practices |
√ | ||
| Pig | Poor growth rate | · Poor feed/feeding
· Type of breed · Poor or inadequate medication |
· Proper feeding & clean water
· Deworming · Good husbandry practices · Follow routine medication
|
√ | ||
| Pig | Not able to conceive | · Disease
· Improper medication and feeding of animals. · Type of breed |
· Call for Veterinary services
Feed animals required nutrients feeding.
|
√ | √ | |
| Small ruminants
|
Mange | · ectoparasite
· (Mange Mites) · |
· Call for veterinary service
· |
| Poultry (layers) | Mortality at 6 weeks | · Gumboro disease.
· Exposing birds to stress conditions. Eg, thirst, heat, overcrowding. · Frequent removal of saw dust |
· Follow vaccination regime.
· Avoid stress conditions |
√ |
7.0 CROSS CUTTING ISSUES
| PROBLEMS | POSSIBLE
CAUSES |
POSSIBLE
SOLUTION |
EXT | RES | POLICY |
| Lack of marketing centers | · Inadequate information to link buyers
· Lack of farmers market. · Control price |
· Creation of E-platforms
· Government should buy produce · Creation of farmers market and standardization of commodities · Government intervention |
√
|
√
|
|
| . Unable to
purchase farm inputs |
· High inflation rate
· High cost of Agric inputs |
· Government should subsidize inputs |
|
√ | |
| Land use.
|
· Rapid urbanization
· Inadequate farm lands.
|
Policy formulation on proper land use. |
|
|
√ |
| Cattle destroying crop farms
|
· Herdsmen sending cattle to graze on crop farms
|
· Intervention by Municipal Assembly
|
√ |
CONCLUSION
The regional team in their closing remarks was grateful for a presentation well done and edged participants to adopt information and technologies disseminated by the department of Agriculture to reap their full benefits associated with them. The Municipal director of Agriculture, Mr. William Asiedu Akrofi told participants that the department of Agriculture will plan appropriate trainings to take care of challenges that require action from extension services. Those that demand research solutions, will also be dealt with as required. Again, he mentioned that proper monitoring will be done to ascertain that trainings are well implemented as planned. He entreated them to take their various enterprises very serious to improve their livelihoods and also to ensure food security in Ghana and the world as a whole. He encouraged all to help in making farming attractive to the youth. Finally, he expressed his profound gratitude to all stakeholders for participating in this year’s RELC session and commended the participants for their inputs which brought out challenges associated with their work. He wished them well in all their endeavors. He also thanked the MCE, MCD and Regional team for their immense support in making the program a success. The session came to a close with prayer from a participant.
APPENDIX – LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Stakeholders/ Participants
| No | Participants | Male | Female | Total |
| 1 | Department of Agriculture | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| 2 | Regional representatives | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Stakeholders | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Farmers | 11 | 6 | 17 |
| 5 | MCE, MCD, Deputy MCD, Planner, Budget) | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Processor | 2 | 2 | ||
| 6 | Total | 23 | 21 | 44 |