Nkoranza: The Nkoranza South Municipal Directorate of Agriculture in the Bono East Region has successfully trained over 43,000 farmers on smart and climate-resilient farm practices to help them mitigate the effects of climate change on their farms. The training, which took place in 60 communities, also focused on improving crop yield quality through best farming practices.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Joseph Adu-Parko, an Agriculture Extension Agent at the Techiman Municipal Directorate, highlighted the initiative during a field inspection visit to some of the beneficiary farms. The farmers were educated on techniques including best planting practices, triangular measurement, proper land demarcation, and the application of hydrogen gel on coconut seedlings. The directorate, in collaboration with the Coconut Federation of Ghana (CocoFeG), distributed approximately 83,000 hybrid coconut seedlings to over 570 registered farmers in the municipality.
Mr. Adu-Parko emphasized that the proper application of hydrogen gel is crucial for sustaining the growth of coconut seedlings, particularly in dry seasons. Mrs. Gifty Fremah Appiah, the Nkoranza South Municipal Director of Agriculture, noted the importance of planting economic trees such as moringa, mangoes, coconuts, and cashews. Moringa, she stated, serves as a carbon credit crop with potential climate change mitigation benefits.
Mrs. Appiah elaborated that the free distribution of coconut seedlings aligns with the Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA), which aims to expand agriculture and agribusiness, create jobs, improve livelihoods, increase national production levels, and boost national export earnings. The CocoFeG is implementing the PIAA with funding from the Ghana Exim Bank.