Past Projects: Ghana
Sustainable Livelihoods in Northern Ghana (SLING) Project
Where:
Northern Ghana, West Africa
Who:
CHF and the Association of Church Development Projects (ACDEP)
Funded by:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), CHF and generous donors
Purpose:
To enable poor rural households and communities, especially those vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, in Northern Ghana to attain sustainable livelihoods.
Situation:
This project improves access to nutritional foods and increased incomes for rural households in Northern Ghana. Working hand-in-hand with resource-poor female and male farmers in the drought prone regions of Northern Ghana, CHF and ACDEP are providing the advice and technology Ghanaian farmers want and need to become more resilient to vulnerabilities such as HIV/AIDS.
Results:
- Training of 55 community livestock workers in livelihood disease control. These livestock workers have assisted farmers in 180 communities, resulting in improved health and longevity of livestock.
- Support to 24 women’s groups in order to add value to their current dawadawa, shea butter and basket-weaving income-generation activities.
- The project also runs a training program that builds the skills and confidence of these women in marketing their products and getting the best prices. This has resulted in increased incomes, confidence and social standing for the women.
- Training and support to participating communities in the best practices of composting, grain storage and integrated pest management
- Distribution of information on sustainable farming practice, health and nutrition distributed through publications Savanna Farmer and Northern Health Monitor
- Improving response of Northern Ghanaian research and development institutions to address vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS using a sustainable livelihoods lens
- On the community livestock workers: the latest report says that a total of 55 people were trained and 180 communities have been reached by them (leading to improved health and reduced mortality of livestock)
Household Food Security Project (Phase I)
Where:
Northern Ghana, West Africa
Who:
CHF and ACDEP (Association of Church Development Projects)
Funded by:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), CHF and generous donors
Purpose:
To increase the amount of food and income available to achieve household food security.
Successes:
The project benefited 250 families in seven communities. This project promoted the growing of soya beans. Soya beans contribute to improved household nutrition and soil fertility and can be used as livestock feed.
Activities under this project have:
- Improved women's nutritional knowledge through the publication of the "Health Monitor" a magazine promoting community health.
- Improved the farming techniques of rural farmers.
- Increased food crop production and income of female farmers through surplus crops sales.
Household Food Security Project
Where:
Northern Ghana, West Africa
Who:
CHF and the Association of Church Development Projects (ACDEP)
Funded by:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), CHF and generous donors
Purpose:
To contribute to improved family food security and standard of living in northern Ghana.
Situation:
This project continues to improve access to nutritional foods and increase incomes of rural households in Northern Ghana. Working hand-in-hand with resource-poor female and male farmers in the drought prone regions of Northern Ghana, CHF and ACDEP are providing the advice and technology Ghanaian farmers want and need to improve household food security.
Results:
- Support for over 1000 female shea butter producers to improve income
- Training of 150 community livestock workers in livelihood disease control to support government veterinary services
- Technical support to nine women’s groups in five communities in the cultivation and use of soy
- Technical support to eight women’s groups in basket-weaving as a source of income
- Training and support to participating communities in the best practices of composting, grain storage and integrated pest management
- Distribution of information on sustainable farming practice, health and nutrition distributed through publications Savanna Farmer and Northern Health Monitor
- Improving response of Northern Ghanaian research and development institutions to rural farmers’ needs
- Addressing problems faced by farmers such as guinea chick mortality and livestock management and care, two main sources of income for farmers
FARMER (Farmer Responsive Mechanisms in Extension and Research)
Where:
Northern Ghana, West Africa
Who:
CHF, Agriteam Canada, Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana, and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Funded by:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Purpose:
To improve access to the kind of agricultural technology and information that can most benefit resource-poor farmers in Northern Ghana, with an emphasis on building the capacity of agricultural institutions and service providers.
Situation:
About 80% of the Ghanaian population depend on farming for their livelihoods. In the northern regions, farmers face short and erratic rainfall resulting in food shortages, sometimes lasting two months or more.
Results:
- Development of more appropriate and sustainable farming techniques for rural households
- Improved access to, and use of, agricultural information by rural farming households
- Improved communication and relationship between farmers and agriculture-based institutions and service providers
- A total of 155 volunteers provide decentralized agricultural extension services to farming men and women in the livestock sector
- Seventeen farmer-based organizations actively provide support to individual farmers in the form of information on appropriate agricultural technologies and better prices for farm production
- At least 2,490 male and 4,920 female farmers involved in agricultural and income generation training and activities.
- Women also more active in key community-level decision making after training activities for all village members