PROJECT TITLE
Agricultural Investment for Rural Development (AIRD)
PROJECT COUNTRY, REGION & MUNICIPALITY
Ghana, Upper-West Region, Wa-Kpongu.
What is the main goal of the project?
This project is in line with one of the main goals of EODF in Action relating to the Sustainable Development Goals and in particular:
Build capacity of agricultural enterprises to train youth in income generation and self-employment/entrepreneurship. (SDG Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth)
Project Budget and sources of funding
EOF Netherlands
GHS 1,428,255.00
Agrivest International limited (The AIRD Project)
GHS 25,000
Project location and the socio-economic situation of the area.
The project is located in Wa, in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region. The project office is situated in Wa but shall be working with small holder farmers in the Nadowli/Kaleo District, the Daffiama Busie Issa District, Wa East District, Wa Municipal and Wa West District. Most of the training programmes will be carried out in the communities and will require the acquisition of a tractor and its implements and the training of the youth who are registered with the “Agricultural Investment for Rural Development” project. The Agrivest team has already registered 30 individuals in the Duong community and registration is on-going in the other selected communities.
These particular districts are characterised by a majority population of small holder farmers. These farmers usually do not have access to tractor services when it is time for farming and threshing their crops at the time they harvest their farm produce. Meanwhile, due to lack of knowledge in both crop and livestock farming as well as access to farm inputs, the teaming youth remain unemployed. The few young men and women that are also engaged in farming with no training are getting frustrated due to low yields of the crops and low productivity of the livestock.
Support sustainable water solutions
We believe that real change begins at the community level. This service empowers local communities by providing resources, training, and support that help them become self-sufficient and resilient. Our approach combines innovation, compassion, and accountability to deliver high-impact charity services.
Participation of direct stakeholder in designing the intervention
The direct stakeholders, who are the youth and small holder farmers, have expressed their frustration arising from the lack of tractor and threshing services when the farming season starts and when they finally harvest. This is because they do not get threshers to thresh their produce, such as soya beans and maize. This results in so much post-harvest loss to the farmers, and this affects their profits and socio-economic development. The concerns of the youth and small holder’s farmers have been hugely factored in the development of this proposal through AGRIVEST Internationl Ltd regular visits to the communities.
all about the Project
Geographic coverage of the project?
The project, geographically, covers five districts in the Upper-West region: Nadowli/Kaleo, Daffiama-Busie-Issa (DBI), Wa East, Wa Municipal and Wa West Districts. Together, these districts have a smallholder population of about 5,000. With the acquisition of a tractor and all its implements including a thresher and the supply of inputs, The AIRD Project will be able to serve the small holder farmers, especially the youth and women in these five districts, from the start of farming season till the harvest. The absence of these equipment is currently a disincentive to small holder farmers, particularly the youth. This results in the abandoning of farming by the youth and small holder farmers in search for non-existent jobs in the southern part of Ghana and some resort to small scale mining. With support from our partners, the AIRD project will train all interested and registered youth within the catchment area in crop and livestock farming and supply them with breeding stock of pigs.
Expected long-term goal of the project
The long-term goal we hope to achieve is the creation and increase in sustainable jobs and incomes for smallholder farmers, especially the youth and women beneficiaries of the project by establishing a soya bean processing plant to add value to the produce by farmers. Soya beans will be processed into soya cake for animal feed and the factory will therefore constitute a ready market and an incentive for the youth and smallholder farmers who will consequently achieve sustainable livelihoods.
Problems addressed in this project
In this project the following problems will be addressed:
- Lack of a tractor and implements
- Lack of training of the youth in sustainable crop and livestock production.
- Lack of training of small-holder farmers, especially women.
- Lack of extension services which Agrivest will address by leveraging services from Government and other NGOs.
Identified of the problem and stakeholders
The problem was identified following the visit of Agrivest team to a number of communities including Duong, Daffiama, Serekpere, Kuuri, Sombo etc., to buy dry pito mash for pigs, cowpea, guinea corn and bambara beans residue for its small ruminants.
Agrivest International only sought to produce animals and crops on commercial basis but the regular request by the youth and small holder farmers for support in the areas of tractor services, threshing services and training on how to produce animals and the supply of improved breeds. The specific request led Agrivest to initiate the AIRD Project to enable it to benefit more youth and small holder farmers.
We realised that some youth were already engaged in some farming whilst some small-holder farmers are engaged in it for a long time with no support.
Activities under the project and their implementation
The Agricultural Investment for Rural Development project was initiated with a view to providing Tractor & Threshing services, training of the youth (both educated and un-educated) in crop production and animal husbandry. This is to enable the youth to engage in crop farming in the rainy season and animal rearing in the dry season. To this end, the organisation tries to collaborate with local and international partners, Government and Private Sector actors to bring these services to the Small Holder Farmers and youth in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
The main goals are (1) to reduce poverty among small holder farmers and the youth in the catchment area through the farming of crops and animals (2) to create all year-round employment for the youth in the upper west region (3) to provide small holder farmers with ready market for their soya beans and maize.
The Agrivest International Limited is involved in the write-up and submission of the AIRD Project proposal, implementation, supervision and Reporting. The organisation has acquired 14 acres of land and obtained invoices for the proposed tractor and implements acquisition and expansion of the pig farm to produce for breeding stock for supply to the youth.
Upon commencement of the project implementation, the organisation management will exercise oversight responsibilities throughout the duration of the project. The organisation, through its Chief Executive and Accountant, will also be responsible for the disbursement of funds received into its account for the implementation of the project.
Activities under the project and their implementation
The Agricultural Investment for Rural Development project was initiated with a view to providing Tractor & Threshing services, training of the youth (both educated and un-educated) in crop production and animal husbandry. This is to enable the youth to engage in crop farming in the rainy season and animal rearing in the dry season. To this end, the organisation tries to collaborate with local and international partners, Government and Private Sector actors to bring these services to the Small Holder Farmers and youth in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
The main goals are (1) to reduce poverty among small holder farmers and the youth in the catchment area through the farming of crops and animals (2) to create all year-round employment for the youth in the upper west region (3) to provide small holder farmers with ready market for their soya beans and maize.
The Agrivest International Limited is involved in the write-up and submission of the AIRD Project proposal, implementation, supervision and Reporting. The organisation has acquired 14 acres of land and obtained invoices for the proposed tractor and implements acquisition and expansion of the pig farm to produce for breeding stock for supply to the youth.
Upon commencement of the project implementation, the organisation management will exercise oversight responsibilities throughout the duration of the project. The organisation, through its Chief Executive and Accountant, will also be responsible for the disbursement of funds received into its account for the implementation of the project.
Group of people that will mostly benefit from the project activities.
The direct stakeholders or beneficiaries are the youth and small holder farmers in these communities who will have access to tractor services and practical Agriculture training early enough to engage in farming. The availability of these services will enable them to make enough money to take care of their families by getting them better health care and education for their children.
Number of direct stakeholders
While the direct beneficiaries of the tractor services will be 400 – 500 for the first year of the AIRD Project, the indirect beneficiaries will be every farmer who will benefit from our tractor and threshing services and the relations of the beneficiaries who will benefit from the socio-economic development of the direct beneficiaries. The direct beneficiaries of the training will be 700 youth and small holder farmers over a two-year period.
Identified of the problem and stakeholders
The problem was identified following the visit of Agrivest team to a number of communities including Duong, Daffiama, Serekpere, Kuuri, Sombo etc., to buy dry pito mash for pigs, cowpea, guinea corn and bambara beans residue for its small ruminants.
Agrivest International only sought to produce animals and crops on commercial basis but the regular request by the youth and small holder farmers for support in the areas of tractor services, threshing services and training on how to produce animals and the supply of improved breeds. The specific request led Agrivest to initiate the AIRD Project to enable it to benefit more youth and small holder farmers.
We realised that some youth were already engaged in some farming whilst some small-holder farmers are engaged in it for a long time with no support.
Project sustainabilty
The tractor and its accessories will create extra cost for our organisation but the organisation will respond to the regular maintenance and servicing from the subsidized charges paid by our beneficiary farmers.