Ghana

Overview of challenging context

In a stable and peaceful context, the current inefficiency of the agricultural sector is due to a number of factors, including the lack of forward and backward linkages with the rest of the economy and constraints in domestic markets. Being almost exclusively rain fed, the sector remains highly volatile, and the resulting risk-minimization strategies of agricultural households hinder specialization and micro-enterprise development downstream from production. Furthermore, the fragility of the soils and climatic factors are posing the risk of desertification. Land tenure arrangements remain a constraint on many migrant households – a key segment of poor food-crop farmers in Ghana – wishing to expand or diversify their agricultural activities. Further, structured farmer-based and community-based organizations are considered absent from Ghanaian agricultural and rural sectors, in stark contrast to the situation in most neighboring countries.

IFAD program and project context with linkages to this one
The IFAD country program helps rural poor people improve smallholder agriculture by supporting food production, small-scale irrigation and livestock activities. IFAD contributes to development of small and microenterprises, and agro-processing and artisanal activities. Investments also support the strengthening of local institutions, decentralization and participation of rural communities and institutions.

Specific project linkages:

  • Northern Rural Growth Programme: The aim of this Programme is to achieve sustainable rural livelihoods and food security for poor rural people in northern Ghana. Current COSOP defines the program through 2011, the subsequent COSOP process, MTRs, CPE’s could benefit from inputs from this project.

Potential partners

  • CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF)
  • Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI)
  • World Resources Institute (WRI)

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