Some 100,000 smallholder farmers nationwide are set to benefit from the “Agribusiness for Youth Employment Project (AgYE),” an initiative designed to combat the persistent issue of post-harvest losses in the agricultural sector.
The project aims to enhance the livelihoods and incomes of these farmers by focusing on reducing post-harvest losses in key crops such as rice, maize, soybean, tomato, onion, and pepper across 11 of the country’s 16 regions.
Spearheaded by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Mastercard Foundation, the AgYE project will provide local farmers with access to affordable post-harvest equipment. This will be facilitated through entrepreneurial youth who will operate as qualified mechanization and equipment service providers.
The project adopts a sustainable, demand-driven approach, emphasizing climate-smart agriculture, market linkages, and access to finance.
As part of the project’s implementation strategy, a stakeholder breakfast meeting was convened in Accra, to promote stakeholder coordination, foster synergies, and inspire innovation to ensure the project’s success.
During the event, a technical committee was also inaugurated, consisting of representatives from the Agricultural and Engineering Services Division, various agricultural colleges, the National Service Scheme, and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). This committee will oversee the project’s technical aspects.
The meeting, organized in partnership with the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL), was themed “Transforming Agriculture Productivity in Ghana: Enhancing Incomes of Smallholder Farmers through Reduction in Post-Harvest Losses.”
Ghana faces a significant challenge with post-harvest losses, with an estimated $1.9 billion worth of food lost annually. This issue adversely affects 40 percent of the population dependent on agriculture, exacerbating food and nutrition insecurity, increasing import dependency, and reducing the nation’s resilience amid global food crises.
WFP’s Country Director, Barbara Clemens, explained that the WFP has adopted a more effective approach by collaborating with agricultural “aggregators” or “agro champions” rather than working directly with individual farmers as done previously. These agro champions, who already have established networks of smallholder farmers, will receive technical support and post-harvest equipment from the WFP to enhance their capacity to support the farmers within their networks.
Clemens emphasized the importance of adopting innovative policies and approaches that go beyond mere agricultural production.
She emphasized the need to address the entire agricultural value chain, including seed production, irrigation, fertilization, growing, transport, and storage, to effectively reduce post-harvest losses.
Clemens also called for prioritizing the purchase of Ghanaian products domestically and promoting them internationally to attract youth to the agricultural sector.
Ato Afful, Managing Director of GCGL, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting initiatives aimed at reducing post-harvest losses, recognizing it as a crucial aspect of national development.
He stressed that addressing post-harvest losses is essential for improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and securing Ghana’s agricultural future.
Mr Afful stressed the importance of education on improved farming methods, efficient harvesting, and the development of effective transportation and storage solutions.
He advocated for value addition through processing, packaging, and marketing to ensure that producers maximize their returns throughout the agro-food chain.
