In a bold move to properly shape the country’s agricultural decisions, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has commenced a study to assess the progress and impact of the previous administration’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs initiative (PFJ 2.0).
The study dubbed Ghana Core Agriculture and Production Methods and Environment (CorePME) survey is geared towards offering critical insights to redefine and reshape the government’s agricultural policies and investments.
Core PME which began on Monday, February 3, 2025, is organized by the GSS in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
This survey comes at a time when food security and sustainability issues have been rife both globally and locally. CorePME, the GSS says among others will provide information that will serve as a baseline impact assessment of the PFJ 2.0.
Data will be collected on how PFJ impacted agricultural production, farming practices, and efforts to maintain sustainability.
At the end of the survey, it is anticipated that the findings will answer the lingering question of whether the flagship agriculture initiative achieved its intended impact as touted or otherwise.
“It will also contribute to the baseline impact assessment of Planting for Food and Jobs Phase 2 and offer data on SDG 2.4.1, which measures the Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable practices which that improve resilience to climate shocks,” a GSS statement cited by The High Street Journal read.
It added that “It will assess the impact of PFJ 2.0 while providing insights into the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of farming practices.”
The outcome of the CorePME survey will serve as a road map for future agricultural interventions by providing evidence-based strategies to inform decisions and investments.
GSS says for this bold exercise to be successful, they are urging all farmers, agribusiness owners, workers as well as other stakeholders within the value chain to actively participate by providing accurate information. The GSS assures all stakeholders that the data collected will remain strictly confidential, in line with the Statistical Service Act, 2019 (Act 1003).
With 220 trained field officers set to collect data using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), the survey promises efficiency and accuracy in data collection. The results will ultimately influence Ghana’s achievement of key agricultural targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Malabo Commitments.
