Set up Agricultural Development Fund. New Year School participants
Participants in the 68th Annual New Year School and Conference have called for the establishment of an Agricultural Development Fund to support the modernisation of the agricultural sector.
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The fund, when set up, should also be used to subsidise interest rates and provide incentives to financial institutions that give credit for agribusiness activities, the participants proposed.
They recommended that a percentage of revenue from the export of agricultural produce should be set aside for the establishment of the fund, while they also proposed the setting up of a special fund to support the youth in agriculture.
“In particular, the state can create an ‘Agri-Fund’ targeted at the youth to attract them into the sector,” participants said in a 14-point communique issued at the end of four days of deliberations on the theme: “Promoting National Development through Agricultural Modernisation: The Role of ICT.”
E-agricultural policy
The communique, which was read by a Director of the 68th New Year School, Dr Eric Osei-Assibey, called on the government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), and in consultation with key stakeholders, to as a matter of urgency, formulate a national e-agricultural policy.
The policy, the participants said, should also regulate the industry and promote the speedy and wider adoption of the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in agriculture.
Participants also proposed that the sector ministry should promote the use of docu-dramas, the hosting of policy fairs, the creation of jingles and ring tones, advertisements on social media, billboards, cinema vans and the strengthening of various community information centres in ensuring the modernisation of agriculture through ICT and the creation of adequate awareness.
E-geospatial data
The communique further said a national e-geospatial data base should be developed for all farmers in Ghana and integrated into the systems of all agricultural agencies and other corporate bodies such as banks and telecommunication companies.
It said the ICT units of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) should be upgraded, expanded and the capacity of personnel enhanced to drive the vision of e-agriculture, while the ICT units at the various districts should also be empowered to localise the e-agricultural policy.
It proposed a robust and reliable ICT infrastructure in the rural domain for e-agriculture. The infrastructure should include the extension of electricity to all farming communities, the upgrading of telecommunication networks to the length and breadth of the country and the provision of ICT-enabled gadgets such as phones, GPS monitors, broadband spectrum, computers and other such gadgets to facilitate ICT use in the sector.
“The Ghana Meteorological Agency should adopt ICT tools such as mobile phones to disseminate weather information to farmers in the form of text and voice messages. Selected farmer groups should be educated and equipped with the necessary logistics to aid in the dissemination of relevant information to their colleague farmers,’’ it added.
Participants after the closing ceremony
Harmonisation
The communiqué recommended the harmonisation of the various platforms and stakeholders involved in the use of ICT in agriculture to provide a central robust platform that would be used to promote access to quality weather and market information. It also proposed the adaptation of content to local needs and languages.
Participants charged the Ministry of Communications, the telecommunication companies and other stakeholders to promote the customisation of mobile technologies, such as handsets and memory cards, to provide specific services to farmers and extension agents.
They also charged the ministry to promote the deployment of appropriate ICT tools and services at each stage of the agricultural value chain.
E-extension services
To promote the adoption of e-extension, the communiqué strongly recommended that MoFA should integrate ICT services in the extension services to increase outreach, scope and depth of extension services, while reducing costs.
The participants said financial institutions should be encouraged to develop insurance products to mitigate risks associated with agricultural financing.
They expressed the hope that the recommendations made would be adopted by the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders, so as to promote national development through agricultural modernisation and the use of ICTs.
Prof Kwame Offei (left), Pro-Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana (UG), presenting a certificate to Dr Irene Egyir (right), Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, School of Agriculture at the UG. PICTURES: MAXWELL OCLOO
