Stakeholders in the agricultural sector have called for stronger collaboration among farmer associations to improve smallholder farmers’ access to affordable farm inputs and government support to boost agricultural production.
They pointed out that farmers could pool resources through associations to reduce the cost of hiring tractors and other machinery, which remained a major barrier to mechanised farming, particularly in rural communities.
They added that expanding mechanisation centres and strengthening technical support would help improve access to agricultural equipment and ensure its effective use.
They made the call at a stakeholders engagement organised by the Coalition of Northern Farmers Association (CNFA) in collaboration with the Empowerment for Life Programme and Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships (CLIP).
It sought to examine barriers to accessing affordable and reliable agricultural mechanisation services in northern Ghana and identify practical ways to increase the number of mechanisation centres in the region.
In his remarks, the Principal Development Planning Officer at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council, Eric Ofori Arthur, said collective action would enable farmers to overcome financial constraints that prevented them from adopting mechanised farming practices.
He observed that many farmers struggled to afford the cost of hiring tractors and other agricultural machinery individually, forcing them to rely on manual labour.
He added that deliberate efforts were needed to strengthen the capacity of farmer associations through training in leadership, financial management and equipment management.
Accessibility
For his part, the Technical Officer for Livelihood and Business Development at the Empowerment for Life Programme (E4L),Hubaida Ibrahim, said the availability of machinery alone would not guarantee effective mechanisation if farmers could not access the services.
She emphasised the need to ensure that women and persons with disabilities were not excluded from mechanisation services.
The Advocacy Officer at E4L, Mohammed Sadat Sulemana, who spoke on behalf of the Programme Manager, Abdul Jabaru Mohammed, underscored the need for inclusive agricultural policies that addressed the challenges facing farmers in rural communities.
He intimated that farmer associations should be recognised as important partners in the formulation and implementation of policies aimed at modernising agriculture.
Mr Sulemana further called for effective collaboration among government agencies, development partners and farmer associations to ensure that mechanisation programmes were affordable and responsive to farmers’ needs.
Mapping
The President of the Coalition, Hamidu Sulemana, said some participants were unfamiliar with the locations of existing mechanisation centres, raising concerns about the availability and dissemination of information on the facilities.
