Test-runs of an e-Agriculture project have begun in all the regions to complement the work of extension officers and also make technology easily accessible to farmers.
About 35,000 farmers with access to smart phones with inbuilt voicemail in six local languages have subscribed to the platform.
The National Project Coordinator of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), Ghana, Mrs Azara Ali-Mamshie, made this known at the first sub-regional planning workshop in Kumasi last Monday.
She told agricultural scientists attending the workshop that the success of the initiative would help bridge the gap between farmers and extension officers and thereby enhance productivity.
WAAPP project
The 10-year WAAPP project, which is in the second year, was initiated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for member countries.
It forms part of the implementation of the agricultural component of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The workshop, on the theme: ‘Towards regional partnership and linkages in agricultural research and development,’ was designed to, among other things, enhance regional cooperation in agriculture.
It was also intended to improve the generation, dissemination and adoption of improved technologies in the agriculture priority commodities of the participating countries.
Reduce size of yam
The Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr Abdulai Baba Salifu, who addressed the participants, suggested to scientists to develop new species of yam with sizes similar to those of potatoes for the yams to be easily weighed and sold in supermarkets.
He said smaller yams would reduce wastage and possible termite attacks because most yams were not cooked at a go but rather cooked over a period, depending on the size of the family.
Support
Dr Salifu said the agricultural sector was very important but very vulnerable, for which reason it needed a lot of support to enhance growth.He called for a policy that would facilitate knowledge sharing and technology transfer among countries.
Ghana, with specialisation in the production of roots and tubers, has assisted many African countries with improved and high-yielding seedlings, while it too has benefited from other countries with comparative advantage in agriculture.
