A lecturer at the University of Ghana Legon.
Loading
16th July, 2009
NGO, Farmers Collaborate In School Feeding Programme
A Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Ecumenical Association for Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (ECASARD), has launched a report on the role of farmers in the successful implementation of the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
The report is a collaboration between ECASARD and the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), local capacity builders who links farmers through farmer based organisations to boost local food production.
Launching the report, Dr Pascal B. Atengdem, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, said the report had come at the time when the school feeding programme was facing some challenges.
He said one of the objectives of the programme was to enhance the livelihood of the small scale farmer by collaborating with the school feeding programme in the marketing of foodstuffs to reduce poverty but this has not been achieved.
Dr Atengdem said the report further identified that for proper implementation of the idea of involving farmer based organisations to supply foodstuffs to the programme it will be important to identify the various crops that are commonly grown in the area.
That, he noted, would informed the caterers of when and where to get the foodstuffs for the programme.
It also came out in the report that only 21 per cent of the farmers have benefitted from the school feeding programme and that, their only source of benefit was their children being fed in the beneficiary schools.
The report recommended that to meet some of these challenges, views should be collated and used to review the implementation of the programme and ensure participation and benefit of all stakeholders.
Dr King-David Amoah, national coordinator of ECASARD, in his address said according to Ghana’s Living Standards Survey (GLSS 5) report of 2006, food crop farmers, most of whom are women, form the lowest income earners.
“Therefore, any efforts at reducing poverty levels within those selected districts that the programme has taken off the farmer based organisations, should be involved,” he stressed.
He expressed appreciation to the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) for their financial support and their immense contributions to the report.
The report is a collaboration between ECASARD and the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), local capacity builders who links farmers through farmer based organisations to boost local food production.
Launching the report, Dr Pascal B. Atengdem, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, said the report had come at the time when the school feeding programme was facing some challenges.
He said one of the objectives of the programme was to enhance the livelihood of the small scale farmer by collaborating with the school feeding programme in the marketing of foodstuffs to reduce poverty but this has not been achieved.
Dr Atengdem said the report further identified that for proper implementation of the idea of involving farmer based organisations to supply foodstuffs to the programme it will be important to identify the various crops that are commonly grown in the area.
That, he noted, would informed the caterers of when and where to get the foodstuffs for the programme.
It also came out in the report that only 21 per cent of the farmers have benefitted from the school feeding programme and that, their only source of benefit was their children being fed in the beneficiary schools.
The report recommended that to meet some of these challenges, views should be collated and used to review the implementation of the programme and ensure participation and benefit of all stakeholders.
Dr King-David Amoah, national coordinator of ECASARD, in his address said according to Ghana’s Living Standards Survey (GLSS 5) report of 2006, food crop farmers, most of whom are women, form the lowest income earners.
“Therefore, any efforts at reducing poverty levels within those selected districts that the programme has taken off the farmer based organisations, should be involved,” he stressed.
He expressed appreciation to the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) for their financial support and their immense contributions to the report.
Popular stories from Other Headlines
