Quality Rice Development Project (QRDP)

START DATE: January 2014          ESTIMATED DURATION: Jan 2014 – Dec 2016

SPONSORS: AGRA                                       

LOCATION: Northern and Upper East Regions

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: John Kanburi Bidzakin

PARTICIPATING SCIENTISTS: Dr. Wilson Dogbe, Mr. Williams Atakora, Dr. SK Nutsugah, Mr. Julius Yirzagla, Mr. Michael Maweya, Mr. Inusah Baba, Mr. Mohammed Abdul-Razak, Mr. Abu Safianu, Miss Benedicta Atosona, & Mr. Philemon Tetteh-Addo

COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS: Trias Ghana, Amsig Resources, ICOUR and MoFA

OBJECTIVE: The project is aimed at contributing to the Government of Ghana’s objective of achieving food security and improved livelihood of smallholder farmers in the rice value chain by strengthening their capacity for sustainable and competitive quality rice production.

The specific objectives of the project are: (i) To increase productivity of rice in smallholder farming systems in the Northern and Upper East Regions of Ghana, (ii) Strengthen institutional and organizational capacity of Farmer Organizations (FBOs) to enhance access to services and (iii) To increase marketing of locally produced rice by smallholder farmers in the Northern and Upper East Regions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: To achieve these objectives, Farmers will be trained in good agricultural practices (GAP) including ISFM using demonstrations. Further, farmers will be sensitized and trained on the benefits to be derived from using high quality premium rice variety seeds. They will be linked to sources of quality seeds and other inputs. Access to appropriate financing for farmers will be given important consideration in the project. Value chain financing through partnership with aggregators and processors offers a good opportunity. In order to improve the quality of milled rice and hence its price, farmers will be linked to aggregators and processors and trained in post-harvest handling, processing, branding and packaging of rice. In undertaking project activities, the inclusion of women at different levels of the rice value chain is crucial to food security and the increase of family income.

CSIR-SARI, AMSIG Resources and TRIAS Ghana are the main partners to implement this project with each partner addressing one objective.   CSIR-SARI who will lead the project will also address issues related to objective 1 that includes access to quality seeds, building the capacities of farmers in good agronomic practices for quality rice production and creating awareness on Integrated Soil fertility management (ISFM). TRIAS will deal with Farmer Organization capacity building issues in objective 2 and AMSIG Resources will address market related issues in objective 3 including post-harvest management, processing and marketing. The project will work with other partners like Premium food, Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR), Bontanga irrigation Nucleus Farmers and FBO’s with at least 10,000 farmers, aggregators, rice processing companies, and local rice marketers along the rice value chain. The project will use the following promising models

ACTIVITY/PROGRESS MADE SINCE PREVIOUS REPORT:

Objective One: To increase productivity of rice in smallholder farming systems in the Northern and Upper East Regions of Ghana

• One hundred and thirty On-farm demonstrations fields have been established this season across the two regions
• Twenty rice advice validation trials established across the two regions  
• 36 Farmer Field Schools held and still on-going  
• 2600 farmers in 20 project communities were trained on GAP
• Two Agribusiness Centres (one each at Bontanga and Tono) established
• Created awareness on the importance and the profitability of the use of quality seeds and other inputs through field demonstrations and community video shows (1500 farmers participated)

Objective Two: Strengthen institutional and organizational capacity of Farmer Organizations (FBOs) to enhance access to services

·         327 FBO executives were trained on Gender awareness and FBO developments

·         30 groups from 19 communities and in 8 Districts identified and sensitized to work with QRDP in Northern and Upper east Region

·         1,807 new FBO members from 89 groups profiled

·         36 trainers identified and trained in group development and leadership dynamics as ToTs

·         392 FBO executives (225 males and 167 females) from 84 FBOs were trained in group development and leadership dynamics

·         2 Production Management, Marketing and Quality Control Committees (comprising 12 memebers) each formed in Golinga and Savelugu

·         105 processors from 26 groups were trained in Northern and Upper East regions on Small Business Development

Objective Three: To increase access to market for locally produced rice by small holder farmers in the Northern and Upper East Regions

·         1,396 farmers (571 Males, 825 Females) trained in harvesting and post- harvest management practices for quality rice production.

·         1,059 farmers (546 Males, 513 Females) trained in marketing and contracting.

·         Training of 144 farmers (1 Male, 143 Females on branding and packaging of quality rice.

·         Awareness on Fidelity Smart Account product raised among 307 farmers (145 M, 162 F) for adoption to help facilitate payments and ensure security of funds.

·         263 women from 4 FBOs trained in methods of improved rice processing

·         321 farmers (268 Males, 53 Females) facilitated and linked to various market actors to facilitate produce marketing.

·         A total of 4,951 bags were aggregated for marketing.

·         A pre-harvesting meeting held with owners of 6 private combine harvesters, 2 institutions, farmers and aggregators at Buntanga irrigation leading to the deployment of 7 combine harvesters for timely harvesting of rice.

·         Consultative meetings held with FBOs and aggregators in 4 communities in the Northern Region to identify and select sites for establishment of drying platforms.

·         Golinga farmers have released land for the plat form to be established.

·         4 Reapers, 8 tarpaulins  and 2 threshers has been procured for farmers to facilitate harvesting and processing of rice

WAY FORWARD:

We will continue with this activities in the next quarters and also expand our activities by bringing on board more communities to benefit from the project. Two small scale enterprises involved in rice processing capacities will be enhanced by supporting them with two 1.5MT/Hour rice mills. Two ABCs each at Vea and Golinga is been established and will be ready by early January for use by farmers.