The Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO) has admonished farmers in Northern Ghana to adopt sustainable agricultural practices to improve food security and mitigate the dire impact of climate change.

According to NABOCADO, farmers must consider reverting to traditional and innovative ways of farming in the face of climate change consequences on their productivity.

In a bid to mitigate the effects of climate change on farmer productivity, NABOCADO with funding from MISEREOR– Germany, under the strengthening of small holder farmers resilience towards a changing climate project is supporting farmers’ resilience to climate change.


Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Pusu-Namongo, NABOCADO Directorate of Livelihood and Advocacy, Dominic Avea, said, the project is being implemented in six districts in Upper East and North East regions, and will enhance farmers’ resilience to the effects of climate change.

“We are looking at improving crop yield through sustainable agricultural practices by facilitating farmers to adopt practices such as compost, bonding, crop rotation and others to increase their yields. Another approach is the use of local innovations as an alternative to agro-chemicals. We are promoting the use of organic products thus innovations that are looking at control of insects, pest, and diseases in livestock and also improve agro-processing.”

“We also support communities to develop climate adaptation plans to improve their resilience to the effects of climate change and how assemblies can incorporate these plans into the agenda to improve the resilience. We are also encouraging farmers to adopt and construct the clean cooking energy which uses improved energy cooking stove (E-sims) in their homes”.

Mr. Avea also reiterated the project’s target of harnessing small holder farmers to credit and improved incomes to expand their operation within the agric value chain.

“We are also looking at how to increase the income of small holder women farmers through entrepreneurship training using the savings and internal learning concept as a vehicle. We also facilitate them to access credit facilities through savings to expand their businesses”.

Recounting the benefits of traditional and innovative farming, a farmer, Fuseine Bugbon, said, the project if properly executed, will harness farmers’ potential to improve food security and reduce climate change impact.

“I over the years use the traditional methods of farming thus composting, bonding, crop rotation and locally innovative products to control pest, insects and livestock diseases. I don’t use chemicals like fertilizer, pesticides or weedicide on my farms. And I get good yield to feed my family and sell to generate income to even expand my farm. So, I encourage my colleague-farmers to go back to our ancestors’ way of farming”.

Source: citifmonline