Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, has presented 1,260,482 economic tree seedlings for distribution to farmers across the Bono, Bono East and Savannah regions as part of efforts to strengthen climate-smart agriculture and improve food security.
The seedlings include moringa, cashew and mango trees.
Farmers in the Bono Region are expected to receive 511,823 seedlings, while farmers in the Bono East Region will get 352,135 seedlings and those in the Savannah Region will receive 396,524 seedlings.
Speaking during a ceremony in Nkoranza, Opoku urged farmers to properly plant and nurture the seedlings to help improve agricultural productivity, strengthen food systems and mitigate the impact of climate change.
According to him, agroforestry has become an important pathway for transforming agriculture sustainably by integrating economic trees into farming systems.
He explained that the seedlings were distributed under Phase II of the Changing Lives Transformation Fund (CLTF) Agroforestry Carbon Credit Programme.
The programme is being implemented in Ghana’s Middle Belt and Savannah regions to improve soil fertility, reduce erosion, restore degraded lands, conserve biodiversity, and create additional income opportunities for farmers.
“Provision of these improved planting materials is therefore not merely a donation of seedlings, but an investment in farmers, families, nutrition, in climate resilience, and in the local economy”.
The minister stated that the government, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, remains committed to supporting farmers with technical guidance, extension services, capacity building, and market linkages.
“Under the Feed Ghana Programme and the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda, our focus is to make agriculture more productive, more profitable, more resilient, and more attractive, especially to women and the youth”, he said.
Opoku noted that climate change was already affecting rainfall patterns, soil fertility, crop yields and the livelihoods of farmers across the country.
“For this reason, initiatives like these are timely and important”, he said.
He added that the programme complements government efforts to promote climate-smart agriculture, environmental restoration and sustainable rural development.
The minister also called on development partners to continue collaborating to address food insecurity, land degradation and rural poverty.
“There is therefore the need to continue working together, pool resources, share knowledge, and invest in practical interventions that directly benefit farmers,” he said.
Opoku urged farmers to maximise the opportunity by cultivating the seedlings to improve incomes and support their families.
Madam Anitha Narahari, Deputy Country Director of the World Food Programme, said the second phase of the CLTF Agroforestry Carbon Credit Programme will build resilient livelihoods, strengthen food systems and create long-term economic opportunities for smallholder farmers.
She disclosed that more than 7,000 additional farmers would benefit from climate-resilient tree crop seedlings under the programme.
According to her, more than three million mango, cashew and moringa seedlings will be distributed across the targeted regions.
“This programme has been intentionally designed to support farmers, particularly maize farmers who remain highly vulnerable to climate shocks, erratic rainfall patterns, and declining soil fertility”, Narahari said.
“Through this agroforestry intervention, we are helping farming households diversify their livelihoods, improve their resilience, restore degraded lands, and create new pathways for income generation”.
She reaffirmed the commitment of the World Food Programme to supporting innovative and sustainable agricultural interventions that create long-term resilience and economic opportunities for vulnerable communities.
Source: Access Agric
