Mr Ibrahim Jambeidu, the newly elected Upper East Regional Focal Person and National Secretary of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), has appealed to the government to ensure that policies and plans on the establishment of farmer training centres are effectively implemented to boost agriculture.
He said although the concept of setting up farmer training centres was laudable and had the potential to equip farmers with modern extension techniques, past government interventions in areas such as warehousing, training centres and extension services had been poorly executed.
Mr Jambeidu made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Bolgatanga.
He noted that the Upper East Region was expected to have such centres established in areas including Garu, Navrongo, Fumbisi and Talensi, but these were yet to materialise.
Mr Jambeidu also raised concerns about warehousing facilities, noting that although some warehouses and demonstration farms existed in the region, many were either abandoned or non-functional.
He said farm produce were often left exposed to rodents and unfavourable weather conditions, leading to post-harvest losses.
“Why is so much money pumped into the establishment of these facilities and left in the bush to rot,” he queried.
He explained that properly established and managed training centres would help farmers acquire knowledge in extension techniques, post-harvest handling and storage, as well as access to quality seed varieties through agricultural extension services.
Dr Peter Asungre, a Research Scientist at the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) at Manga, in a separate interview, described the training centres as a laudable initiative if implemented to target individuals genuinely interested in agriculture.
He advised that effective implementation would require the identification of suitable beneficiaries, training them at the centres, and providing start-up support to enable them establish viable farming businesses.
On government interventions such as the “Nkoko Nketekete” project, Dr Asungre emphasised the need for beneficiaries to be selected based on interest and commitment rather than political affiliation.
He explained that farmer training centres function more like formal institutions, where trainees are taken through structured lessons covering various aspects of agriculture.
He said training would include topics such as seed and variety selection, planting methods, agronomic practices and yield management.
“Depending on the period and through availability of resources, the centre may have practical demonstration fields apart from the classroom work for hands-on practical training.
“Where such trainees can at the end of the training, be provided certificates that can make them serve as facilitators or trainer of trainees (ToT) for other interested farmers.
“The centre may also provide some services such as tractors, equipment manufacture, ploughing, where people are trained on how to operate the tractor to provide services.”
Dr Asungre distinguished these centres from demonstration farms and field days, explaining that the latter were mostly conducted on farms managed by researchers or farmers to introduce new technologies or crop varieties.
He said farmers were periodically invited to observe best agronomic practices such as appropriate planting distances, fertiliser application and weed control methods, which they were expected to replicate on their farms.
Meanwhile, the Government, in the 2026 Budget Statement, pledged to establish 50 farmer service centres nationwide to improve agricultural productivity and reduce post-harvest losses.
The centres are expected to be equipped with modern machinery such as tractors, harvesters, planters and seed drills to enhance farmers’ access to mechanised services.
In the Upper East Region, most existing farmer training centres are run by churches and non-governmental organisations, including the Presbyterian and Catholic Churches, where training is conducted for general capacity-building purposes.
Source : GNA
