Celebrating 2021 Winners of Gold in the Soil Awards

Agrihouse Foundation is set to hold the fifth edition of its annual Women in Food and Agriculture Leadership and Gold in the Soil Awards. This year, the two-day event will take place from Wednesday, July 26, and Thursday, July 27, 2023, in the Eastern Region, on the theme, “overcoming barriers to agribusiness women development – the role of stakeholders.”

Annually WOFAGRIC serves mentoring, networking and learning platform for women in agriculture. The platform makes room for agric resources persons, development partners, researchers, farmer group leaders, government agencies, businesses and civil society leaders to educate the women farmers with best practices and expert opinions, to enhance their activities.

Through WOFAGRIC, about two thousand women in agriculture, working in selected regions in the country have benefitted from soft skills, competence-based training sessions, mentorship, business plan development coaching, farm management skills, record keeping, presentations on the latest trends, outlooks, and innovations in agriculture. They have been exposed to networking opportunities with development partners, influential executives, and spot-on professional development.

The Gold in the Soil Awards has in the last four years, recognized women in agriculture, who are pioneers and trailblazers, pushing the boundaries along the value chain. The women-focused awards ceremony, which moves across regions has recognized and awarded about seventy-five (75) women in agriculture, including twenty (20) with physical disabilities, who are thriving as farmers, processors, marketers, women into transport, packaging, Technology, input dealers, among others. They women, between the ages of fifteen (15) to seventy-five (75) years, cultivate ten (10) acre to 500 hundred (500) acres of farmland and grow crops like cocoa, plantain, palm nut, yam, Cocoyam, rice, maize, sheabutter, millet, among others. They grow livestock including goat, sheep, and poultry.

A look at our 2021 Winners

Portia Wins the Ultimate Gold in the Soil Award

Ultimate Gold in the Soil Award— Madam Portia Asumda from Zangeyire in the Upper East Region was crowned the ultimate Gold in the Soil Award. This award seeks to appreciate the outstanding achievements of a woman producing along the entire agricultural value chain (from production through processing, branding to marketing etc). Exporting her products would be an added advantage. Her establishment/business should have made a recognizable impact on her community.

Super Woman Farmer Award— Alima Wahabu, from Upper East Region. This special category goes to a physically challenged woman, whose role, works and passion for agriculture, is contributing largely to community development, food security, poverty alleviation, job creation and economic growth in the Agric sector.

In 2021, Alima Wahabu and Aberiga Yesara, both physically challenged women farmers were recognized in the “Super Woman Farmer Award’ category. They are residents of Adamkologa, in the zebilla constituency of the Upper East region. Narrating her story in the Gold in the soil Awards Documentary, Alima Wahabu, revealed she farms maize and soyabeans, on a 2-acre farmland. The second nominee, Madam Yesara, has 2 acres farmland of Maize and Soyabean. She is also a livestock farmer of Cows, Poultry, Guinea Fowls and Goats.

The Passion for Farm Award— Portia Gban, from Upper West Region. The award recognizes an individual woman who is excited and passionately about agribusiness and contributing to the growth of her community, creating jobs, mentoring girls in the community and supporting them to take up agric, either small scale and large scale.

She operates Award— Joy okrah, from Upper West Region. This Award recognises an exceptional female into operation management and maintenance of tractor services. She should be earning income from this trade and imparted her community with her skill.

She Innovates Award— Gafaratu Fuseini, from Upper East Region. This award goes to a woman who has or is working with the power of innovation and adding value to her agro business. She identified a challenge within the community and the value chain and found a solution through innovation.

Feed to Foods Award— Genevive Akugu, from Upper East Region. This is to a woman with great determination and integrity who has continuously demonstrated a positive role in poultry and livestock and has an unwavering commitment to succeed in this sector.

Star Woman Agripreneur Award— Mavis Alahire Aboko, from Upper East region. This special recognition goes out to an outstanding agribusiness beginning young lady, in any field of agriculture. This young woman should be seen to be excelling (ie, efficiency in service delivery, income performance,) in her field and already a great role model, mentoring other young girls in her community.

Diamond in the Rough Award— Saantuma Sala, from Upper West Region. This award goes to a generational role model, making waves at the background within her community, an unsung heroine, who has indeed mentored and made great strides for her family, her people and the community as a whole.

Royal Agro Award— Ayiesheitu Mahamadu Asaki, from Upper East Region. Through this award, we identify a traditional leader (Queen mother), who is into agriculture herself and her personal commitment to see women in agriculture in her community develop and thrive, is helping them in all ways possible through access to land, training, social impact programs and advocacy.

Climate Smart Women Project Award— Memuna Abdul Rahaman, from Upper West Region. This award provides recognition for the efforts of a group of women or a woman-led organization, implementing an outstanding project in agriculture by adopting a climate smart approach and practices that supports in the transformation, development and is sustainably increasing agricultural productivity in her community.

Change Champion Award— Asieme Elsie Azelikumah, from Upper East Region. This category goes to the professional corporate woman, whose ongoing effort, passion for her job, contribution and dedication to her work in the agro space, is contributing significantly to corporate internal change, whiles making a national impact.

Outstanding Woman in Extension Services Award— Leuzumah Rashida, from Upper West Region. This award provides recognition to women, in either the public or private sector, contributing effortlessly through training, capacity building, advocacy, to encourage the adaptation of best practices by farmers, thereby contributing significantly to the empowerment and socio-economic development of the society and the country as a whole.

Princess Carla Award— Hawawu Gbahara, from Upper West Region. This award recognizes the efforts of a dedicated woman, whose works and role affects communities positively; touching lives, mentoring, role modelling, advising, counselling and enhancing networks for other women, both young and old.

Lady of the Export Region Award— Anita Sutha, from Upper West Region. This category recognizes and rewards the regions most successful and innovative woman exporter, about the size of the business and the export sales.

She Innovates Award— Gafaratu Fuseini, from Upper East Region. This award goes to a woman who has or is working with the power of innovation and adding value to her agro business. She identified a challenge within the community and the value chain and found a solution through innovation.

Development Partner Award—Canadian High Commission. This award recognizes the efforts of an International organization, whose works centres on agriculture and in particular, towards the development of women in the community, encouraging to adopt best practices, whiles adding value.