Stakeholders at the “Bolgatanga Farmers’ Seed Fair” have advocated the preservation and promotion of indigenous seeds as a sustainable solution to food security, biodiversity conservation, and climate-resilient agriculture in northern Ghana.
The fair, held in Bolgatanga and organised by Trax Ghana in collaboration with the Beela Project, sought to preserve indigenous seeds threatened with extinction while promoting seed diversity among smallholder farmers.
It brought together smallholder farmers, officials from the Department of Agriculture, the National Commission on Culture, traditional authorities, the Forestry Commission, District Assemblies, and civil society organisations.
The event also served as a platform for farmers to exchange indigenous seeds and share knowledge on traditional farming practices.
Speaking to the media, Mr Vincent Subbey, Director of Trax Ghana, said the fair aimed to improve access to quality local seeds and strengthen farmers’ seed systems in the Upper East and North East Regions.
According to him, the partnership sought to conserve biodiversity, protect community seed systems, and promote seed sovereignty and agroecological farming practices among local farmers.
“This partnership project is aimed at conserving biodiversity, preserving community seed systems and seed sovereignty, and promoting knowledge sharing and agroecology among farmers,” Mr Subbey stated.
He explained that Trax Ghana is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting agroecology and biodiversity conservation to enhance food security in northern Ghana.
Ms Abena Offeh-Gyimah, Director of the Beela Project, noted that the organisation works to preserve native and local seeds through seed fairs, indigenous cooking exhibitions, and seed and knowledge exchanges across the Upper East and North East Regions.
She explained that the annual seed fair, now in its third year, was strategically organised at the onset of the rainy season to provide farmers with access to a wide variety of indigenous seeds for cultivation.
Ms Offeh-Gyimah disclosed that last year’s edition attracted 192 participants, including 154 farmers and 38 representatives from civil society organisations and local government institutions.
She added that more than 400 seed varieties were displayed during the 2025 fair, while 114 farmers participated in seed exchanges, with 23 donating seeds and 91 receiving them.
According to her, the exchange of indigenous seeds among farmers helped secure crop varieties across different communities and strengthened local agrobiodiversity and food systems.
“Strengthening local and indigenous food systems in the Upper East and North East Regions of Ghana remains one of our key goals,” she emphasised.
Ms Offeh-Gyimah further announced that the project had supported the Gundoug community in the Nabdam District to establish a Community Seed Bank, which has become a learning centre for other communities in the region.
She identified poor knowledge in selecting and preserving indigenous seeds as one of the major challenges confronting smallholder farmers and said the Beela Project was building farmers’ capacity in seed selection and preservation techniques.
Some beneficiary farmers who attended the fair shared testimonies about the benefits of indigenous seeds.
Mrs Amobono Alice, one of the farmers, said indigenous seeds performed better on her farm compared to foreign hybrid varieties.
“I planted foreign corn seeds on one farm and indigenous corn seeds on another. I used fertilizers and weedicides on the foreign seeds, while I applied organic manure to the indigenous crops. After a few weeks, the foreign crops started drying up, but the indigenous crops were flourishing,” she recounted.
Mr Jeo Atule, another beneficiary farmer, said indigenous crops remained deeply connected to the culture and traditions of the people of the region.
He explained that many local crops were used during funerals, festivals, and traditional naming ceremonies, making their preservation essential to protecting cultural heritage.
Mr Atule commended the Beela Project for championing the preservation of indigenous seeds and called on stakeholders, particularly traditional authorities and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, to support the initiative.
