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The Ghana Youth Guide, an NGO committed to empowering young people, has launched a climate-smart agricultural project in Tamale. The initiative aims to enhance the knowledge, practices, and resilience of young small-scale farmers regarding the impacts of climate change in the Northern Region.
Named “Empowering Ghanaian Youth through Climate-Smart Agriculture and Civic Organizing” (EGY-CSACO), the project’s first phase targets about 50 small-scale farmers, including persons with disabilities (PwDs), in the Savelugu and Tolon districts. Funding support for this project comes from DIB Denmark and Civil Society in Development, also based in Denmark.
At the launch event, stakeholders in the agricultural sector, traditional authorities, youth groups, and selected secondary school students studying Agricultural Science participated. Mr. Chentiwuni Salifu Abdul-Fataw, Executive Director of Ghana Youth Guide and Coordinator of the EGY-CSACO project, emphasized the project’s goal of reducing the vulnerability of small-scale farmers through smart agricultural practices.
He highlighted that climate change has been significantly impacting agricultural activities, and adopting a smart agricultural approach would mitigate post-harvest losses while creating employment opportunities for youth. Beneficiaries of the project will receive training in best agricultural practices, including the use of certified seeds for optimal yields and efficient harvesting techniques.
Abdul-Fataw also mentioned plans to collaborate with key stakeholders, youth groups, and civil society organizations to promote peace and advocate for the allocation of fertile farmlands to vulnerable groups, including PwDs.
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, the Northern Regional Minister, expressed through a representative that the project comes at a crucial time when rapid environmental changes and climate variability are affecting food systems globally. Dr. Joseph Adjebeng-Danquah, a Plant Breeder at CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, commended the project partners for their initiative and expressed readiness to support the project’s successful realization of its objectives.
