As part of the Church’s ministration to help alleviate hunger, poverty and malnutrition which are plaguing families and the rural poor, series of interventions are planned and implemented through this sector of the Division.

ASSIN NYANKOMASI AGRIC. PROJECT

This project which is located in the Cape Coast Diocese of the Church started operation in 1986.

AIMS/OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of the project is to help the rural small scale farmers in the project environs to improve on their farming systems in order to produce enough to feed themselves and to sell the surpluses to cater for other domestic, social and Church needs. This is intended to alleviate hunger, poverty and mal-nutrition.

ACTIVITIES

The project promotes the integration of Crops, Livestock and reafforestation on a sustained basis. In this regard training workshops are periodically organised for participants. Besides beneficially farmers are supported with farm inputs, loans alongside field visits to serve as motivation.

EXTENSION SERVICES

The project has an outreach programme during which farmers are visited on their farms and are offered technical advice on improved planting and crop maintenance practices, pest management, and the prevention of post harvest loses.

AGRO-FORESTRY

The promotion of tree planting and agro-forestry is one of the most important activities of the Assin Nyankomasi Project. The objective of this programme is to increase environmental awareness of the communities and encourage communities to undertake interventions that will ensure safe and sound environment. Strategies used include environmental awareness education to communities and the promotion of tree planting by individuals.

Between 1992 and 2002, the Project promoted the planting of more than 40,000 trees of various species. The programme covers more than 10 communities. Many families as well as individual men and women own between one and two acre plantations of fruit and/or wood trees. The most popular trees are: Teak, Casia, Citrus and Oil Palm.

DEMONSTRATION FARM

The Project operates a hundred and twelve (12) acre demonstration farm on which experiments are conducted on various field crops, Animal husbandry, teak and cassia re-aforestation and cover crops. Successful results are then carried on to farmers who also undertake familiarization visits to the demonstration farm. Revenue from the sale of products from the Demonstration farm is used to pay the workers and to sustain the project.

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION PROMOTION

The Division in collaboration with Heifer Project International of USA embarked on livestock promotion programme in 1988. Families who received cows, goats and sheep, bring the first and third offsprings to be passed on to other families. This has also contributed to a significant rise in the income levels of poor families, and meat accessibility to the rural people.

WOMEN’S OIL PALM PROCESSING PROJECT

The Methodist Church Ghana, serving as facilitator, provided the needed equipment and storage facilities for the setting up of this programme as a subsidiary of the Nyankomasi Project. It is intended to help women in the area to add more value to palm fruits and to prevent glut. Since its commencement the programme has helped over two hundred people, mostly women, to become self-employed. It has also enhanced an improved living standard and income of the participants. The beneficiary women target groups can now confidently help their husbands to support the family and other social and religious needs.

SUCCESSES/BENEFITS

The Project’s positive collaboration with the beneficiary farmers coupled with the training and support offered has boosted food and livestock production in the Assin North District. The Project’s catchment area is now the leading producer of oil palm and citrus in the whole of Assin District. Parents are now better able to cater for their children’s education as well as religious and social responsibilities. Food Security for households is up to about 75%. Living standard has greatly improved. Housing is now affordable to over 90% of the people in the community. 95% of households can now afford and enjoy electricity.

INTEGRATION

Alongside the agricultural systems, the project initiated a housing programme (named Assinman Habitat for Humanity) under the sponsorship of Habitat for Humanity International of USA. The programme has significantly helped the local people in the project communities to build affordable houses for themselves. This Housing Project which was introduced in the country for the first time in 1998 through Methodist Church initiative has spread to many towns and villages across Ghana.

METHODIST AGRICULTURAL PROJECT – WA (Upper West Region , Ghana )

Methodist Agricultural Project – Wa, started by the Church about 30 years ago, is one of the most important Non-Governmental Organisations in the Upper West Region. It is also an important Church outreach programme with a focus on improving agricultural production and productivity of farmers in the region.

The Project also seeks to respond to the overall development needs of the rural communities particularly in the areas of women’s mobilization and organization, credit to improve on the small-scale processing activities of rural women and literacy, while ensuring sound environmental sustainability.

ACTIVITIES

The main areas that the Project tries to make interventions are mechanization, crop production, soil fertility improvement, animal husbandry, and dry season farming.

Mechanization

The traditional tools used in agriculture in the operational area are hoe, axe, and cutlass. The tractor, which is the modern mechanization tool available, is unsuitable to the soil and beyond the means of the farmers in terms of cost and scale of production.

The project has over the years tried to promote animal traction as an intermediate technology to the farmers. There are more than 400 farmers in about 40 villages in the project’s operational area who have embraced this technology. Besides women have been assisted with carts drawn by donkeys to transport foodstuffs and fuel wood from the farm to the house. This has greatly relieved the burden of the women who hitherto carried the wood on their heads.

Crop Production

To improve agricultural production and productivity the project supplies improved varieties of seeds (maize, sorghum, cowpea, and groundnuts) to the farmers. Along with the improved varieties is extension advise on the cultivation of these crops. The project also collaborates with Ministry of Food & Agricultural (MOFA) to assist selected seed growers in the communities to produce maize and cowpea seeds for distribution to farmers.

Animal Husbandry

This sector targets 10 farmers each year to improve the production of livestock through proper housing, supplementary feeding and appropriate veterinary care. The project also targets 20 farmers each year to improve their poultry production through breed improvement besides regular vaccination. These interventions are meant to enhance improved family income and food security.

Inputs Supply

Farmers in the operational communities of the Project have limited access to basic farming equipments. The project therefore procures a stock of input from the Church Input Supply Project through pay and carry system to enable farmers to buy them on credit basis. Some of the inputs procured for farmers include salt-lick, nose rings, bullock/donkey ploughs, bullock/donkey carts, ropes, pesticides etc.

Extension Approach

The Project organises beneficiaries into groups for various interventions the most active group formation activity of the Project is the women’s groups. This is intended to encourage and support women to go into traditional income generating activities

Literacy Programme

The literacy programme is one of the Projects strongest activities. Adult literacy is one of the government’s important programmes under the Ministry of Education. The Project’s intervention and support has therefore been of immense help to the people. The Programme has made an impact in terms of geographical spread, number spread, number of beneficiaries reached and level of literacy (reading, writing, and spoken English).

Credit Programme

The scheme started in 1999 with funding from its sponsors. An average of 20 women is assisted with loan to improve their production levels. An amount of ¢25,000,000 is disbursed to beneficiary groups located in 18 communities. An interest rate of 25% is charged on each credit given.

The Project’s credit scheme is involved in income generating activities such as Shea butter processing and marketing, Groundnut and cowpea cultivation, Grain banking, and Petty Trading.

Group Dynamics

The Project has about 32 Women groups located in communities in the Wa District. The goal of the Project here is to mobilize community people for other interventions (literacy, credit, agro-forestry). Group Activities include Group Meetings, Group Labour services on farms during the farming season for income, ‘susu’ contributions as income mobilization technique and support to group members during women’s social obligations.

JEDUAKO METHODIST AGRIC. PROJECT

This Project which was started in the year 2002 is located in Jeduako-Ashanti in the Effiduase Diocese of the Church.

FOCUS

Low Productivity levels, hunger, poverty and unemployment are major concerns in Jeduako and its environs. The Project therefore seeks to address these needs.

The Jeduako Project therefore offers motivation, inputs support and training to farmers in crops and animal husbandry which are the main sources of food and income for the rural farming folks in the Jeduako community. The assistance is meant to encourage families to improve their farming systems and subsequently their livelihood.

Credit Facility

This facility is to enable farmers to accommodate the high labour charges, farming equipment, planting materials and the general maintenance cost of their farms. Since the scheme became operative, an average of Fifteen Million Cedis (¢15,000,000) is disbursed to three farmers’ groups (maize, groundnut and yam farmers) annually.

In all Eight-six (86) farmers have benefited from the scheme since its inception two years ago.

In the year 2002 and 2003, the farmers reported significant increases in their farm produce and income as compared to the past and all of them were able to honour the repayment of their loans and the interest.

Livestock

Livestock support to farmers which is one of the primary objectives of the Project has gained prominence. In all thirty-one (31) farmers have been registered for the livestock sector and have been served with cattle and goats.

The livestock farmers are expected to pass on first and third off-springs to the Project to be given to other families. As a result of the enthusiasm of the old beneficiaries and the encouragement of the staff and contact men, more families continue to show interest in the livestock programme and have shown their readiness to receive and pass on gifts.

Training

Workshops on efficient management of farm animals (Feeding, Housing, Health, and Reproduction) are organized for beneficiary and non-beneficiary families every quarter to improve their capacity building.

The Project in collaboration with the District Veterinary Office of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has chosen and trained two of the local farmers in veterinary care to attend to the First Aid needs of the livestock farmers.

Environment

The promotion of tree planting and agro-forestry is one of the most important activities of the Jeduako Project. To enable the project’s target groups to make their activities environmentally friendly, environmental awareness education is organised every quarter. This includes avoiding indiscriminate felling of trees for charcoal burning and rather cultivating the habit of tree planting by individuals and groups.