CRI TRAINS FARMERS IN NEW PRODUCTION SYSTEM

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    The Crops Research Institute of the CSIR has organized a day’s training workshop and a field trip for 50 farmers, fish farmers, students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Agricultural Extension Officers and agric entrepreneurs on a new integrated agricultural production system at Fumesua near Kumasi. 

The new and improved agricultural production method known as Aquaponics-based Food System, AFS, is a project being jointly carried out by a Research Scientist project team from the Crops, Animal and Water Research Institutes of the CSIR with both technical and financial support from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Cooperation, EMBRAPA. 

The Aquaponics-based Food System is an integrated farming method that emphasizes optimal use of land and by-products from each of the farming components.

 After being taken through details of the new farming method, the participants also visited a pilot AFS farm at the Crops Research Institute where they not only learnt at first hand the best use of available lands, but also had hands-on experience on how to construct a fish pond using local materials at a minimal cost. 

The pilot AFS farm comprises two fish ponds made from tarpaulin, a vegetables farm, crops farm, a poultry farm, a rabbitary among others. 

The Project Coordinator, Shadrack Amponsah explained that AFS, which was developed by EMBRAPA, seeks mainly to increase small holder food production through implementation of water conservation farming practices combined with fish aquaculture. 

According to Mr. Amponsah, AFS is a proactive measure towards mitigating the impact of climate change on food production in Ghana. 

He disclosed that already five individual farmers are implementing the new farming method in the Ashanti, Volta and Western regions, with a higher prospect of scaling it up in other parts of the country. 

Another member of the Project Team, Felix Frimpong noted that one key feature of the project is the use of waste products from each of the farms as inputs of the others thereby cutting down financial cost and agro-chemicals.


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