In an effort to increase rice production in Ghana, farmers in Sefwi Afere, located in the Sefwi Bodi District of the Western North Region, have received training in cutting-edge rice production techniques by the Climate-Resilient Rice Production in West Africa (RICOWAS) Project.

This project, funded by the Adaptation Fund and led by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) in partnership with the CSIR-Crops Research Institute and supported by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), aims

to improve rice production in Ghana by implementing Climate-Resilient Strategies. The focus is on empowering farmers, promoting the use of System of Rice Intensification, and Climate Resilient Rice Production practices to enhance rice productivity in five Regions: Ashanti, Volta, Oti, Western, and Western North.

The targeted twenty municipalities and districts include Asante Akim South, Asante Akim North, Juabeng, Atwima Mponua, Atwima Nwabiagya, Tepa, Afajato South, Hohoe Municipal, Ho Municipal, Akatsi North, North Torngu, Ketu North, Jasikan, Biakoye, Sefwi Wiawso, Bia West, Sefwi Bodi, Sharma, Tarkwa and Wassa Amanfi West.

During a field day training session at Sefwi Afere, the project coordinator Dr. Stephen Yeboah and other team members, Dr. Agbesi Keteku and Mr. William Lelabi Kota emphasized that the initiative aims to increase rice productivity, promote sustainable agricultural practices and empower farmers to build resilience to climate change, ensure economic viability, and enhance community adaptability.

“We came to Bodi for the RICOWAS Project. The RICOWAS Project promotes Climate- Resilient Rice Production where different technologies are put into a package to help farmers increase their production.” Kota stated.

According to Dr Keteku, the aim of the project is to increase rice yield by at least 30%, reduce the cost of production and sustain rice productivity.

Farmers can get a lot from their production if they adopt the System of Rice Intensification technology. This will help reduce the importation of rice into the country and increase local rice production.

Three improved and Climate-Resilient Rice Varieties – CRI-Enapa, CRI-Agyapa, and CRI-Korea Mo were introduced to farmers to integrate with the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technology. The farmers preferred rice variety CRI-Agra was used for the comparison. The SRI fields were established alongside the Farmers practice fields for easy comparison. The farmers participatory approach was used to facilitate effective knowledge transfer and adoption.

The Sefwi Afere farmers welcomed the introduction of new rice varieties, expressing optimism that the modern farming techniques will significantly boost their yields.

However, they voiced concerns about the scarcity of essential inputs, hindering their ability to scale up production. The farmers urged the Ghanaian government to support them with critical machinery, including: – Combine harvesters, Power tillers, Seed drills, Transplanters, and Irrigation dams among others.

“We’re more than 3000 rice farmers in this community. Our challenges are the lack of combine harvesters, power tillers, seed drills, transplants, irrigation dams etc. So we’re pleading with the government for assistance. We have a large land for rice production because we did not use it for Galamsey, (illegal mining) so the government should construct dams for us.” Mr Emmanuel Bennie, Rice Farmers Chairman of Sefwi Bodi appealed.

By: Joseph Marfo