AI revolution hits Ghana’s seed sector: smarter storage, faster testing, bigger yields
Ghana’s agricultural industry is set for a technological leap as the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-CRI) introduces artificial intelligence and smart systems to modernize seed certification and storage. The initiative, unveiled at a stakeholder workshop, promises to reduce seed losses, cut energy costs, and boost productivity for farmers nationwide.
Senior Research Scientist Dr. Hillary Mireku Botey explained that limited cold storage facilities and frequent power fluctuations have long undermined seed viability, with germination losses reaching as high as 60 percent. To tackle this, the Institute has deployed an AI-Controlled Thermal Block System at its Kwadaso Station. “The first technology is the AI-Controlled Thermal Block System. This has been installed in the cold room at CRI-Kwadaso Station. The aim is to reduce energy consumption by charging it at an appropriate time to maintain a steady temperature over a long time. We know the energy cost is very high. We want to reduce the energy consumption and make the cost of seed storage affordable for seed companies and producers,” he said.
Complementing the storage innovation is a locally developed mobile application, created in partnership with Brazilian firm Smart Agri. The app, currently tailored for soybeans and maize, allows users to photograph germinating seeds and instantly calculate germination rates and vigour. Dr. Botey noted that the system works “15 times faster than the manual method,” improving both accuracy and efficiency.
Industry stakeholders welcomed the project’s economic and environmental benefits. Luke Murrell, Founder and Managing Director of SeedSure and SporeSmart Demo Stakeholders Meeting, highlighted its potential to reduce wastage and energy use. “So if we improve cold storage facilities, we don’t have so much wastage of seeds, so that has an economic impact. We also use less energy, so we have systems now that are cleaner, greener types of technologies to provide cold storage. The other side of it is around how we produce varieties of seeds that are more climate resistant. We have some technology now that we can use to track the germination rates of seeds and start to understand in more detail how we produce the best seeds, what are the best varieties,” he said.
The Ashanti Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, David Anamba, underscored the urgency of adapting to climate change. He pointed to shifting rainfall patterns that have seen rains fall unusually in January and February, warning farmers against planting too early. “As for Climate change, we’re getting rains in January and February, which is unusual. Resilience is what we’re looking at. How do we adapt to climate change so we can get a seed that can be resilient to drought? Farmers should not rush to plant now. If you plant now, along the line we’ll have drought,” he asserted. He further advised farmers to purchase seeds only from certified sources to ensure quality and traceability.
The workshop emphasized the importance of strengthening seed traceability and modernizing Ghana’s seed sector. With collaboration between CSIR-CRI, Smart Agri in Brazil, and two UK-based firms, the initiative aims to replace outdated manual practices with advanced technologies that can deliver cleaner, greener, and more resilient farming solutions.
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