EU, GIZ, and DBI Assembly commission projects to improve farming and reduce post-harvest losses
Smallholder farmers in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District are poised for significant agricultural growth following the commissioning of a refurbished dam and a solar-powered cold room in the Duang community.
The projects, inaugurated on Tuesday, were implemented through a partnership between the European Union, GIZ, and the DBI District Assembly.
According to Paulina Rozycka, Team Leader for Infrastructure and Sustainable Development at the EU Delegation to Ghana, the cold room can store up to 10 tons of produce annually. This will help farmers preserve their harvest, cut post-harvest losses, and sell when market prices are highest, ultimately boosting incomes.
To maintain sustainability, the DBI District Assembly opted to power the cold room entirely with solar energy. District Chief Executive (DCE) James Wor explained that relying on the national grid would have been costly for the rural community. The Assembly is also fencing the irrigable dam area to protect crops from stray animals during the dry season.
The initiatives stem from Community Action Plans (CAPs) developed by local residents. Prosper Ahalivor noted that GIZ supported 15 communities in creating these plans, promoting decentralised governance and local participation. Rozycka praised the grassroots approach, emphasizing that sustainability begins with community-driven efforts.
The agricultural improvements extend beyond Duang. DCE Wor revealed that partners have provided eight mechanised solar-powered boreholes, supported agroforestry projects, and supplied eco-friendly farm tools, including multi-purpose threshers, handheld planters, and reapers, to farmers in Issa and surrounding areas.
Despite these advances, local leaders are calling for further assistance. Both the Divisional Chief of Duang, Kuori Sumaila Tambogikuon II, and DCE Wor highlighted poor road infrastructure, urging the Ministry of Roads to construct the Issa-Duang-Kajikperi road and connect Duang to the Samanbo road to ease transport of farm produce.
The DCE also appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to support land preparation for a 2,000-acre cassava farm to revive an idle processing plant and requested backing for a daily market near the cold room.
In recognition of the partnership, the Duang community honored the development partners by dressing them in traditional smocks and officially crowning them as “development partners,” celebrating what they described as a new era for agriculture in the community.
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