The World Bank's Country Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Robert Taliercio O'Brien, has praised the inner strength of farmers affected by this year's drought in northern Ghana and encouraged them to remain determined. He was visiting parts of northern Ghana to inspect sites of the FSRP (West Africa Food Systems Resilience Programme) project, where World Bank-funded projects are being implemented to increase the resilience of food systems in Ghana and the sub-region to climate-related agricultural crises.
During interactions with farmers and members of the media, Mr Obrien said that "as demoralising and heartbreaking as it may be, I am very motivated by the determination and resolve of the tireless farmers I have met, who are facing up to the situation and moving forward. I have come to deliver a single message: the World Bank stands with you in these difficult times and we pledge to continue to support Ghana and the sub-region to build and promote robust value chain systems to ensure that we emerge unscathed and even stronger during and after nature's unpredictable and inevitable trials."
Mr Obrien was pleased to learn that communities near the World Bank-funded irrigation sites had not been affected by the devastating effects of the recent drought, as the irrigation systems had enabled them to farm during the dry season. Working with the World Bank Ghana and FSRP teams, the Country Director inspected the Tono Irrigation Scheme facilities, which were rehabilitated with funding from the World Bank and the Ghanaian government under the former Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project (GCAP). He inspected the dam wall, reservoir and spillway. At the water intake, he inspected the operation of the automation system used to open and close the valve that allows water to enter the main irrigation channel. In Zone B, he inspected the solar installation (including solar panels and solar pumps) that delivers the water to the farmland on the higher ground. They also drove through Zone A to observe farmers in their fields and chat with them. Mr Obrien then made a brief stop at the bifurcator, where the main canal divides into two canals, the Left Bank Canal (LBC) and the Right Bank Canal (RBC). They then crossed Zone C along the LBC to Lateral F14, where he spent some time chatting to farmers.
Mr Obrien emphasised that the World Bank and the Government of Ghana are ready to build on GCAP's achievements and strengthen them further through the PRSP. Key among these are the completion of work on the Vea Irrigation Scheme (VIS) and other interventions on the Tono Irrigation Scheme (TIS). Through the FSRP, the World Bank and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) are supporting production intensification by providing input credits to farmers in the scheme. Thanks to a Norwegian grant, farmers in Tono will receive inputs to grow 50 hectares of tomatoes using solar pumps in Zones B and O. The FSRP is continuing its on-farm demonstration activities to promote proven CSA (Climate Smart Agriculture) technologies in tomato cultivation and is setting up adaptive trials to assess the suitability of locally produced tomato seeds. Logistical support is also planned to facilitate the implementation of FSRP activities by agricultural extension agents.
Mr Robert Taliercio O'Brien assured the farmers that the World Bank would not be content simply to provide funds. "We will be with you on the ground, every step of the way, and we will not stop until our goal of credible food security is achieved".
Ms Ashwini Sebastian, Senior Agricultural Economist at the World Bank in Ghana and leader of the FSRP task team, said that irrigation is only one link in the agricultural value chain and does not alone achieve the expected quality and yields in food production. Other interventions in the value chain, including the adoption of innovative methods, the use of climate-smart seeds and other value-added interventions, need to be integrated; and this is exactly what the World Bank is looking to focus on and support in the future.
