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Development Sector: Janga Area: Agriculture Program
If you were to walk through...
the Janga project site prior to 1987, you would clearly see the frustration on the faces of a disheartened people. Frustration brought about by the constant uncertainty of annual weather patterns, limited resources and the desperation of knowing that breaking the cycle of poverty may never happen.NEA's development work began with simply listening to the entire community. In order to have a lasting effect NEA's understanding the needed to focus beyond the immediate needs.
Women of Janga: 1987
Typically women, especially widows, in the communities of Northern Ghana had no platform nor voice to express their concerns or issues, yet in the absence of a husband, they would shoulder the responsibilities of raising children and providing for the family.
A few sacks of seed...
The first agricultural endeavor developed and supervised by the NEA's in 1987 consisted of a group of 10 women in the Janga area. Each woman was allotted a one acre parcel of land from the local “ land overseer”. Through the NEA training program the women were provided with peanut seeds,educational training, assisistance with land preparation, composting, planting, weeding, harvesting and proper storage procedures. The program was designed to operate on a three year cycle before the women would be required to repay the equivalent amount of seed back to the NEA seed bank. The time allotment of a three year repayment program was set up to take into account the high probability of crop failure due to drought or severe flooding from year to year. By the end of a three year cycle the women would have established their own reserve of seed and comfortably have enough for repayment.
In 1988...
the NEA received funding from CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) and NEA’s Canadian partner GRID (Ghana Rural Integrated Development). The funding allowed an additional 60 women to join into the Janga co-operative peanut growing program.
By 1992...
the Janga Women’s Co-operative was becoming a success story in progress. In addition to the peanut growing operations, Soya beans were introduced to the crop development roster with a two-fold expectation. Soya beans, provided a rich source of protein that could be introduced to the local diet through preparation/application seminars. In addition to the consumption benefits of the beans, was the secondary benefit of the un-harvested portion of the plant which would be a nutrient rich compost for replenishing the land. The rapid growth taking place in this agricultural sector was so remarkable that a few short years after the inception of the program, there were surplus crop yields that enabled trading and micro-businesses to start up.
Thirteen years after...
the initial 10 women received their bags of seed and introduction to the crop farming program, the figures have changed dramatically. By the year 2000, the Janga Women’s Co-operative had an enrolment of 1000 women and their co-operative program had established them as a highly regarded operation in the northern part of the country
The true measure of success lies in the realization that by 2001, the Janga Women’s Co-operative became a financially self-sustaining organization. The Womens Co-operative has reached many of the objectives laid out years earlier and continues to provide an opportunity for many participants who are willing to work towards realizing their dreams. Janga women continue to work together to improve their quality of life and to bring sustainable development to the community.NEAis no longer needed to support this program which is a true mark of success!
Men of Janga: 1987
The relationship that developed between the NEA and the men’s farming community differed from that of the Women’s Co-operative. Unlike the women, the men had operated their crop farming operations autonomously for generations with varying degrees of success. On average the cycle for crop farming (which was primarily maize) yielded 1 successful harvest out of every 3 years. Bumper crops, occurred roughly 1 out of every 5 years.Frustration and disappointment could overshadow months of diligent care and tending of crops with the onset of severe drought or flooding from early rains. Recollections can be made of maize crops trying to be sporadically harvested from canoes while the river continued to swell over it’s banks by thousands of yards. NEA worked alongside the men in the Janga project site to find ways to utilize the natural resources at their disposal but with the realization that the weather could hinder development. To address the issue of inconsistent annual weather patterns the adopted strategy was to introduce three different varieties of maize seed into the growing areas that mature at different rates. The second strategy would be to choose geographically diverse areas such as nearby slopes and small hills that would be less susceptible to flooding than the low lying or flat areas. Abandoning the low lying areas completely was not considered because the low lying ground would retain moisture for a longer period after the rainy season ceased, which in turn could reduce irrigation expenses and efforts. Ideally keeping crops relatively close to an irrigation source (White Volta River) while minimizing the exposure to potential flooding would be the ideal scenario.
Closely monitored growing conditions indicated that the maize seed variety with the shortest maturation date would typically have the greatest chance of reaching full maturity with minimal adversity. In 2007 the NEA agricultural team introduced the Dodzi variety which matures in approximately 70 days. Other varieties (including Obatampa 110/days) are also grown. The 70 day variety is helpful in getting food to the population sooner after the lean season and the when rainfall patterns are favourable, the later maturing varieties, feed people longer. Rice which had been previously grown in the area, was re-introduced with a similar strategy to that taken with the maize crops. Three different varieties were selected based on their rate of maturation and the clay deposits in the surrounding area provided ideal growing conditions for the initial testing. The outcome indicated again that seizing the shortest windows of growing opportunity would greatly increase the success of crops reaching full maturity.
The Janga project became sustainable in 2001. Income generating activities that had previously been put in place maintain the staff, the buildings, and the seedbank farms which continue to provide quality seed for local farmers. In 2005-06, the Janga NEA staff facilitated a special initiative by the ACDEP (Association of Churches Development Projects) of which NEA is a member. Through this initiative, 500 farmers were assisted to produce an additional 500 acres of groundnuts & soya beans. In 2007, NEA cultivated 42 acres of cowpea, rice, maize and soya-beans in order to ensure adequate availability of seed for the 2008 cropping season.
The success of the maize and rice growing projects helped establish an ongoing seed bank that is in full operation to date. The basic premise of the seed bank is to maintain a reserve of seed in the event that growing operations in the project site are severely hampered throughout any given year. Structured similar to the Women’s Co-operative program, the seed bank allows individuals to receive planting seed with a deferred payment program of approximately 2 years. At the end of the 2 years, the original quantity is repaid (interest free) and the cycle repeats for another individual. By 1993, the NEA’s seed bank program was supplying seed to 500 farmers in the Janga catchment area. That figure rose to over 1500 farmers by the year 2000.
Tomatoes
The agricultural research and sweat equity that the NEA invested into the Janga project site in the early 1990’s was nothing less than a labor of love. That labor was driven by the compassion they felt for their fellow man and the desire to see them rise above their current situation. As the NEA was conducting experiments with varieties of maize and rice in the 1990’s they also began developing test plots of tomatoes. In 1991 the tests began with half acre plots and three varieties of seed. By 1992 the test plots had expanded to 5 acres with an ongoing 3 varieties. By 1993 the adopted seed was the “Roma” brand, due it’s hardy nature. The nearby White Volta river was identified as a valuable resource with it’s rich deposits of fertile soil running along it’s banks.This area was selected in part because planting typically occurred in October-November and the crops could be harvested in January-February with little risk of being exposed to flooding,yet still benefiting from rich soils. In 1992 the Janga Tomato Growers Association formed as an organization. The association was designed to provide training in areas such as maintenance and harvesting techniques, the usage of natural pesticides, information updates and to provide a collective marketing strategy for the sale of this unique cash crop. In 1994 the spotlight was turned on the project site with national television coverage as the harvest season went into full production. By the year 2000, the once ½ acre tests plots had staggeringly expanded to line the banks of the White Volta river for 21 miles with 600 farmers overseeing the entire operation. The once secluded village was seeing tomato trucks arriving from all over the country - Tema, Takoradi, Accra, Techiman and Tamale. Often their would be half a dozen vehicles waiting two or three days until the tomatoes were sufficiently ripe. That year alone provided the farmers with a net profit equivalent to roughly CDN $80,000.00
In 2001, the income increased significantly to approximately CDN $300,000.00.Over the following years, the Janga Tomato Farmers have continued to operate and have extended their reach along the Whilte Volta. They are careful to use only organic pesticides, some of which they have developed themselves by using local herbs and leaves. They have diversified production to different vegetables and fruits. In years characterized by drought in the rainy season, this dry season activity has been critical to survival. The Janga Tomato Farmers continue to manage all aspects of this program from land distribution through to marketing the produce.
Food Storage Facility
In 1992 a food security building in the Janga project site was erected. It’s purpose was two-fold; to provide a secure central location to store planting seed and harvested crops throughout the year (for the Women's Cooperative members and the NEA seed bank) and secondly to store reserve seed in case of a famine. Protected from animals and adverse weather conditions, the building was the next logical step to ensure the hard work of the community and prevent the farmer’s from being tempted to sell their reserve before replanting. The dimension of the building is 70 feet in length, 30 feet in width, with a height of 20 feet.