The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has engaged stakeholders to discuss the way forward with Modernization of Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) Project, backed by findings of research under the project in order to improve agricultural productivity.

Speaking at the stakeholders’ dialogue dubbed “Modernisation of Agriculture in Ghana, Engaging with available evidence for informed policy and investment decision-making”, Dr Seth A. Manteaw, Director of CSIR – Institute for Scientific and Technological Information (CSIR – INSTI), said agriculture modernization prepares conditions for industrialization by boosting labour productivity, increasing agricultural capital, and foreign exchange via exports, adding that “modernizing agriculture would help in raising incomes and productivity of poor farmers and also lower food prices.”

The CSIR – INSTI Director pointed out that his outfit, in collaboration with the government of Canada, were researching into agriculture modernization under the Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana Project (MAG) which is aimed at increasing farmers income and enhancing rural livelihoods. He revealed that the stakeholders’ engagement was to also focus on the gender inclusion aspect of the project to ensure that empowerment through capacity building and technology dissemination were realized.

Dr Manteaw said predominant dissemination of farming technology has been focused on the production level and thus there is the need for more focus into other areas of the agricultural value chain. He also added that there is the need for more awareness creation on gender mainstreaming in the agricultural activities to ensure that women also have better access to farming inputs.

Touching on gender inclusion, Dr Wilhelmina Quaye, Director, CSIR – Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR – STEPRI), said her outfit seeks to look at some of the gender dimensions of the project and how the inputs from the discussion could help female farmers in their agricultural production. She revealed that male farmers in the country have more access to farming inputs than their female counterparts, stating that in terms of affordability men are able to afford agricultural mechanization services such as tractors than women.

“There is the need for stakeholders to find innovative ways of making such services readily available to the women on time”, she therefore added.

Commenting on the way forward, Dr Quaye hinted that there is the need for stakeholders to support women after their agricultural production to add value to their produce by processing. She assured policy makers and stakeholders that her outfit will play role in this particularly helping farmers to access and marketing their processed products.

Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana Project (MAG) is a five-year initiative to provide budgetary support and technical assistance in response to the objectives of food and agricultural sector development policies and value chain management issues for increased farmer incomes and enhanced rural livelihoods. The MAG project focuses on demand-driven research and alternative methods of extension delivery that facilitate the dissemination of technologies to farm households, Farmer Based Organizations and out-growers of nucleus farms, amongst others.