In an effort to enhance food production, improve nutrition security, and bolster resilience against climate change, a one-day intensive training on sustainable on-farm conservation of neglected and underutilized root and tuber crops was recently held for farmers.

The training, part of the Community Seed Banking (CSB) project, brought together 35 selected farmers from Adawso, Mangoase, and Tinkon in the Akuapem North District of the Eastern Region.

The event was organized by NUS Network Ghana under a pilot project supported by the Agricultural Consular Department of the Netherlands Embassy and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). The primary goal was to educate farmers on conserving underutilized root and tuber crops on their farms to ensure these species are not lost, thus sustaining their provision of food and nutritional needs for society.

Farmers were trained on sustainable production and conservation techniques for key root and tuber crops, including cassava, plantain, yam, sweet potato, taro, cocoyam, and tiger nuts. They also learned about the challenges of on-farm conservation of crop varieties and strategies to overcome them.

Dr. Daniel Nyadanu, Coordinator of NUS Network Ghana, highlighted the significance of on-farm conservation, describing it as the sustainable management of genetic diversity of locally developed traditional crop varieties by farmers in horticultural or agri-silvicultural systems, also known as “in-situ conservation.”

Benefits of On-Farm Conservation

Dr. Nyadanu emphasized that successful on-farm conservation by farmers would create a diversity of crops within the ecology of the Akuapem North District, promoting food security. “By this process, erosion of these genetic resources from our agricultural landscapes would be avoided to a greater extent.

Farmers could adopt methods to keep varieties of crops that they have selected in their local environments,” he stated. This practice helps maintain diversity within a locality, thereby stabilizing the food system for the general good.

The training was deemed timely, given the current climate change scenarios and their adverse effects on agricultural productivity. Dr. Nyadanu stressed the importance of on-farm conservation and management of root and tuber crops to food security, as these crops cannot be conserved in a seed bank or similar structure.

Hence, there is a need to conserve them in their natural environment under the CSB procedure. He also announced plans to upscale the program to other districts and regions in Ghana to achieve a broader objective of national food and nutrition security.

Insights from Experts

Dr. Richard Adu Amoah, a resource person and member of NUS Network Ghana, highlighted the significance of sweet potato as a versatile and important crop for food security. Sweet potato storage roots are rich in dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant compounds. He noted that on-farm conservation of sweet potato has been recognized as a strategy to ensure greater accessibility to genetic diversity of traditional crop varieties, lower conservation costs, reduce vulnerability to losses, and allow sustainable management.

Mr. Prince Pobee, also a member of NUS Network Ghana, pointed out that many indigenous plant species have been lost due to lack of conservation, underutilization, and mismanagement. He stressed that while the establishment of a community seed bank is commendable, it is crucial to undertake activities that help farmers understand the modalities for conserving varieties of their crops, especially root and tuber crops, on-farm.

Elder Emmanuel Martey, the District Best Farmer for Akwapem North, commended the workshop organizers, noting that it has bridged their knowledge gap toward sustainable conservation of crop varieties on-farm, which is essential for higher productivity and profitability. “The training has equipped us with the necessary skills and knowledge to ensure that these vital crops are not lost, but rather conserved and utilized to their full potential,” he remarked.

The training on sustainable on-farm conservation of underutilized root and tuber crops represents a significant step towards enhancing food security and resilience against climate change. By equipping farmers with the knowledge and skills to conserve these crops, initiatives like the Community Seed Banking project play a crucial role in preserving genetic diversity, improving agricultural productivity, and ensuring sustainable food systems for future generations.