Bringing reliable, climate-smart land-preparation services to women farmers in Ghana's Upper West Region -- where hard, compact soils make hand-planting nearly impossible -- will help strengthen food security and encourage good agricultural practices that reduce erosion.
Nearly every family in the Ullo Traditional Area of Ghana makes their living through subsistence farming. But the area's hard, dry soils make hand planting nearly impossible. Only a limited number of tractors with plows are available for hire in the area, and they generally prioritize large farms growing cash crops. As a result, smallholder farmers experience delays in planting, which often means lower yields and in turn food scarcity. Women farmers are disproportionally affected.
With dedicated, reliable mechanization services -- which will cost approximately $10,000 in ongoing operating and maintenance expenses after the initial equipment investment-- women farmers will be able to sow groundnut, maize, sorghum, cowpea, Bambara bean, and soybean earlier in the planting season, increasing the productivity of their small plots. Time spent planting will go down, and harvests will increase, improving food security for families.
Long-term, modern agricultural technologies will help women farmers increase household food availability, diet diversity, and nutrition, as well as their finances. The injection of capital will improve the area's economy. Instead of a plow that worsens soil conditions, the direct seeder/no-till planter will encourage conservation agricultural practices in the region and build better soils over time.
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