Let’s eat our own rice – Peasant Farmers

Frederick Asiamah

The entire advocacy that the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) is engaged in is directed at preventing Ghana from being turned into a dumping ground for rice. It seeks protection of the market for local producers and promotes value addition to local farm produce. “We are not against the importation per se, the government should support the rice sector and the public should eat our rice,” Madam Victoria Adongo, Programme Coordinator, told Public Agenda as she narrated the story of the PFAG.

Networking

Out of a belief in the strength of coalition building, the PFAG does not work alone. It is a member of the Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition (GTLC), the Farmers Platform of Ghana (FPG) and the Africa Cotton Producers Association (APROCA). Donors are the main partners the Association works with. But the key stakeholders, according to Madam Adongo, are the members. “Government is a target when it comes to policy.”

Funding

The first agency to fund the activities of the PFAG was Oxfam. Since then PFAG has received support from the Barclays Bank, the Business Advocacy Support (BUSAC) Fund, the FARM and lately the Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme (G-RAP). Current key activities of the Association are being funded by G-RAP and FARM. $122,000 is involved in the special project funding provided by G-RAP for the period January to December 2009. PFAG also has close to 39,000 Euros from FARM to provide microcredit to its members in the soyabean sub-sector on pilot basis for a year. Madam Adongo says, “The plan is that this is going to be like seed money to those groups. If the repayment is good we could extend it to farmers of other crops.”

Programmes

Most of PFAG’s activities are informed by research. Current PFAG major activities are being funded by G-RAP and FARM. The G-RAP support is being used for two things – assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the coupon system of distributing subsidized fertilizer and advocate against the continuous importation of rice as well as sensitize Ghanaians to choose locally produced rice over imported ones.

On the other hand, a grant has been secured from FARM to pilot a credit scheme. Initially, 360 soyabean farmers in five communities in the Northern Region will benefit from the scheme. The communities are Chahiyile, Tunkurugu and Nanton in the Savelugu Nanton district and Tugu and Juni in the Tamale District. The scheme will help farmers with the necessary inputs to enable them cultivate additional four acres of the crop.

Publications

PFAG has carried out several studies. However, all of them except one have not been made public. This is because the organization keeps them and uses the content for its advocacy work. The only published study was conducted on the 2008 crop season and outdoored this week. It is titled Report on Assessing the Effectiveness and Efficiency of the Coupon System of Distribution of Subsidized Fertilizer to Peasant Farmers.

Achievements

According to the Programme Coordinator, “Being the only farmer-based Association in policy advocacy is an achievement.” Furthermore, securing a grant fro the members is another success. Collaboration with other civil society organizations has resulted in vigourous campaigns against unfair trade practices and the economic partnership agreements.

Challenges

The major challenge comes from the lack of policy direction and low government commitment to the agricultural sector. Government’s expenditure on agriculture compared to other sectors is minimal. “They write in the budget but they don’t carry it out,” the Programme Coordinator points out. Also, government’s attitude towards the Association’s proposal for a credit facility to be established to support peasant farmers has received very little attention. Moreover, infrastructure, such as roads to farming communities, is in bad shape. The recent fuel price increases and the consequent rise in transportation fares have also affected several farm inputs like seeds, insecticides, pesticides and labour.

Another challenge relates to the farmers themselves. They lack requisite technological know how. Consequently, “There is no innovative way of doing things. A lot of farmers are still using the hoe,” notes Madam Adongo. Climate change is also having a toll on the activities of the peasant farmers, calling for a diversification of the Association’s activities in order to look at the phenomenon from the farmers’ perspective.

Looking into the future

The push for an agricultural credit fund that will provide credit on inputs from the government will continue, signals Madam Adongo. There will also be a push for the improvement of infrastructure, especially irrigation systems. There will also be a call on government to define its agricultural policies, spelling out the role the discovery of oil will play.

The Association wants to improve yield of farmers through the conduct of research into soils, seeds and agronomic practices. It will also invite other civil society organizations and the private sector, especially processors, to partner it to add value to farm produce and secure more income for the farmers.

The Association further plans to work closely with members on the ground. Experiences from this will inform its work in the future. Together, they will find market for their produce. PFAG is also looking forward to build the capacities of peasant farmers as far as agronomic practices, group dynamics, financial management and post harvest loss prevention are concerned. “In the long term, we will like to train them in entrepreneurial skills to look at farming as a business and treat it as a business.” Madam Adongo also says, “We want to enhance food security through a project on integrating crop and animal husbandry to improve the livelihoods and income of farmers.

Another activity planned for the future is to strengthen gender mainstreaming efforts. This is against the backdrop of the Association’s desire to create gender sensitivity among the farmers. It will also seek to increase membership.

The PFAG also wants to strengthen itself with good quality and committed staff.

The changes the organization seeks, especially in terms of policy change, can take as long as possible. “Five years, ten years, give it the longest period.” But, “We are looking forward to the time that Ghana will be self-sufficient in food production for local consumption and export because our food is good – it doesn’t contain too much chemicals,” the Programme Coordinator concluded.