Agrihouse Foundation is set to hold the fifth edition of its annual Women in Food and Agriculture Leadership and Gold in the Soil Awards. This year, the two-day event will take place from Wednesday, July 26 and Thursday, July 27, 2023 in the Eastern Region, on the theme ‘Overcoming barriers to agribusiness women development – the role of stakeholders’.
Annually, WOFAGRIC serves as a mentoring, networking and learning platform for women in agriculture. The platform makes room for agric resources persons, development partners, researchers, farmer group leaders, government agencies, businesses and civil society leaders to educate women farmers with best practices and expert opinions to enhance their activities.
Through WOFAGRIC, about two thousand women in agriculture working in selected regions of the country have benefitted from soft skills, competence-based training sessions; mentorship, business plan development coaching; farm management skills, record keeping; and presentations on the latest trends, outlooks and innovations in agriculture. They have been exposed to networking opportunities with development partners, influential executives and spot-on professional development.
The Gold in the Soil Awards has in the last four years recognised women in agriculture who are pioneers and trailblazers, pushing boundaries along the value chain. The women-focused awards ceremony moves across regions and has recognised and awarded about seventy-five (75) women in agriculture – including twenty (20) with physical disabilities who are thriving as farmers, processors, marketers, women into transport, packaging, Technology, and input dealers among others. The women – between the ages of fifteen (15) to seventy-five (75) years – cultivate ten (10) to 500 hundred (500) acres of farmland, and grow crops like cocoa, plantain, palm nut, yam, cocoyam, rice, maize, shea and millet, among others. They grow also livestock including goats, sheep and poultry.
A look at our 2021 winners
Portia wins the Ultimate Gold in the Soil Award
Ultimate Gold in the Soil Award – Madam Portia Asumda from Zangeyire in the Upper East Region was crowned with the ultimate Gold in the Soil Award. This award seeks to appreciate the outstanding achievements of a woman producing along the entire agricultural value chain (from production through processing, branding to marketing etc.). Exporting her products would be an added advantage. Her establishment/business has made a recognisable impact on her community.
Super Woman Farmer Award – Alima Wahabu from Upper East Region. This special category goes to a physically challenged woman whose role, work and passion for agriculture is contributing largely to community development, food security, poverty alleviation, job creation and economic growth in the Agric sector.
In 2021, Alima Wahabu and Aberiga Yesara – both physically challenged women farmers – were recognised in the ‘Super Woman Farmer Award’ category. They are residents of Adamkologa in the Zebilla constituency of Upper East Region. Narrating her story in the Gold in the soil Awards documentary, Alima Wahabu revealed she farms maize and soyabeans on a 2-acre farmland. The second nominee, Madam Yesara, also has a 2-acre farmland of maize and soyabean. She is also a livestock farmer of cows, poultry, guinea-fowl and goats.
The Passion for Farm Award – Portia Gban from Upper West Region. The award recognises an individual woman who is excited and passionate about agribusiness and is contributing to the growth of her community, creating jobs, mentoring girls in the community and supporting them to take up agric – either small-scale or large-scale.
She operates Award – Joy okrah from Upper West Region. This Award recognises an exceptional female who’s into operation management and maintenance of tractor services. She should be earning income from this trade and impacting her community with her skill.
She Innovates Award – Gafaratu Fuseini from Upper East Region. This award goes to a woman who has been or is working with the power of innovation and adding value to her agro business. She has identified a challenge within the community and value chain, and found a solution through innovation.
Feed to Foods Award – Genevieve Akugu from Upper East Region. This is for a woman with great determination and integrity who has continuously demonstrated a positive role in poultry and livestock, and has an unwavering commitment to succeed in this sector.
Star Woman Agripreneur Award – Mavis Alahire Aboko from Upper East Region. This special recognition goes out to an outstanding agribusiness-beginning young lady, in any field of agriculture. This young woman should be seen to be excelling (i.e., efficiency in service delivery, income performance) in her field and is already a great role-model, mentoring young girls in her community.
Diamond in the Rough Award – Saantuma Sala from Upper West Region. This award goes to a generational role-model making waves at the background within her community, an unsung heroine who has indeed mentored and made great strides for her family, her people and the community as a whole.
Royal Agro Award – Ayiesheitu Mahamadu Asaki from Upper East Region. Through this award, we identify a traditional leader (Queen mother) who is into agriculture herself and has a personal commitment to see women in agriculture in her community develop and thrive; and is helping them in all ways possible through access to land, training, social impact programmes and advocacy.
Climate Smart Women Project Award – Memuna Abdul Rahaman from Upper West Region. This award provides recognition for the efforts of a group of women, or a woman-led organisation, implementing an outstanding project in agriculture by adopting a climate smart approach and practices which support in transformation, development and is sustainably increasing agricultural productivity in her community.
Change Champion Award – Asieme Elsie Azelikumah from Upper East Region. This category goes to the professional corporate woman whose ongoing effort, passion for her job, contribution and dedication to her work in the agro space is contributing significantly to corporate internal change, while making a national impact.
Outstanding Woman in Extension Services Award – Leuzumah Rashida from Upper West Region. This award provides recognition to women in either the public or private sector, who are contributing effortlessly through training, capacity building and advocacy to encourage the adaptation of best practices by farmers, thereby contributing significantly to the empowerment and socio-economic development of society and the country as a whole.
Princess Carla Award – Hawawu Gbahara from Upper West Region. This award recognises the efforts of a dedicated woman whose work and role affects communities positively; touching lives, mentoring, role-modelling, advising, counselling and enhancing networks for other women, both young and old.
Lady of the Export Region Award – Anita Sutha from Upper West Region. This category recognises and rewards the region’s most successful and innovative woman exporter, based on size of the business and export sales.
She Innovates Award – Gafaratu Fuseini from Upper East Region. This award goes to a woman who has or is working with the power of innovation and adding value to her agro business. She has identified a challenge within the community and value chain, and found a solution through innovation.
Development Partner Award – Canadian High Commission. This award recognises the efforts of an International organisation, whose works centres on agriculture – and in particular toward development of women in the community, encouraging them to adopt best practices while adding value.
