By Alberta Nana Akyaa AKOSA
Where there is Food, there is Peace
Where there is Peace, there is Unity
Where there is Unity, there is Development
Where there is Development, there is Sustainability!
The above expression encapsulates my belief and value for agriculture as a necessary and important life and living variable in the ecosystem of man and all living things on earth.
Invariably, this philosophy forms the foundation from which springs my passion for the development, sustenance, and support of agriculture, and for the tenders and sustainers of agriculture; as well as my proactive interest in the state of the environmental ecosystem that nurtures agriculture.
Hence, I can say, without equivocation, that food unites people globally because of its common and vital value. Indeed, any opportunity to share the experience of our proactive agribusiness journey in the development and sustenance of agriculture within our peculiar situation and conditions in Ghana and Africa is very much appreciated.
I am extremely passionate about farming and particularly in love with agriculture in general. Perhaps that accounts for my steadfast intent on contributing to the growth and advancement of youth and women in agriculture, especially as studies have shown that women have remained the faithful tenders of agriculture in Africa through all kinds of social, economic and financial weather.
I think that the citation of a recent award by Italy’s Agrifood Future, best captures my focus and my mission.
Below is a part of it:
“She has contributed to strengthening and changing the vision of the role of women in agriculture. Her focus on breaking down gender barriers aligns with a broader vision of creating an agricultural sector that values the contribution of all actors in the supply chain and respect for natural resources.”
Now, I can confidently say that the above description is very apt. Indeed, through our Agrihouse Foundation activities and projects, I can humbly agree with those who rightly say that Agrihouse foundation has a vision for the future of food.
That we keep contributing to providing new and stable market opportunities, increased the aggregation of agricultural businesses, trained new farmers who are more aware of financial management and the use of innovative technologies in the production process, and increased the profitability of businesses. All of that are very true and very verifiable.
One of our projects, The Gathering of The Royals, particularly, has improved participation in the decision-making process and the status of women in various communities. Really, the fallouts from our projects are witnessed in increased savings, the ability of the beneficiaries of our projects to pay their children’s school fees and other educational expenses.
Early Years
I founded Agrihouse Foundation in the year 2017. My overall reason for establishing this foundation stems from my desire to ensure that agribusiness is well established and continues to thrive. Incorporated in this reason, also, is the desire to see that farmers are happy and fulfilled in their noble profession of feeding the world.
Looking around, at some stage of my professional life, I realized that there was a huge gap in youth and women representation and participation in agribusiness and in appreciating and exploiting the opportunities within the agribusiness value chain.
In some parts of, Ghana, agriculture in the earlier ages was the reserve of the elderly and aged. For the youth, it was viewed more as a strenuous work and a punitive engagement imposed on any misbehaving child.
I recall back in our school days, pupils and students were made to weed the field, or farm, as punishment for any wrongdoing at school.
This association of farm related manual activity with punitive measure nurtured a negative perception of farming in the minds of our youth, thus affecting the possibilities, or chances, of their considering agriculture as a profession. Consequently, they could not see the immense wealth creating opportunities in it.
This negative conception prevented most of us from even appreciating the career opportunities in the agriculture sector.
All of the foregoing formed the basis for my establishing Agrihouse Foundation as a platform from which I could illuminate the benefits of agriculture in a practical way, as well as create opportunities for its development and gainful exploitation.
I felt there were numerous opportunities, which the lack of knowledge and organized facilitating intervention concealed. Huge gaps and challenges impeded the expected exploitation of these opportunities in the sector.
Since its founding, the Agrihouse Foundation has been intentionally working to bridge these gaps and provide diversified and sustained facilitation for unimpeded access to multiple factors of growth to both farmers and agripreneurs.
I must admit, however that, as an adventurous person, I also personally wanted to explore the sector; to learn and understand, and consequently make my own contribution to the development and growth of agribusiness and the various levels of the actors involved in the field.
Indeed, at the beginning, I did not know where to start from, or whether my voice would even be heard.
However, after spending seconds, minutes, hours, days, and months behind my desk, I concluded that any impactful contribution would require a practical approach. I decided that I could only make meaningful and effective contributions if I approached issues by identifying the gaps and the challenges and finding a practical and effective solution, one-step at a time.
It was on these grounds that, together with my amazing and extraordinary team, we have successfully been able to build a household brand that is making huge strides and impact within the field of agriculture in Ghana, Africa, and on the global scene.
Agrihouse Foundation
Agrihouse Foundation is a non-governmental organization. The Foundation promotes social impact projects in agriculture throughout the African continent.
Over the years, since its inception in 2017, Agrihouse Foundation has steadily grown to become recognized as a pioneer and pacesetter in creating relevant and effective interventional agric projects in Ghana.
We conduct intensive practical research and identify gaps in the agric value chain, and assess how we can create initiatives that could highlight some of the identified challenges and, together with stakeholders across board, device practical result oriented solutions.
At the end of the day, we are impact driven, and we want to see growth, empowerment, and scale-up within the sector.
Little wonder, our regular support and project partners have, at different times, described our projects as praise worthy, impactful, and filled with empowerment features to drive growth in Ghana’s agriculture. It is in our character, therefore, to be passionate about achieving results with every endeavor we undertake.
Our projects
We presently have about ten (10) annual interventional agricultural projects. These are:
- The Gathering of the Royals
- The Ghana Agrochemical and Crop Protection Exhibitions and Awards ( A pre-planting season event)
- The Agricultural students Career Guidance and mentorship Dialogue bootcamp
- The Women in Food and Agricultural Leadership Training Forum
- The Gold in the Soil Awards
- The Ghana Poultry Day
- The Livestock, Poultry and Fisheries Training and Tradeshow
- The Monthly AgriWoman Marketplace
- The Executive Agribusiness Masterclass
- The Preharvest Agribusiness Exhibitions and Conference Events
- The 1household, 1 garden initiative.
These projects are primarily targeting in nature, and they are making profound influence in the lives of thousands of youth, women, smallholder farmers, commercial farmers and farmers with disabilities.
A critical assessment of our efforts so far, from our humble beginning to our present stage, reveals that we have made profound impact on Ghana’s agric industry through our projects and interventions.
Our broad range of initiatives, which aims at empowering farmers and agripreneur individuals, have transformed livelihoods, and continues to contribute to the growth of the agricultural sector.
Driven by a deep passion to create change, we seek to empower communities, influence growth and scale up the agricultural sector to become and remain active, vibrant and productive, whilst ensuring that farmers thrive.
One such impactful projects of ours is the Agricultural Students Career Guidance and Mentorship Dialogue Bootcamp (AG-STUD AFRICA). Since 2018, AG-STUD AFRICA, which has directly benefitted over 20,300 beginner agribusinesses and students, and about 48,500 beneficiaries, also helped them develop strong, bankable business plans.
In addition, the project empowered over 2,500 students from 45 schools and institutions with leadership skills and startup capital to begin their own agribusinesses. So far, students who have participated in the program own established agribusinesses. Some have gained good jobs in firms, whilst others are serving in different capacities within the agribusiness space.
Under the AG-STUD initiative, we are presently working with partners and collaborators to make agric input more accessible to smallholder farmers across the rural communities through the establishment of input dealers’ shops for final year students of universities, farm institutes and agric colleges across the country
Our home gardening project, 1 Household, 1 Garden Initiative (1H1G), has empowered about 25,400 households to improve their household food security and build resilience, whilst imbuing in them the value of nutrition. We target women, widows, single mothers, young girls and persons living with disabilities as our direct beneficiaries.
Beyond training them on the relevance of vegetables and backyard gardens, we support beneficiaries with starter packs that include vegetable seedlings, variety of vegetable seeds, gardening tools, and crop nutrition. We also train them to produce their own pesticides, from neem trees, which naturally grows within their communities.
Some beneficiaries, like Lamisi Moses, who is a visually impaired resident of Nalerigu, praised the 1H1G project for its inclusivity that accommodates individuals with disabilities. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in an agricultural project, a first time experience for her; as she had never even seen such projects that involved people with disabilities.
Another beneficiary, Khadija, commended the 1H1G project’s comprehensive approach to improving household food security and nutrition. She particularly emphasized the benefits of backyard gardens to individuals with disabilities, as it allows them to reduce dependence on external markets and to enjoy the dignity of self-dependence.
Ibrahim Ayishetu, a 26-year-old unemployed woman from Gushiegu, joined the 1 Household, 1 Garden initiative for the opportunity to grow vegetables for her and her elderly mother. Despite initial challenges with germinating seeds, she received technical support from an Agricultural Extension Agent and successfully grew lettuce and cabbage.
Interestingly, Ayishetu’s success inspired her neighbors to seek her assistance, thus leading to her starting a small-scale seed-growing business. Within six weeks, she earned a profit of GHsc320 from selling seeds. Encouraged by her success, Ayishetu plans to expand her seed-growing business during the main growing season.
Another notable initiative of ours is the Women in Food and Agricultural Leadership Forum (WOFAGRIC) and Gold in the Soil Awards where, over 32% of participants have gone on to win laurels at the National agriculture promotion and farmers’ recognition event, the Farmers’ Day Celebration.
Since 2019, this platform has supported in advancing women’s participation in the sector and strategically built the capacities of over 15,300 women farmers to become leaders in their fields, whilst making meaningful contributions in developing and sustaining best practices to enhance and yield good farming results.
Additionally, in 2021, it was recorded that 50% of women farmers at the event managed farmlands between 10 and 65 acres, with some of these women being physically challenged.
Through this project, women like Evelyn Andoh from the Western Region, have been able to acquire land from the government for farming.
Evelyn testified that she has seen a lot of improvement after the award, and has experienced significant improvements, like being able to transport her farm produce to the market with the use of the Tricycle (Aboboya) she received from Agrihouse Foundation, as her prize for winning the Gold in the Soil Awards.
Our flagship event, the Pre-harvest Agribusiness Exhibitions and Conference has been a catalyst for Ghana’s entire agricultural sector, linking farmers to markets, and highly contributing to reducing post-harvest losses.
The Pre-harvest event, initially a one-day event with 200 attendees in 2010, has expanded into a three-day event attracting over 3,800 participants annually.
The event has facilitated an estimated $5.5 million in business transactions, through its Farmer to Buyer Matchmaking platform, exhibitions and Farmer-to-Farmer sessions, demonstrating its effectiveness in connecting farmers with buyers and driving economic growth.
The event annually assists farmers and agri-businesses to expand their businesses before and after harvesting, and creates an enabling environment for new partnerships to promote the growth of Ghana’s agricultural sector.
The sustained interest of participants over the years has positioned the Pre-harvest Agribusiness event as a pivot in the advancement of Ghana’s agricultural sector by fostering market linkages, promoting knowledge sharing, and empowering farmers.
Its continued success and positive impact on stakeholders demonstrate its value as a leading market linkage platform for agricultural development in the country.
The Livestock, Poultry, and Fisheries Training and Tradeshow (LIPF) has also made its own substantial impact in ensuring that both the livestock and crop sectors in Ghana are in tandem in receiving equal attention.
This annual event, despite the difficulties in hosting it as a result of the challenges our livestock faces, has, over the years, attracted both local and international exhibitors from countries like Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Over 800 beneficiaries have, through this initiative, been able to establish various livestock farms, especially in poultry, piggery, rabbit, cattle, mushroom and snail farming, whilst others have gone into service and value added processed products.
It is humbling to note that our Gathering of the Royals event has also made some major notable impacts, especially in the following areas:
- The successful facilitation of extension support services and officers to communities that were initially not receiving support. The success of the event influenced the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to lend its support.
- The introduction of the Royals in Agri-booster Module in 2021, where farming communities and farmers receive various capacity building and demonstrative services to enhance yield. By this, over 10,000 farmers have received free soil testing, prior to planting, and basic inputs.
- The establishment of community watch policing across various communities to ensure sustainability of agri-peace in the farming communities, with support from the Ghana Police service.
- The deepening of relations between traditional leaders and development agencies, which has seen training and other capacity building activities introduced within communities
- The creation of community entry initiatives which has, by far, facilitated and supported input dealers, machinery and equipment companies, financial institutions, and other agencies, to introduce product and services to farming communities.
- The strengthening of relations with Government officials, which has assisted in curbing issues of cattle and elephant farm invasions, as well as bringing about the upgrading of some road networks.
With the above account, and more of the impacts made, it is easily evident that, “at the heart of food systems are WOMEN; at the spirit of sustainable farming are WOMEN; at the soul of advancing the full cycle participation of women in agribusiness are WOMEN!
Coming along on the same line of performance is our Agri-woman Marketplace. This unique platform has been instrumental in helping women-led agribusinesses recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 360 women farmers have benefited from this platform that offers networking, knowledge-sharing, and capacity-building opportunities.
The event has also enabled many agri-women to secure significant deals with local and international companies that purchase raw and semi-processed agricultural produce.
The Ghana Agrochemical and Crop Protection initiative stands out presently as the key platform providing farmers with crop protection options, support and innovative best practices and approaches before the planting season begins, whilst affording input dealers and manufacturers the frontline opportunity to introduce their products, services and application procedures to farmers.
In 2021, Agrihouse Foundation also launched the AgriWatch News Portal & Mobile App, to generally share agricultural news update and make news more accessible to stakeholders.
We also established Agrihouse Communications to support projects and communications efforts of emerging agribusiness organizations, as well as other established organizations within the sector.
All our initiatives exemplify our commitment to create a thriving agricultural sector, whilst positively influencing the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities.
Reinforced vision
I am continually burning with the passion to impact, empower, change perception, influence growth, transform livelihoods, create markets, contribute to scaling-up the sector, make the sector active, vibrant, productive, make farmers happy, shape the conversation on agriculture through the promotion of people-impact initiatives and programs, and influencing a new Agri-perspective.
At Agrihouse Foundation, we are ceaselessly pushing towards achieving our mission of further making farming lucrative. We are ensuring that our initiatives and every project we embark on influence and have a socio-economic, human and environmental impact on the overall agricultural agenda of Ghana and Africa as a whole.
Frankly, and quite humbly, I am impressed with the contributions we have made in the area of empowering our youth and women. Our efforts have demonstrated beyond reasonable doubts that women are the Gold in the soil. They are the hearts, seeds and soul of Agriculture.
Again, our works have strengthened the belief that, when the youth are given the needed support and resources, they will be able to contribute innovatively to the advancement of the agricultural sector.
Agrihouse Foundation has been able to establish a Training and Demonstration Centre in the Northern Region of Ghana, to practically train beginner farmers and farmers in adopting best practices.
Within the next 3-5 years, we hope to lead in building an Agricultural Academy for the training of Africa’s sustainable farmers.
The black star
The Ghanaian agricultural sector holds huge promise yet, it remains hindered by challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, climate change challenges and limited access to technology. However, by leveraging the solutions and expertise of countries, Ghana can unlock unmatched growth.
Ghana has the potential to cultivate a future defined by resilience, innovation and growth, through good partnerships and collaborations. The onus is on us, to drive this.
We all have a role to play to protect the present and future of our food systems. The future is with us now. The future is now!
My highs and lows, challenges and successes, have brought me to the conclusion that, agriculture is one of the greatest services to humanity.
With combined energies, let us work to build sustainable farmers to sustain and feed our Agrifood future, whilst connecting the unconnected.
Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa is a high-impact agribusiness advocate, initiator and implementer of highly innovative solution-oriented food and agricultural interventional projects, targeting farmers, women, persons with disabilities, youth, agribusinesses and actors within the value chain.
