Research for Development and Innovation Agriculture and Learning (ReDIAL) Action

In Ghana, agriculture is the mainstay of the economy with an estimated 50 per cent of the population engaged in the entire agriculture value chain. Key challenges affecting the agricultural sector include low and inadequate levels of innovative technology to enhance productivity, weak market linkages, limited financial facilities and low extension services. Also, there is limited information on soil fertility variations within specific local context and as such, mass application of inorganic fertilizers has not yielded the desired results. Another challenge is that cereal and grain farmers use manual threshing to process their produce. This contributes to post harvest losses and also require time and drudgery with the use of women and child labour for threshing activities. In addition, most crop farmers do not use climate-smart agricultural practices thus contributing to deforestation and soil degradation.

ReDIAL seeks to contribute to transformation and innovation in agriculture and food systems in Ghana through action research, application of innovative technologies, organization of farmers and multi-stakeholder platforms and development of climate-resilient agriculture in forest landscapes. The project is designed to have positive impact at the national reach and is aligned with national policies, specifically, Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) Programme. The project will also have positive impact on women and youth engaged in farming and marginalized cereal, grain, cocoa and vegetable farmers in rural areas within 3 ecological zones namely; the Guinea Savannah, Transitional and the Semi-Deciduous Ecological Zones of Ghana.

In Ghana, ReDIAL is being implemented in Yendi Municipal of the Northern region, Techiman Municipality of the Bono East region, Ejura-Sekyeredumase Municipal of the Ashanti region, Sefwi Wiawso District of the Western North region, Kwahu Afram Plains North District of the Eastern region.