Promoting conservation agriculture approaches for sustainable agricultural production through capacity building of field extension agents.

Abstract

Agro biodiversity is the foundation upon which human civilizations have been built, and its conservation is critical for sustainable development in Africa. In Ghana, land degradation has resulted in serious environmental problems with devastating socio-economic impacts on rural populations. Traditional methods of farming, including slash-and-burn land preparation and repeated mono-cropping on the same field, have led to a loss of organic matter in the soil and contributed to reductions in crop yield. Conservation agriculture (CA) aims to achieve sustainable and profitable agriculture and improved livelihoods of farmers through the application of three key principles: minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation. This evaluation of factors affecting the promotion, adoption, and impacts of no-tillage agriculture revealed the need for agricultural extension agents (AEAs) to be trained in multipurpose conservation farming approaches for sustainable crop production. Currently in Ghana, there is a gap between the development and the delivery, adoption, and maintenance of agricultural technologies, and AEAs have been blamed for failing to transfer technologies developed by agricultural research institutes. Farmers and AEAs need to receive adequate training and education in CA technologies. To meet this objective, a CA manual for extension agents was developed in collaboration with Mr. Kofi Boa (a CA consultant) and AEA training sessions were conducted. A CA training and demonstration site was also created with the support of the Farm Front Services (CA service providers) to provide hands-on training in CA practices in Atwima Nwabiagya District in Ghana.