The Africa Rising Project, a farming project that is introducing new farming technologies and new crop varieties to farmers in the Upper East Region is making progress to improve food security of small holder farmers in the area.

This came to light on Friday, when a team of Research Scientists of diverse backgrounds from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Ministry of Food and Agriculture visited some demonstration farms in Bonnia and Nyangua communities in Navrongo in the Kassena Nankana Municipality.

At the two communities, good farming practices and the support given to the farmers had led to the improvement of cereal crops such as maize and millet and legumes including beans and cowpea, garden eggs and green leafy vegetables.

The five- year project, which begun in 2012 and is being implemented in Bongo , Kassena –Nankana East Districts and Kessena –Nankana Municipality is being sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development.

Speaking to journalists the Director in charge of the West Africa Hub, Dr Robert Aseidu, said the vision of the IITA is to ensure that 11 million Africans are out of poverty, improve degraded land as well as reduce child malnutrition all by 2020.

He said his outfit in collaboration with other partners had also provided capacity building to a lot of Ghanaian scientists including lecturers and students.

He mentioned the Gemplasm exchange, Banana and Plantain, West Africa Seed Developing Units and Sustainable Tree Crop Programme among other interventions being facilitated and executed by IITA and its partners.

Dr Roger Kanton , a Principal Agriculture Research Scientist of Savanna Agriculture Research Institute of CSIR in charge of Manga in the Region, said poor soil fertility and draught are the main challenges facing crop production in the area and expressed optimism that the interventions would help address the problem.

Mr Martin Sugre, a leader of the farming group on behalf of the farmers thanked the IITA and its partners for the support, which he said would yield to a good harvest this year.

The IITA is a global programme that has its branches in West, Central, East and South Africa.