The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) will in the coming months kick start a project that aims at reducing rural poverty by using cassava value-chain as an entry point for employment and income creation in northern Ghana.

The initiative will begin on a pilot basis, targeting selected areas in northern Ghana, and will subsequently be replicated in other regions.

The project, according to FAO, is designed to build upon previous assessment of similar projects such as the Global Cassava Development Strategy (2000), the Roots and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP). It is also in line with the Medium-Term Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (METASIP) developed by the government of Ghana, to implement the Second Food and Agricultural Development Policy (FASDEP II) for the period 2011 to 2015.

FAO says the scheme will support diversification of rural income opportunities through the strengthening of market linkages, the development of infrastructure and services as well as promotion of decent employment creation.

In a welcome address at a stakeholder workshop on the project in Accra recently, FAO Representative to Ghana, Dr Lamourdia Thiombiano observed that, over the last 30 years, Ghana has made significant progress in its poverty reduction efforts as it has reduced the prevalence of poverty considerably, from 51.7 percent in 1990 to 28.5 per cent in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

He conceded the fact that, even with the robust growth of the economy, poverty still persisted in the three northern regions of Ghana. He disclosed that the poverty rate in certain parts of the three northern regions still remains above 50 per cent.

Dr Thiombiano blamed the situation on lack of rural infrastructure and financial services, poorly functioning markets, limited capacity of rural producer organisations as well as limited access to basic social services and social protection.

He stated that FAO had partnered the government of Ghana to promote decent rural employment in agriculture, agro-processing and rural marketing enterprises and industries.

He believed that at the end of the forthcoming initiative, “We will provide greater assistance to the government for policy options to reducing poverty based on agricultural developmental programmes designed, targeting the rural poor while enhancing institutional capacity.”

The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Kofi Humado, in a speech read for him, assured FAO and other development partners that his Ministry “ is committed to our several years of collaborated efforts to the development and implementing intervention that will increase productivity of the farmer in our attempt to addressing food security, reduction of rural poverty and improved livelihoods.”

He observed that it was the responsibility his outfit and its development partners such as FAO to engage each other on issues and that the Ministry had been looking forward for such initiatives.

“We are, therefore, very happy that against the backdrop of high poverty levels in northern Ghana, FAO is selecting the country to pilot the Regional Initiative for reducing Rural Poverty in Africa and focusing on the cassava value chain.”