The CHANGE Project
About the Project
This stands for Climate Change Adaptation in northern Ghana Enhanced. This seeks to equip Smallholder Women and Men farmers with improved adaptive capacity and increased resilience to the impact of climate change on agriculture, food security and livelihoods in the 3 regions of Northern Ghana. The ultimate Outcome of the project is that Smallholder Women And Men Farmers Have Improved Adaptive Capacity And Increased Resilience To The Impacts Of Climate Change On Agriculture, Food Security And Livelihoods. The intermediate outcomes included Building Adaptive, Capacity, Implementing Adaptation Actions and Sustaining Women’s Livelihoods In A Changing Climate
Major Achievements
For 5000 farmers in 7 project communities, primarily Zaare, received training on climate smart agricultural practices that were facilitated by Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI). Other trainings included whether forecasting and CVCA assessment. As a result, these farmers are able to
plough across slopes, construct drainage channels on their farms, prepare and use composting manure on their farms.
We also implemented Adaptation Actions on climate change in tree growing, improvement, replication and maintenance of improved storage facilities, construction of energy saving stoves and training on disaster risk management with facilitation from stakeholders such as the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the National Disaster Management Organisation. As a result, project communities now own tree nurseries with tree seedling varieties, silos for storage of food grains such as maize, millet and groundnuts, and have trained artisans on construction of energy stoves and who are able to mitigate/detect likely disasters.
We also trained over 600 weavers in seven communities on Product Development, Business Management and Marketing Skills with facilitation largely from TradeAID Integrated. As a result, these weavers are able to keep appropriate records on incomings, outgoings, profit and loss margins, managing credits and meeting product specifications thereby satisfying the tastes of prospective customers.
Testimony
My name is Madam Azumah Ayenbuno. I have been farming for 30 years now. The total acreage of my farm land is five. I grow maize, rice, groundnuts, tomatoes and millet. I have participated in the CHANGE Project throughout its period of implementation. I have participated actively in the training programs of the
projec, such as the SARI Modules (1 – 5) Training and Step-Down Training sessions. As a result I have increased my production of crops, largely through the support that I received from this project. “Before the inception of the project, I used to get 7 or 8 bags of maize from my one acre maize farm, but now as a result of the knowledge and skills that I acquired through my active involvement in the CHANGE Project, I now get 12 - 13 bags of maize from my one acre maize farm. I will indeed recommend this programme to other farmers so that they will also be able to gain from it just as I have gained from it.
