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ESSIENIMPONG COMMUNITY BASED ‘MORE’ FARMERS ASSOCIATION OF KITA, WINS MOFA AWARD

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture- (MOFA) of the government of Ghana, has awarded the “MORE” Farmers Association at Essienimpong, as the BEST FARMER BASED ORGANISATION IN CASSAVA PROCESSING, in the Ejisu Juaben District of the Ashanti region, on the 24th Farmers day celebration of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, for their immense contribution to the development of Agriculture in Ghana.

The MORE Farmer Based Association in Essienimping was established by the Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA), Department for Community Extension and Rural Development in collaboration with the Perpertual Prosperity Pumps Foundation (USA) and Trees for the Future Ghana through a farming families empowerment program since 2007.

The farmers and their families were provided training and start – up support in an integrated farming system called the Modular Organic Regenerative Environment (MORE) System of Farming whereby the farming families received support in rabbitry, mushroom, beekeeping, bicycles, tree seedlings, agroforestry and fruit trees, rural poultry and agribusiness training in 2008 through a participatory rural development program led by Samuel Owusu-Takyi the Senior Technical officer of KITA and the Director of Perpertual Prosperity Pumps Foundation and the MORE Institute in Ghana.

The group was successful in maintaining their projects and enhancing group cohesion from 2007 to 2011. The More FBO, in 2011 ventured into cassava processing to diversify their income with support from the Root and tuber Improvement Program (RTIMP) of the Ministry of food and Agriculture and has succesfully undergone training and supported to begin the processing of cassava. The group is led by Mr Appiah in Essienimpong

The management of KITA, led by the Acting Director, Mr. Samuel Owusu-Takyi, extends their congratulations to the MORE farmers association in Essienimpong and encourage the farmer based organisation to strengthen their efforts in managing whatever project they begin effectively in order to keep growing.  He also extended his appreciation to the Ministry of food and Agriculture for the honour done them.

KITA also encourages all other communities working under the Institute’s projects in the Ejisu Juaben District to emulate the efforts of the Essienimpong MORE farmers association in order to improve their farming systems and receive the awards too. Mr. Samuel Owusu-Takyi currently the Acting Director of KITA, advised farmers to come together into groups and effectively manage their group activities in order to enable them receive the needed support to improve their farming systems and livelihood. He added that farmers should consider adding value to their farm products through agroprocessing in order to increase their incomes and improve their livelihoods.

Mr. Lovans Owusu-Takyi, the Programs coordinator of KITA said in 2012 the Institute will be focusing on value chain enhancement through effective agroprocessing initiatives to enhance farmers ability to add value to their products and make them marketable through a comprehensive business development program to be rolled out by the institute in 2012.

Mr. Appiah, expressed his gratitude to the MOFA, for the honour given them and especially for the efforts and encouragements as well as the technical expertise of the KITA staff in bringing them this far and that they will continue to work hard and be an example to other farmer based organisations in Ghana. They hope to receive a regional award in the coming years.