With Access to Plowing Services, Farmers in Ghana Grow More Maize

Ghana ADVANCE Program Links Farmers to Service Providers

Bonti is one of the most productive maize-producing communities in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana, yet it is not reaching its potential.

The farmers of Bonti must travel long distances to get inputs such as seed, agrochemicals and heavy equipment for their farming operations. Limited access to mechanized land preparation services and expensive agricultural inputs have prevented them from producing as much as they could.

Through the USAID-funded Ghana Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) program, ACDI/VOCA is helping the farmers of Bonti.

In February 2010, the ADVANCE team met with the Bonti farming community to introduce the concept of the value chain approach and strengthen the links between farmers and input providers. ADVANCE field business facilitators met three tractor service providers and farmers at a common forum to discuss opportunities to work together. During their face-to-face meeting, the farmers and the service providers came to an agreement on a fee and an appropriate time for land preparation. As a result, the tractor service providers were able to mobilize resources and plow approximately 400 acres of land in a timely manner.

Since then, the three tractor service providers were pleased to report that they earned GH¢18,750 (approximately $12,900) providing plowing services to more than 80 farmers in the Bonti community. Both farmers and the tractor service providers have hailed the relationship and committed themselves to sustaining the interaction in future years. Four surrounding communities that were not directly targeted have also benefitted from the plowing services. Many of the Bonti farmers have expressed their gratitude to the ADVANCE program for helping them get their fields plowed in time for the planting season.