Empowering women farmers to address environmental challenges in the savannah ecosystem in Ghana through sustainable soil management
In the Upper West region of Ghana, farmers face significant challenges due a very short rainy season and escalating fertilizer costs. With an average of 1.6 hectares per farmer, maximizing soil productivity is essential. To address these challenges, FAO and its Global Soil Partnership (GSP) are partnering with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Soil Research Institute (CSIR-SRI), Community Action for Development & Research (CADER), and the FAO’s Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) to implement a Recarbonization of Agricultural Soils (RECSOIL) pilot project. This initiative builds on ongoing efforts to empower women farmers in the region.
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Preparation of monitoring plan and methods for measuring impact of sustainable soil management practices
The RECSOIL initiative provides a robust monitoring system that offers feedback to farmers and technicians regarding the impact of sustainable soil management (SSM) practices on soil carbon and soil health indicators. These monitoring tools will be used in the pilot project in Ghana to supplement ongoing experiments and extension activities promoted by CADER, which operates an experimental farm that tests innovative techniques while providing land to women farmers, who typically lack access to land. The data collected will help identify the most effective SSM practices for boosting soil health and farmer livelihoods, with financial incentives provided for participating farmers to scale these efforts.
Technicians at CSIR-SRI will play a key role in collecting and analyzing soil samples according to the RECSOIL protocol. To this end, a workshop was held with CSIR-SRI technicians to design the monitoring plan according to relevant spatial layers. These technicians will use the methods presented to establish a baseline of soil health status before the implementation of SSM, with ongoing evaluation during the project lifespan.
Training workshop for technicians and farmers
A four-day training workshop for technicians and farmers was coordinated by Mr Elvis Kuudaar from FFF, Mr Edward Yeboah from CSIR-SIR, Mr Eric Dalinpuo from CADER, alongside the GSP RECSOIL team. After the key parameters for sampling design and monitoring were agreed upon between CSIR-SRI and the GSP, a field workshop was conducted in which CSIR-SRI and CADER technicians practiced and adopted RECSOIL methods to evaluate soil quality and collect soil information. Spatial tools were also introduced to aid offline navigation to sampling stations, collect spatial data on the ground, and synchronize efforts between field-based and desk-based technicians.
Empowering farmers through the Global Soil Doctors Programme
The Global Soil Doctors Programme, integrated within RECSOIL, focuses on improving farmers´ understanding of soil organic matter and soil fertility management. Three CSIR-SRI technicians, alongside CADER professionals who provided local context and translation into Dagaare, trained the farmers. They adapted field exercises to local conditions, teaching farmers to evaluate organic matter, soil structure, root health, and other key soil health indicators.
After the initial training, over 20 farmers from the CADER community, more than 80 percent of whom were women, became Soil Doctors. These trained farmers will not only participate in RECSOIL but will also train other farmers in their community and surrounding areas.
Building a foundation for sustainable soil management
A strong communication network between technicians, Soil Doctors, and farmers was established through the RECSOIL process. This network will promote SSM practices that enhance soil health and improve farmer livelihood, empowering women farmers to effectively address environmental challenges in Ghana's savannah ecosystem.