A recent analysis by the World Bank paints a stark picture of the future of Ghana’s agricultural sector, with climate change projected to push at least one million additional Ghanaians into poverty by 2050. Poor households are expected to bear the brunt of this impact, with income reductions of up to 40 percent. The agricultural sector, a significant employer in the country, is particularly vulnerable due to its heavy reliance on rain-fed farming. However, Ghana’s scientists are stepping up to reverse this trend through science, research, and innovation.
At the forefront of this effort is the CSIR-SARI Technology Park, located in Nyankpala, Northern Region. Established in 2024 in collaboration with the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), the park is a hub for advancing sustainable agriculture through technology and innovation. It serves as a demonstration and training center, showcasing advanced farming solutions developed by CSIR-SARI to boost agricultural production in Ghana.
During the 2024 growing season, the park introduced 74 climate-smart, gender and nutrition-sensitive technologies covering 10 different crops. These include drought-tolerant and high-oleic groundnut varieties, fall armyworm-tolerant maize hybrids, provitamin A enriched maize hybrids, and pod borer-resistant cowpea varieties developed through modern biotechnology. Other technologies include mechanized planters and harvesters, seed multiplication technologies, striga control technologies, post-harvest technologies, drip irrigation systems, and integrated soil fertility management strategies.
The CSIR-SARI System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technology, for instance, operates on four key principles: applying compost to enrich the soil, transplanting young seedlings early, planting in lines to facilitate mechanical weeding, and alternating wetting and drying to conserve water. Dr. Charles Nelimor, Manager of the CSIR-SARI Technology Park, emphasized that the initiative aims to bridge the gap between research and practical application in agriculture. It promotes the adoption of biotechnology to improve food security and resilience, creating a more productive agricultural ecosystem that can serve as a model for other regions.
The park’s impact on Ghana’s seed value chain has been significant. It has increased demand for early-generation seeds through practical demonstrations, encouraging farmers to adopt improved seed varieties with higher yields and pest resistance. Moreover, it has fostered collaborations with seed producers and agribusinesses to strengthen the agricultural sector. Despite these contributions, Dr. Nelimor acknowledged the need for sustainable funding to support the scaling up of agricultural innovations.
Looking ahead, Dr. Francis Kusi, Director of CSIR-SARI, expressed the park’s ambition to expand partnerships, scale up successful technologies, and continue catalyzing agricultural transformation in Ghana and across West Africa. He appealed to farmers, seed producers, and other stakeholders to leverage the initiative to advance Ghana’s commitment to sustainable farming practices and food security.
To fully harness the potential of such initiatives, it is proposed that the government allocates resources for funding and training more research scientists. This would scale up research and technology in the agriculture sector, making improved seed varieties developed by the SARI Park available and affordable to farmers nationwide. Additionally, legislating collaboration with sister West African countries to establish research, technology, and agriculture-focused laboratories could further enhance modern and safe food crop production, medicinal crop development, and other advanced agri-based technologies in the country.