Kumasi, GNA - The Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP) under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) is holding a five-day workshop for trainers and facilitators to build their capacity in implementing the Farmers Field Fora (FFF) programme.
The FFF programme is designed to facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge between farmers, agricultural extension agents and researchers for the improvement of the agricultural sector.
It also involves demonstration of cropping and farming systems, including demonstration of soil fertility technologies, planting material selection and site selections.
The workshop is being sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and government and being attended by representatives from private enterprises, non-governmental organizations, universities and research institutions.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on Monday, Mr Adjei Adjekum, RTIMP Programme Co-ordinator, said the programme would be implemented over eight years and that it was expected to be implemented across 60 districts in the country.
In the long-term, the programme seeks to enhance income and food security to improve livelihoods of the rural poor and to build a market-based system to ensure profitability at all levels of the value chain.
Mr Adjekum indicated that 6,000 farmers would be trained under the programme in improved research and technology cultivation practices, soil fertility, and planting material implementation.
He expressed the hope that the programme would contribute to strengthening the capacities of public institutions as well as NGOs to help build their human and logistical capacity base.
Mr Gbaguidi Brice, a Resource Trainer for the International Institute of Training in Agriculture in Benin, stated that the FFF was a cost-effective tool and strategy of joint experimentation and sharing of knowledge and experiences for root tuber crops production and processing.
GNA