| Reporting Organization: | Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) |
|---|---|
| Total Budget ($CAD): | $ 17,807,240 |
| Timeframe: | March 30, 2012 - June 1, 2018 |
| Status: | Completion |
| Contact Information: | Unspecified |
Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA)
| Ghana - $ 17,807,240.00 (100.00%) | |
| Food Security & Agriculture (70 %) | |
| Economic Development & Empowerment (10 %) | |
| Law, Governance & Public Policy (10 %) | |
| Nutrition (10 %) | |
Through partnerships with local organizations, the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) expects to help farmers in the Upper West Region overcome constraints and become viable economic partners. MEDA seeks to provide ongoing training, capacity building and mentoring of Ghanaian government agencies (District Assemblies, Regional Planning and Coordination Units, Ministry of Food and Agriculture extension services) and non-government organizations. Targeting women and their families, MEDA intends to undertake activities to improve: production (improved input supplies, awareness of improved techniques, drip irrigation technologies, credit, training); post-harvest handling (storage, sorting, processing such as solar drying, customized loan products, training); and facilitation of market linkages (sales agent model, strategies to deal more effectively with traders, market information and ability to use market information in sales transactions, basic business management and access to target markets).
| Gender and age: | Adult women Adult men Adolescent females Adolescent males Children, girls Children, boys Under-5 children Newborns |
|---|---|
| Total Direct Population: | 22,990 |
| 13822 | Women received nutrition education for healthier families |
| 2991 | Women gained access to productivity-enhancing and time-saving technologies |
The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) increased diverse agricultural productivity of food crops for small holder farming families, particularly women, in the Upper West of Ghana; (2) increased marketing of agricultural products by small holder farmers, particularly women, in the Upper West Region of Ghana; and (3) improved nutrition practices for small holder farming families (women, men, girls and boys) in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
Results achieved as of March 2018 include: (1) increased soy production by 104%, from 7,173.155 metric tons (MT) last year to 14,632.MT; (2) increased women’s access to land for agricultural production of soybean by 72% to 33,688.75 acres, as compared to last year’s rate of 19,595 acres; (3) 6,177 women complemented their main season production with dry-season production of high-value crops, such as tomatoes, green vegetables, okra and onions, and made between 250%-300% profit on the investments; (4) more than 98% of the women targeted by the project have adopted improved environment-friendly agricultural practices, leading to improved soil fertility and environmental conservation; (5) 13,822 women received nutrition education for healthier families; and (6) 2,991 women gained access to 13 different productivity-enhancing and time-saving technologies, with the women making an average of $363 US in profits on the use of tricycles within the first three months. The sales agents were able to access high soy prices from markets in Burkina Faso, where a 100 kg of soy is sold at $88 US compared to a previous $24-$59 US in Ghana). These results have significantly contributed to economically and socially empowering women in the Upper West region of Ghana.
