Green revolution is the use of better management techniques and tools like fertilizers, pesticides and high-yielding varieties of crops to dramatically increase the production of crops. It has the potential to increase agricultural production, cause self-sufficiency and reduce imports, improve commercial farming, which would lead to addressing unemployment, among others. One institution that plays a key role in achieving this on the continent is AGRA.

Country Director for AGRA Ghana, Juliette Lampoh-Agroh explained that the initiatives have shifted through phases.

“Initially, we were focused on structures that will help the transformation to happen like human capacity, support for training of researchers among others, so that we have the basics that will drive the process. We have moved on from that point into building systems looking at investing in seed systems, soil health systems, input systems, market systems so that all these come together towards supporting the agriculture sector”, she said.

There are arguments that technology is a major driver of agricultural transformation but in Ghana, the adaptation process has been slow.

In a bid to promote an inclusive transformation of agri-food systems, AGRA is investing $26 million in Ghana’s agric sector with focus on technology in the next five years.

“Production is increasing, productivity is not increasing as fast. So we still have yield gaps of about 50 percent for most of our produce. Productivity is not increasing because there’s still gaps in adoption of technology”, she pointed out.

Ms. Lampoh-Agroh said farmers are not adopting technology because the right market incentives are not being transmitted to them.

“Hence we seek to support the end of the market and value addition so we can drive production and farmers are incentivized to adopt the right technologies. We’re looking to invest not less than $26 million in the new strategy,” she said.

Commenting on government’s flagship programme, Planting for Food and Jobs, Ms. Lampoh-Agroh said the programme is quite ambitious to achieve.

“There might have been challenges with delivery. Initial observations of the Planting for Food and Jobs revealed that the programme is a little bit ambitious. We have to taper down some of these ambitions,” she said.

She further called on government to include relevant stakeholders especially the youth in policy formulation.

“The policy formulation process needs a lot of work including consultations and who is at the table in the policymaking process. We talk about agriculture being the vehicle for job creation for young people but the formulation of most agriculture policies do not include young people. So getting the right people to the table to craft the polices is important.”

Making some recommendations, Lampoh-Agroh there is a future for the agricultural sector.

“We just need to get the young people in by making sure that technology comes to play, we reduce the drudgery that is in agriculture and we make agriculture more profitable,” she highlighted.

AGRA’s Country Director believes Ghana’s agric sector has potential provided the youth is involved and technology invested in.