SEND-GHANA in partnership with the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA), the Ghana Co-operative Credit Union Association (CUA), project beneficiaries and stakeholders will from November 2013 start the implementation of a 5 year program (2013 – 2017) called Food Security through Co-operatives in Northern Ghana (FOSTERING).

The Eight Million, thirty-two thousand, one hundred and forty-nine Canadian Dollar (CAD 8,032,149), an equivalent of Seven Million, four eight hundred and four thousand, four hundred and Twenty United States Dollars (USD $7,804,420) programme is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada (DFATD) with contribution from Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA).

FOSTERING is consistent with the African Union Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), Ghana’s Medium Term Agriculture Investment Plan (METASIP) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) strategy for Ghana.

The programme would build on the experiences and successes chalked by the food security and livelihood development program implemented by SEND with support from CUA and CCA since 2001. This project was implemented through an integrated agriculture model of production and finance based on service co-operatives in 47 communities in East Gonja, Kpandai, Nanumba North and Krachi West districts in the Eastern Corridor of Northern Ghana. The following are some notable achievements:

•  21,056 persons (13,308 women and 7748 men) mobilized as members of 13 community based credit unions, 47 farmer cooperatives and microfinance groups in 8 districts in the Eastern Corridor of the Northern region.
• Thirty Credit Unions has net asset of GHS 3,858,876.00 million and have mobilized GHS 2,997,168 million in savings and issued more than GHS 1,758,838.00 loans to members in the last six months.
• Developed inventory credit system that provides storage facilities for regulating market prices in favor of farmers, which has increased farmers income by 64%
• Introduction of soya bean production as an integral part of the farming system which has helped to improve food and nutrition security, particularly for women and children.
• Huge decline in the number of women and children afflicted with chronic energy deficiency and nutritional disorders within project area.
• Cumulative increase in the number of women graduating from micro finance to opening personal accounts with credit unions in order to access bigger funds.

FOSTERING is an up scaled program bringing on board 4 new districts namely Tatale-Sangule, Nanumba South, Chereponi, Zabzugu and Krachi-Nchumuru. The project is expected to increase sustainable, gender equitable food security for over 42,000 women and men in 5,400 households within 116 communities in 8 districts. With the inclusion of family members, the project will reach over 331,800 individuals.

The Eight districts have a population of approximately 779,000 with 387,866 women and 390,801 men based on the 2010 census. Over 70% of the inhabitants are food crop farmers. Households of food crop farmers and agro-pastoralists in these areas are the most vulnerable to food insecurity and have household incomes below Ghana’s poverty threshold. Almost three-quarters of food crop farmer households (72%) cultivate land less than two hectares in size with nearly all of them (98%) entirely reliant on rainwater for cultivation. These areas are also prone to adverse weather conditions, such as floods and droughts, as well as local conflict thereby increasing their levels of vulnerability.

The program is expected to guarantee food security and sustainable economic growth for small-holder farmers through improving production, better marketing of products, expansion of household activities into off-season businesses and access to finance. To ensure sustainability of project outcomes, gender sensitive and climate resilient agricultural strategies have been built into the project where farmers and community members’ adaptive capacity would be strengthened in order to reduce their level of vulnerability.

SEND Ghana will be implementing the FOSTERING in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ghana Health Service, the Non-Formal Education Division (NFED), the Department of Cooperatives, SENDFiNGO, the District Assemblies and the Traditional Authorities.

SEND-GHANA is a subsidiary of SEND Foundation of West Africa established in 1998. The organization works to promote good governance and the equality of women and men in Ghana. SEND-GHANA has over twenty years working experience on food security issues in the Eastern Corridor.