AN INTERVIEW WITH A YOUNG FARMER ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE SAVANNAH YOUNG FARMERS NETWORK (SAVANET) TO HIS SUCCESS IN FARMING

The Savannah Young Farmers Network
(SavaNet)

INTRODUCTION

This interactive interview highlights the contribution of the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) to the success story of a young farmer (Dominic Akansiki) in the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana. It therefore brings to light the key role that the Savannah Young Farmers Network plays in developing the capacity of young farmers to ensure their active engagement in Agriculture.

This informative farmer interview will therefore motivate other youth across the ACP and the world at large to take to Agriculture as a sustainable livelihood in order to curtail the surging level of Global youth unemployment and the increasing challenge of food insecurity. This interview was conducted and complied by Hawa Musah, a volunteer with the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet).

An Interview with a young farmer

Interviewer: How long have you been engaged in farming as a business and what was your motivation?

Farmer Akansiki: I was introduced to farming on our family farm at childhood during which I contributed to subsistence farming activities eg: planting, harvesting, scaring birds etc. I however started farming on commercial scale after my University education where I pursued a Bsc in Agricultural Technology (Agronomy) from the University for Development Studies (UDS).

I started faming with the cultivation of food crops such as: Mize, Rice, Beans and Millet with an average land size of five (5) hectares for the cultivation of each of these crops. I currently cultivate these and other crops with an average of fifteen (15) hectares per crop in farming communities across the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana. I also rear animals such as Goats, Sheep and Pigs as well as Poultry, Guinea Fowls and Ducks.

I was motivated to take to farming as a Business when I identified a business opportunity where produce buying companies and produce Aggregators could not obtain the quantity of produce required for the local and international market, due to the inability of the Ageing farmer population to increase their productivity to take advantage of the available market.

Interviewer: What were the opportunities and challenges you encountered when you decided to take to farming as a Business?

Farmer Akansiki: The main opportunity I had when I decided to take to farming as a Business was an available market where produce buying companies and produce Aggregators could not obtain the quantity of produce required for the local and international market.

Another opportunity I had was the discovery of the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) which offered me the technical guidance and capacity development required to enable me actively engage in farming as a sustainable livelihood.

The main challenge I encountered was the lack of startup capital to pay for the lease of farm land, purchase seed, fertilizer, insecticides and the payment for Agricultural mechanization service.

Interviewer: How did you address these challenges in order to become successful in farming as a business?

Farmer Akansiki: Owing to my determination to become a successful entrepreneur in farming, I addressed the challenge of my inability to raise funds to pay for the lease of farm land and mechanization service by negotiating with the land lords and mechanization service providers to pay them with a percentage of my farm produce.

Taking advantage of the government of Ghana subsidy on fertilizer, I obtained some financial assistance from some family members to purchase the required fertilizer and weedicides for my first year of production.

With the financial assistance I obtained from some family members, I also paid for farm labour and other expenses concerning the day to day activities on the farms.

Interviewer: How has the delivery of Agricultural Extension Service by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) improved your productivity as a farmer?

Farmer Akansiki: Indeed the delivery of Agricultural extension service by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) to my farming enterprise has contributed significantly in improving the productivity of my farms.

SavaNet has over the years delivered demand driven Agricultural extension service to my farming enterprise among which include: best Agronomic practices, best Animal husbandry practices, soil fertility management, climate smart Agricultural practices, Agricultural market access, post harvest management, Agricultural financing, farm management etc.

SavaNet’s participatory approach in its Agricultural extension service has also enabled us to effectively participate in the development of Agricultural extension content in order to make the content of Agricultural extension much more relevant in addressing the challenges my out growers and I encounter in our farming activities.

The approach by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) in engaging community based Agricultural extension agents has further enhanced my access to Agricultural advisory service to address the challenges by out growers and I encounter in our farming activities.

The delivery of demand driven and participatory Agricultural extension service by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) has therefore greatly influenced my success in farming.

Interviewer: How has the promotion of market access by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (Savanet) improved the productivity and profitability of your farming venture?

Farmer Akansiki: The promotion of market access by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) has greatly improved upon the productivity and profitability of my farming venture, as it has developed my capacity on the development of: produce purchase agreement, conducting basic market analysis, equipping me with up to date market information, Advocacy on market access etc.

The commitment by SavaNet in the promotion of market access has therefore enabled me to produce market driven crops and animals in order to attract good market price to enhance my productivity and profitability.

Interviewer: How has the Agricultural value chain development activities by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) improved  the productivity and profitability of your farming venture?

Farmer Akansiki: The Agricultural value chain development initiative by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) of which I am a member has contributed greatly in developing several Agricultural value chains that have provided me the opportunity to have a reliable access to production inputs/services such as: land, Agro chemicals, mechanization service, funding from financial institutions, improved access to market, effective transportation system etc.

These Agricultural value chains have also offered me the platform to interact and share ideas with stakeholders in the Agriculture sector thereby providing me with the network needed to expand my farming venture for increased productivity and profitability.

The initiative by SavaNet in facilitating the development of Agricultural value chains have therefore played an important role in my ability to effectively take to Agriculture as a business.

Interviewer: What are your views on the climate change advocacy and climate smart Agricultural initiatives by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet)?

Farmer Akansiki: I attend several climate change advocacy activities by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) which has offered me the platform to learn about the growing effect of climate change on society and Agriculture in particular.

These innovative climate change advocacy initiatives by SavaNet has thus developed my capacity to be a climate change advocate in my farming communities to educate other farmers and community members on the need to work towards addressing the challenge of climate change.

I have also benefited from farmer training programs on climate smart Agricultural practices during which I learnt about the best practices that can be adopted to ensue sustainable Agricultural production with less effect on the environment in order to mitigate the effect of climate change on the environment and Agriculture at large.

The initiatives on climate change advocacy and climate smart Agricultural practices by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) have therefore transformed me in to a friend of the Environment as I under take my farming activities.

Interviewer: The Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) have over the years implemented innovative ICT4Ag initiatives. How has these initiatives contributed in improving the productivity of your farming venture?

Farmer Akansiki: The Audio conferencing for Agricultural Extension  (ACE) project by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet) has for some time now offered my out growers and I Agricultural Advisory Service via Audio Conferencing mobile Application.

This ICT4Ag initiative by SavaNet has significantly improved my access to demand driven Agricultural Extension Service as it has offered the platform to regularly interact with various Agricultural technical officers and Researchers in order to receive up to date information on best Agronomic practices, innovative farming technology etc.

Under the ICT4Ag initiatives by the Savannah Young Farmers Network (SavaNet), I have also received capacity development on the use of GPS and its information, farm accounting and book-keeping using computer programs, under taking farm budgeting using ICT applications, developing farm calendar using ICT programs etc.

The capacity development received is helping in the development of my farming venture to enable me increase production and employ more youth to help address the increasing challenge of youth unemployment in Ghana.

Interviewer: As we celebrate 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) what is your experience on family farming?

Farmer Akansiki: Family farming provided me the opportunity to get involved in farming to learn the basics on what it takes to effectively utilize the factors of production to increase production and maximize profit.

I was involved in family farming at an early age under taking farming activities on both our nucleus and extended family farms which produced enough food to meet the family food security and help in raising money to support the family.

Family farming therefore played a key role in influencing my decision to take to farming as a business. The declaration of 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), will thus offer family farming the support it requires to sustain its relevance in securing the food security of many households and communities in Ghana, Africa and the world at large.

Interviewer: What Message do you have for other young farmers and the youth regarding taking to Agriculture as a business?

Farmer Akansiki: I will like to encourage other young farmers to work towards developing their farming enterprises with investment and periodic capacity development in farming as a business, in order to become successful entrepreneurs in Agriculture.

I will also like to urge the youth to take to Agriculture as a sustainable livelihood and a business, as farming offers diverse opportunities to become a successful entrepreneur with the creation of jobs and job opportunities.

Interviewer: Thank you for sharing your experience as a young entrepreneur in Agriculture.

Farmer Akansiki: You are welcome. Once again I am grateful to the Savannah Young Farmers Network for its influence on my success as a farmer.