The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has provided $3 million (over 48 million Ghanaian Cedis) to support over 10,000 farmers affected by the dry spell and improve healthcare delivery in 17 districts in northern Ghana.
The funds are being disbursed under the Feed the Future Resilience in Northern Ghana Systems Strengthening Activity to 23 civil society organizations to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ghana Health Service.
Launching the award of the grants in Tamale, the Northern Regional Minister,.Alhaji Shaani Alhassan Saibu said this was an important and timely initiative that would go a long way to help farmers to recover from the impacts of the dry spell that occurred between July and August this year, destroying several hectares of farmlands and threatening household food and nutrition security.
He thanked the US Government for investing a lot through various development interventions in the north that were helping to improve the livelihoods of the people.
The Nutrition and Social Protection Lead at USAID/Ghana, Ms Maureen Malave said from the $3 million provided, $1.7 million would be used to support over 10,000 farmers to engage in climate-smart agriculture including dry season farming, give them inputs to cultivate nutritious crops such as cowpea, yellow maize, soybean, sesame, and moringa, and support them to rear guinea fowls, roosters, and rabbits, as supplemental livelihood sources.
She said the funds would also be used to facilitate the transportation of surplus produce to areas facing food shortages.
The remaining $1.3 million, according to Ms Malave, will be used to improve nutrition, maternal and child health services, early childhood development, and social protection in the north.
“This is an important step in ensuring that communities not only have access to nutritious food but also good health and social services,” she iterated.
Ms Malave also mentioned that the grants to CSOs would complement a recent donation by USAID of $1.7 million through the World Food Program to communities affected by the drought.
The Chief of Party for the Feed the Future Resilience in Northern Ghana Systems Strengthening Activity, Mr Selorme Kofi Azumah said the activities of the grantees would complement Government’s efforts at improving household nutrition and resilience.
The Feed the Future Resilience in Northern Ghana Systems Strengthening Activity is a five-year project funded by USAID and implemented by Abt Global, Integrated Social Development Center, Ghana Developing Communities Association, and Youth Advocacy on Rights and Opportunities.
Source: GNA
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