Peasant Farmers Association Ghana farmers trained on budgeting process

22
Jan

The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has organized a capacity building training on the budgeting process in Ghana to its members in the Chereponi and Tumu Districts in the Northern and Upper West Regions of Ghana respectively.

The exercise brought together heads of farmer groups especially women and youth from the various communities in the two districts. They were trained on the budget process and cycle and how to make input into the district composite budget. This exercise become necessary as it was evident that most of the farmers have little or no idea on the budgeting process in their districts and also the need to bring governance closer to the people especially the vulnerable.

The activity was a sequel to the sensitization exercise organized for the women and youth groups to educate and enlighten them on the concept of sustainable farming which forms part of the OXFAM funded project to influence budgeting decisions for a sustainable agriculture. The farmers per the knowledge gained in the two exercises were expected to participate effectively in the budget making process at their various districts through submission of their inputs and influencing the direction of investment in the public financing.

In endorsing and complementing PFAG for the action, Abubakari Yehuzaa, District Finance Officer of the Chereponi District Assembly assured the farmers that, a tractor was being rehabilitated and its services will be prioritized especially for women farmers. He also added that “there has been a meeting with the traditional leaders to help make land available for women”. This was in response to the challenges of land accessibility faced by women in the district.

Sandia Dintie is a 31-year-old Groundnut, maize and soya beans farmer from Tumu said, “we are appealing to the District Assembly to make provision for simple hand planting equipment in the budget to support our farming.”

The Programme Officer of PFAG, Bismark Owusu Nortey, said the project, was to expand the knowledge base of farmers in sustainable farming in farmers and use that as the basis to solicit for attention during the budgeting processes at the districts.