In Zobugo, a small village in the Upper East Region of Ghana, Akolgo Abei-inga talks about why climate-smart farming is so critical: “In this era of a fast changing climate with its disastrous effects and impacts, it is high time all farmers should practice climate-smart agricultural approaches in order to at least reduce the impact of the climatic hazards on food security in particular and livelihoods in general.”

“There are noticeable changes with the weather and climate.  I noticed that when I was a child, we used to plant our millet in March or April. That means the rains used to start early March or late February for planting to begin early too. But now, we start planting in May or even sometimes in June. This year [2016] for example, most farmers including me started planting their millet in June due to the late start of the rains,” he said.

So Mr. Akolgo decided to do what he could to help farmers in his community adapt to the changing climate. With the support of Canadian Feed The Children’s local partner, Trade Aid Integrated, he established a demonstration farm on his land, and is sharing his time, skills and resources with others.

A star student

Madam Adukpoka Alemiya is one of his star students. Through techniques that she learned from Mr. Akolgo, Madam Adukpoka has doubled her yield of rice, groundnuts, maize and millet and is growing diversified crops year round. She has increased her income from GHȼ 1,200 to 3,000.

“Before learning on the demonstration farm, I was finding it very difficult to adequately feed my children nutritious food throughout the year. Since then, I have been able to increase yields from my farms through the practice of climate-smart techniques. I learned how to plant my seeds in rows using appropriate planting distances for each crop; I also learned how to plough across the slope, how to create drainage channels and how to raise bunds in my rice fields,” she said.

“I now have enough to feed my family and sell the surplus to buy nutritious ingredients and other food items I do not produce. I can now feed my children adequately with nutritious meals throughout the year which has improved their health status. I am also able to buy their books and pay their school fees promptly and regularly with ease,” Madam Adukpoka added.

A greener future for everyone

Mr.  Akolgo hopes all farmers in his community will practice climate-adaptive farming and work together to gradually restore the natural vegetation and forestation through planting trees and the controlled use of pesticides and fertilizers. “It is my dream that in the next ten to twenty years, this community will look greener than it is now with rich soils that will feed generations to come,” he said.

Under his tutelage, not only has Madam Adukpoka improved her own life and that of her children, but she has been inspired to ‘pay it forward’: “My hope is to mobilize my fellow women smallholder farmers in particular and all other farmers in general of the need to practice climate-smart techniques to benefit from this approach to farming in an era of climate change. I also hope to continue giving serious attention to the education of my children since their education is the key to their self-empowerment and self-development,” she said.