The Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH) project has enhanced the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers and vulnerable communities in Northern Ghana to climate change.
The project, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the European Union-Ghana Agriculture Programme (EUGAP), supported about 200 communities to adopt climate-resilient agricultural practices and strengthen their livelihoods in the face of increasing climate variability.
This was contained in a statement by the GIZ following the closure of the REACH project, co-financed by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The statement said representatives of the EU Delegation to Ghana and other stakeholders in the Upper West Region visited some beneficiary communities, including Buka, Babile Agric Research Centre, Dupri, and Duang, before the closeout session.
The statement quoted, Ms Paulina Rozycka, the Head of Infrastructure and Sustainable Development at the EU Delegation, saying, “Climate change does not respect borders, its effects are felt most acutely by those who depend directly on the land.”
She noted that the EU had been proud to have supported farming communities in Northern Ghana since 2020, as part of efforts to promote climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable food systems.
The statement said one of the notable outcomes of the project was an irrigation canal constructed in Duori, which drew water from a dam and enabled farmers to cultivate about 100 acres of land during the dry season.
“Before this infrastructure was in place, farming stopped when the rains ended. Today, around 100 households grow vegetables such as cabbage year-round, securing a more reliable income and food supply even in the harshest months,” it added.
The statement said that the facility was a priority need of the Duori community in a Community Action Planning facilitated by the REACH project, which allowed communities to identify priority development needs and participate in the design and management of the infrastructure.
In Duang, the project addressed post-harvest losses by installing a solar-powered cold storage facility with a ten-tonne vegetable storage capacity.
The facility enabled farmers to preserve their produce to sell when market prices improved, instead of disposing of it immediately after harvesting because of a lack of storage facilities.
Another major component of the project was the development of the Babile Agriculture Station in the Lawra Municipality into a regional training hub for agricultural extension officers and practitioners.
The project constructed a 12-bed hostel facility and established a 15-acre Conservation Agriculture demonstration site with three solar mechanised boreholes, a rehabilitated dam, and soil conservation equipment.
The centre also provided training using tractors and specialised conservation tools such as rippers and planters.
The statement said over 1,000 farmers and extension officers had already received practical training at the facility on sustainable farming techniques.
