THE ROLE OF SCIENCE AND RESEARCH IN REDUCING POVERTY IN UE (PAGE 35)

BRIDGING the developmental gap between northern and southern Ghana has been the tune song by most governments since time immemorial. But those who rise to the tune appear to be oblivious of the role science and research could play in unlocking the potential of the northern part of Ghana.
Most researchers are of the opinion that government’s efforts at reducing poverty in the country as a whole and the north in particular could be given a big boost if science and research were taken seriously.
The role of science and research in the area of agriculture cannot be contested but it is sad to note that institutions mandated to carry out research to support agriculture, particularly in the north do not enjoy much support from government.
One of such institutions which currently has to depend on external support due to little assistance from the government is the Manga Agricultural Research Station located in the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region.
The Manga Agricultural Research Station was opened by the colonial masters in 1936. The station was initially operated by the Germans and the English but after Ghana had attained independence in 1957, it metamorphosed into a farm mechanisation centre during the reign of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who wanted to expand agriculture and move the sector forward.
Available literature indicates that, after the overthrow of Dr Nkrumah, the station underwent a lot of metamorphosis such that the centre became an animal traction training centre from where the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) took over its running and later turned it into a research station because research was then vested in the ministry.
The Manga Agriculture Station was offloaded to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSRI) to be run as a fully-fledged research station.
According to the Senior Research Scientist in charge of the station, Dr Roger Kanton, despite the seemly gloomy picture due to the lack of support for the research facility, the centre was endowed with human resource and estates.
He said the centre currently had about 96 acres of land and an outstation in Binduri where it conducted research on dry season horticultural crops.
Dr Kanton said the station also had a number of cattle which were helping the centre in animal traction.
"We strongly believe that animal traction has the key, taking into consideration the fact that the soils in the region are fragile and it will not make sense to carry tractors everywhere trying to plough back the sub soils”, he stated.
Dr Kanton, however, emphasised that the situation did not mean that farmers in the region did not need tractors.
Back to the work of the research station, Dr Kanton said the centre was a purely crop based research station.
Some of the programmes run by the station include agronomy, insect, pest and disease control mechanisms, soils research and water conservation. The centre also has economists and rural sociologists as well post-harvest specialists, who from time to time, engage members of the community to disseminate its findings.
It was in that light that the centre recently hosted more them 40 farmers from the Garu-Tempane District in the Upper East Region where they were introduced to new varieties of maize, sorghum and sesame introduced by the centre.
The farmers were taken round maize, sesame and sorghum experimental farms where they were taught the various stages of production.
The farmers were introduced to the “Akpasoe” maize variety which has high protein content, high yielding sorghum varieties, “capala” and “dorado” as well as sesame.
The sesame was being grown on small scale for household consumption, but the crop is said to have high patronage on the international market.
Dr Kanton encouraged the farmers to go into the cultivation of crops such as sorghum since it was possible to earn higher incomes because Guinness Ghana Brewery Limited had expressed its preparedness to buy locally produced sorghum.
Sorghum is one of the major staples of the people in the three northern regions so when they sell what is rejected, the income could be used to support the households and ensure food security. Sale of the crop can be used to support education through the payment of school fees, hospital bills, among others things,” Dr Kanton said.
The leader of the farmers, Mr Solomon Atigah, reiterated the benefit of visiting the research station.
He stressed that although farmers had received training on the appropriate agronomic practices for the crops, especially sorghum and sesame, many were still reluctant to put what they had learnt into practice.
“Today they will see things for themselves and hopefully change their mind set,” Mr Atigah who is also the manager of the Garu Presbyterian Agricultural Station (GPAS) said.
He stated that GPAS was collaborating with the Association of Church Development Projects, (ACDEP), a non-governmental organisation, SARI, MOFA and other partners, to support farmers to produce and market soybeans and sorghum.
While pledging the readiness of the Manga Agricultural Research Station to provide farmers the opportunity to learn how to cultivate crops in the most efficient way to increase production and help diversify their income base, Dr Kanton also urged the government to address the many challenges facing research and science.
He mentioned lack of residential accommodation for research scientists, lack of logistics including vehicles to support field work, the inadequate financial support to carry out research, as some of the major challenges of the station.
In its determination to bridge the development gap between the northern and southern Ghana, it would be appropriate for government to invest heavily on research and science institutions regarding the agricultural sector since that would have direct impact in improving the living conditions of the people.