Monday 9th June – Zoosali, Women farmers participating in indigenous seed security.

As part of Zoosali’s ongoing working partnership with RAINS in seeking improved conservation and seed security in northern Ghana, a preliminary meeting was held with women farmers to discuss the issue of rare and extinct food crop varieties. Some of the seed crops highlighted in this immediate group were Baba ran beans, Cowpeas, Sarize bean, Pigeon pea, Cassava , Bungu, Merri, Sesame, Pena, frafra potato, Sorgum, Millet, Yellow maize, Yam, Akata (Agusthie), Sweet potato, Rice (local variety), Simpie, Sapiriwa, Soyabeans – for bawadawa, Dua.

A pilot project at the village will aim to refocus the use of more traditional seeds, crops and grains in the community. Once used sustainably, the old traditional crop varieties had become abandoned in favour of new crop varieties. Though perhaps higher yielding, these varieties are not as sustainable, requiring high inputs of chemical fertilizers to maintain soil fertility.  

A group of 30 women will pair to share an area of land, approximately an acre, where one variety of a traditional crop shall be grown over a trial period of one year. The farming members were invited to designate a particular seed crop variety for their shared acreage; choosing several varieties from the above list.  Interestingly, certain seeds were related to folklore stories to explain reasons for their extinction, as revealed by women farmers. All the women have access to the working farm land and were nominated in preference to men, as being more likely to have their needs of family sustenance at the forefront of the mind and so willing to invest sufficient time to plant and care for their demonstrative, acre plot. 

It was agreed that RAINS would give participating farmers at Zoosali the support in order to finance the purchase of local seeds to sow, as well as ploughing by a village tractor. Although preference was indicated to purchase seeds local to the immediate area, it was agreed that seeds should be sourced in Tamale where a reliable source of seed quality might be available thus reducing risk and ensuring a successful outcome.