A Trip To The Farm

 

Kukobila Nasia Farms (KNF)

 

The Kukobila Nasia Farms (KNF) was established in 2003 and produces mangoes primarily. The farm has a total land size of 210 acres, with about 70 acres of mangoes, five acres of butternut squash and about two acres of other vegetables. Vegetables, livestock and maize production are their main activities. The farm usually focus on maize production during the dry season. The farm is located 72 kilometres to the left on the Tamale-Bolgatanga highway at Kukobila and its source of water stems from the White Volta at Nasia. Vegetables are produced in both the lowland and upland areas at Kukobila Nasia Farms; crops grown include okra, papaya and chillies. Due to the economic viability of the berries in Northern Ghana, the farm is considering strawberry production in the future.

Mallam Seidu, the owner of KNF held a discussion with the Chief Executive Officer of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), a government initiative to develop the savannah ecological zone of Ghana through agriculture, and it became clear that the region has a comparative advantage in the production of butternut squash. Butternut squash belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family (commonly referred to as the Cucumber or Gourd family).

KNF with the assistance of the ministry of food and agriculture and the Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project (GCAP), a project sponsored by the World Bank and USAID to commercialize Ghana’s agriculture, has been granted a centre pivot system worth US$150,000. This is to cultivate 100 acres of land and demonstrate butternut production to farmers in the northern region. The grant also aims to enhance and diversify livelihoods of low income households and reduce poverty in northern Ghana. The 100 acre land is currently under preparation and installation of the equipment will commence as soon as land preparation is completed, most probably in October. Although the first season of butternut squash production under this system is scheduled to commence in October 2014, KNF lacks the technical expertise on how to operate and manage the system. KNF is therefore seeking the technical assistance of an ACDI/VOCA Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer to train their staff on how to operate and manage this all-new technology.

 

 

 



Pumping Plant on White Volta River

 

The pumping plant will supply water to the center pivots via 1.7 kilometers of 140 and 200mm PVC pipe. The pumping plant is on floats so that it can rise and fall with the level of the river. 

 

Everyone was curious about our visit




Pump Control House

The pump control house is located on elevated structure to keep it above the level of the river which can rise as much as 12 meters (36 feet) during the rainy season

 



Chinese Combine Harvester

One of the handicaps of farming in Africa is that spare parts and service for foreign manufactured equipment is scarce or non-existent.