Mr Daniel Kofi Abu, Project Coordinator of Tropenbos Ghana, a non-governmental organization, has appealed to farmers to use organic compost on their farms before and after cultivation to increase soil fertility and yield. He indicated that the use of chemical fertilizers threatened human health, including the living organisms in the soil. Mr Abu said this during a European Union Funded ReDIAL project training workshop on compost fertilizer for selected farmers and farmer groups within the Wiawso municipality of the Western North Region. The project, which is been implemented by Friends of the Nation, Tropenbos Ghana, say Tech company, sessi company and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is aimed at supporting women farmer groups, PWD farmers and small holder farmers. He noted that with the current global cost of fertilizer, it was imperative to train farmers to produce their own organic fertilizer which he noted was easier to produce at a lower cost. Mr Abu explained that the raw materials needed to produce such compost fertilizer were readily available in the country, which farmers could afford, adding that the organic fertilizer was far better than chemical fertilizer which was expensive and depleted soil fertility. He said compost fertilizer had come to stay and that it was important to go back to the olden days of farming practices that involved the application of manure, which he noted would help improve soil fertility. He advised the farmers to continuously protect the land by adopting good farming practices and consider the risk that were associated with the use of chemical in crops that threatened human life and resort to compost fertilizer. Mr Elison Owusu Fordjour, a facilitator, said the farmers were trained on how to use local materials to produce compost fertilizer, which was affordable to farmers, adding that the move was to ensure sustainability. Madam Mercy Dzakpata, Secretary of Mewoenya farmer group, on behalf of the beneficiary farmers lauded the project, noting that it would help the farmers to produce more and save them from the high prices of chemical fertilizers. She also advised farmers to take advantage of the training and educate other members on the need to use compost fertilizer.

Source: Ghana News Agency