Trevor in Ghana

This year Christmas was a little different than I am used to. I spent it down on the coast of Ghana at a little resort, appropriately named Hideout Lodge. I went down with some other volunteers from Canada and Europe. It was really nice to have good company and a gorgeous beach to provided some distraction from being a little homesick over the holidays.

I would like to wish everyone a belated MERRY CHRISTMAS and an early HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you are all enjoying the holidays with you family and friends. I have posted a bunch of pictures on my web album and I will post a few more when I get some from the rest of the group I traveled with.

Foreword

So I originally planned on writing a rich blog post about the differences between Burkina Faso and Ghana, in particular the differences I observed related to poverty; however, I found the following format rather amusing at 1:00am when I was taking a break from working on an evaluation report!! I still plan on making another trip back to Burkina so maybe I will pleasure you with something more insightful then. For now I hope you enjoy the brief description and some pictures of my trip.

Saturday

We took a trotro to Bolga
We waited for Sarah
We took a taxi to the border
We got stamped out of Ghana (except Sarah)
We waited while the Burkina guy did arts and crafts in our passports
We missed the bus to Ouaga
We were joined again by Sarah
We got our Burkina Visas
We took a taxi and caught up to the bus
We had some yummy Burkina yogurt
We got to Ouaga
We had more yummy Burkina yogurt
We took a bus to Bobo
We got mobbed by girls selling sesame cookies
We arrived in Bobo
We went to sleep

Sunday

We woke up
We talked about our work
We got to know each other better
We tried to fix the development sector
We brainstormed
We played with post-it notes
We got frustrated
We ran out of time
We reflected on the day
We went out for drinks with the guys
We waited for the girls to get ready
We met up with the girls
We drank
We danced
We drank some more
We went to sleep

Monday

We woke up too damn early
We took a trotro to Banfora
We canoed to see hippos (well at least the nose and ears of hippos…)
We visited a cashew factory (those nuts are a pain in the ass to get at)
We tried to find waterfalls
We saw a white person standing at the side of the road who looked a lot like Sarah
We realised we left Sarah behind (sorry Sarah we love you!!)
We got a dirty look from Sarah
We got covered in dust from the road and could hardly breathe
We finally found the waterfalls
We went swimming at the waterfalls
We tried to show how manly we are by climbing the big rocks and jumping off of them
We hiked to the top of the waterfall and took some pictures
We took the trotro back to Bobo
We had an amazing dinner at “les 3 karites” with tasty roasted chicken and delicious salad
We passed out after a day full of fun

Tuesday

We woke up
We exchanged secret Santa gifts
We talked
We complained
We discussed
We ranted
We learned about the action learning cycle (apparently I’m a theorist as were 4/5 guys at the retreat)
We laughed at the planners activists and reflectors
We felt sorry for laughing at the others (not really)
We realised that if 4 theorists try and work together nothing gets done
We shared stories
We inspired each other
We cried together
We hugged
We made a fun conference video (I’ll try and post it when I get a copy)
We went to sleep

Wednesday

We woke up
We didn’t want to leave our friends in Burkina (or the French cuisine)
We travelled back to Ghana (ok so there was a day spent in Ouaga for a team MoFA meeting but it wasn’t blog worthy)

The End

The Importance of Farming

In Canada we have national holidays to celebrate our independence and war veterans, religious events, and the start of a new year. Here is Ghana they recognize the same reasons for celebration, but on the first friday of December they also take time to celebrate farmers.

Agriculture makes up the livelihood of most people living in northern Ghana and nearly all of those who live in rural areas. It provides jobs to work, food to eat, and money to send children to school. Ghana could not survive if it wasn’t for the farmers who work hard everyday to try and cope with the unpredictable weather year after year.


This year was particularly difficult for farmers in the three Northern Regions. The rains arrived early in May and farmers rushed to prepare their fields and plant their crops. Then in early June just as the seeds were starting to germinate the rains stopped. The drought lasted for over a month with the rains not returning until mid-late July. By then it was too late: all of the crops that had been planted at the start of the growing season had weltered and dried.

Farmers who could afford to buy more seed and replant rushed to do so during the last week of July and first week of August knowing full well that if they didn’t get the seeds in the ground soon it would be too late and the plants wouldn’t have enough time to grow. Those that managed to replant were only able to do a portion of what they had originally planted, and the rest of their fields were left with half-grown withered stalks of maize.

As if the weather hadn’t been difficult enough this farming season when the rains returned they returned without mercy. Rivers rose and crops were drowned or even completely washed away. (I’m sure many of you have read about the floods in the Northern Ghana this September. For those of you who haven’t I have attached a few links below.) When the Volta Rivers receded they left little behind. In all it seems as if the weather this rainy season couldn’t possibly have been any worse.

You may be wondering what is there to celebrate when so many farmers who tried so hard lost everything, but this only amplifies the need to celebrate those farmers who somehow despite all odds managed to have a successful season. There’s a need to recognize model farmers whose motivation and entrepreneurship can provide inspiration and an example to others of what can be achieved in agriculture.

National Farmers’ Day

I wake up at the crack of dawn and eagerly put on my new shirt made of fabric with the MoFA logo plastered all over it. Today is National Farmers’ Day and I’m headed off to Saboba to take part in the Regional Farmers’ Day celebration. I head to the office along with Nina, an EWB volunteer from Zambia who happened to be in Ghana for a conference this week and decided to come along and check things out. We get to the office and hop on the bus along with a few MoFA staff and the farmer award winners from all across the Northern Region.

About three hours later we get to the site in Saboba. There are tents all around to provide shade from the sweltering sun, and a sea of bicycles and other prizes in the centre. Along one side of the site are exhibits showcasing some of the best rice, maize, millet and pepper the region has to offer. Behind the crops stand farmers, proud to display what their hard efforts have produced.




After sometime wandering around the site looking at the exhibits and chatting with farmers it’s time for the ceremonies to begin. The Regional minister along with various other political and state figures arrive to give their speeches. The theme for this year’s national Farmers’ Day was “Ghana @ 50: Progress and Challenges of Sustainable Agricultural Development.” They talk about the aforementioned challenges farmers have faced this year, and encourage farmers and other Ghanaians alike to recognize that farming is not a second rate livelihood. Farming is a respectable and potentially prosperous way to make a living, and people should start thinking about agriculture as a business.

When the speeches come to a close the farmers are called forward to receive their awards. There are awards for the best farmer for each of the main crops (maize, rice, sorghum, soya bean, groundnuts, etc.) as well as the best livestock farmer, the most innovative farmer, and of course the all around regional best farmer. The award winners all get a bicycle and a collection of other farming implements such as cutlasses, hoes, sprayers, and boots.

Shortly after all of the excitement that has been building up over the past couple months comes to an end. As my co-worker Sarah said, “It’s like MoFA Christmas!!” Everyone waits for it all year long working hard in the months leading up to it, the excitement builds and builds, and then before you know it’s all over.