E4L Program supports rural farmers in Karaga District to increase income through livestock rearing

The Empowerment for Life (E4L) Program has begun distribution of farm animals to some community members in the Karaga District in the Northern Region of Ghana.

Presenting the farm animals to the beneficiaries, the Technical Advisor for Inclusive Growth and Employment, Mr. Mohammed Abdallah, said the gesture was part of the broader intervention of the E4L Program, which seeks to improve upon the income levels of farmers in deprived communities.

Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) and YEFL-Ghana implement E4L Program in Northern Ghana with funding from Ghana Friends (GV) and Civil Society in Development (CISU) both in Denmark.

Mr. Abdallah entreated the beneficiaries to take good care of the animals to ensure that they multiply.

He explained that the E4L Program has introduced integrated farming systems approach where farmers would be supported to leverage on diverse farming activities to maximize their income.

“Changing climate conditions continue to affect farm yields which ultimately have a toll on the income of the farmers, hence the need to support the crop farmers with these farm animals to complement their crop production”, he said.

Among the communities who benefited from the recent distribution were the Jamanga and Tanyeli communities where 14 farmers in both communities received 16 goats to rear to complement their crop production. Ten out of the 14 were women. As part of their contribution, each community has constructed a communal pen where the seven nanny goats and a billy goat are kept together, even though they belong to individuals.

The beneficiaries expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the implementing organizations of the E4L Program for the intervention. They promised to ensure that the animals increase in number to become an alternative source of income to serve the purpose for which the animals were given.

“I thank E4L Program for this support. I hope that in the next two years, my nanny goat will multiply so that I can sell some of them to cater for my children’s needs,” said Lukman Suweiba, one of the female beneficiaries from Tanyeli community.