TAMALE, Ghana – The Feed the Future (FTF) USAID Agriculture Technology Transfer (ATT) project launched on Thursday, November 21, 2013, at the University for Development Studies in Dungu, near Tamale.  The five-year, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project aims at increasing the availability of appropriate and affordable farming technologies to sustainably improve the competitiveness of the maize, rice and soya value chains in northern Ghana.

FTF is United States President Barack Obama’s flagship program to increase food security and improve nutritional status around the world.  The Agriculture Technology Transfer Project aims to assist with one of the key constraints to improved agricultural productivity and growth - the development, availability and adoption of agricultural technologies here in Northern Ghana.  Over the next five years the activity plans to reach over 100,000 maize, rice, and soya farmers in Northern Ghana through public and private sector partners.

The FTF USAID ATT project is implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFCD).  Key partners with the IFDC include the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, as well as other agencies relevant to private sector agricultural investment in Ghana.

In conjunction with today’s official launch, the project organized a technology exhibition with private and public sector partners.  The exhibition showcased small planting and threshing machines, drip irrigation and market information tools that will all contribute to increasing agricultural productivity.