• Italy granted Ghana €154 million ($179 million) to support a three-year agricultural modernization program.
• The initiative will develop 10,000 hectares of irrigated model farms for maize, rice, tomato, and soybean.
• Ghana targets 1 million hectares of solar-powered irrigation by 2028 to mitigate drought risks.

Ghana signed a €154 million ($179 million) financing agreement with the Italian government to strengthen climate-resilient agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture announced after the signing at the Agrilevante International Agricultural Technologies Fair in Bari, Italy, held from October 7–11.

State broadcaster Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) reported that the financing will fund a three-year initiative titled “Strengthening Agri-Food Ecosystems in Ghana.” The project aims to modernize agricultural value chains, enhance food security, and build climate resilience in the Volta Region in eastern Ghana.

The program will focus on developing 10,000 hectares of farmland into model farms producing maize, rice, tomatoes, and soybeans. Each site will use a year-round irrigation system to ensure continuous production and a steady domestic supply of key crops.

Officials said the scheme will also promote research collaboration with the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI). The partnership will develop soil-analysis tools, optimize crop selection, and establish a national seed bank to improve agricultural productivity.

The initiative supports Ghana’s broader plan to expand irrigation and reduce agriculture’s dependence on rainfall. According to FAO estimates, only 3% of Ghana’s cultivated land was irrigated in 2022. The government aims to place 1 million hectares under solar-powered irrigation by 2028, a move seen as critical to mitigating the economic impact of droughts.

The Ghana Grains Council (GCC) reported that droughts in 2023 and 2024 affected 1.8 million hectares of farmland, causing $1.3 billion in crop losses in the cereals sector alone.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum