The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), having identified common natural phenomena which impede food production in the sub region (like floods, droughts, the spread of pests, livestock diseases, among others), has found it expedient to coordinate efforts among its member nations, to strengthen food system risk management in the sub region. The programme’s development objective is to increase preparedness against food insecurity and build resilience of food systems in participating countries.

In line with this, FSRP, which is being implemented in Ghana through the Ministry of Agriculture, will roll out a combination of adaptive, innovative and sustainable interventions, that will arm vulnerable households, families, farmers and communities, to withstand uncertainty and shocks in food production and supply in the sub-region. Under the regional arrangement, Ghana is focusing on Rice,Maize, Soyabean and Poultry.

Phase One of the programme covers Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Togo, whiles Phase Two covers Chad, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. The implementation network involves three other regional institutions: the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS), the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), and the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF); and locally, involves notable state agencies in the agricultural value chain.

National implementing partners of FSRP include: Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA); Center for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and agencies within it: Ghana Meteorological Authority (GMet); Departments & Agencies under the Ministry of Food & Agriculture (MOFA).

IMPLEMENTATION TARGET AREAS (GHANA):

The entire country will benefit from improved delivery of agro-advisory services.
However, selected target areas among ten (10) regions will receive additional interventions:

• Target Area 1: Lower Volta Basin (shaded purple)
• Target Area 2: Upper Volta Basin (shaded yellow)
• Target Area 3: Middle Belt (shaded green)

Lower Volta Basin: Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta, Central.

Upper Volta Basin: Upper East, Northern and North-East

Middle Belt: Ashanti, Bono East, Bono

And in selected districts within the regions as follows:

Ashanti Region:

Ejura Sekyedumase, Asante Akyem North, Sekyere Central, Offinso North, and Sekyere Affram Plains.

Bono East Region:

Techiman North, Nkoranza North, Techiman South, Nkoranza South, Atebubu Amantin, Sene West

Greater Accra Region:

Shai Osudoku and Kpone Katamanso Districts, (specifically the Kpong Irrigation Scheme and the Kpong Left Bank Irrigation Project)

Upper East Region:
The Project will be implemented within the White Volta Basin area covering 12,000km2 with a population of about 1.4 million in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

Volta Region:
Agotime Ziope, Adaklu Anyingbe, Central Tongu, North Tongu, and Ketu North Districts

Central Region:

Effutu District

Eastern Region:

Lower Manya Krobo District

Savannah Region: In the Savannah Region the project will be implemented in the Forest Transition and Guinea Savannah areas covering 27,810km2 of land and a population of and 834,787 persons.

TARGET BENEFICIARIES

The primary beneficiaries are the producers, aggregators, traders and all actors of the selected
Value Chains (VCs).Other beneficiaries include key participants in establishing, managing and dissemination risk management data and information as well as researchers, public and private extension service and advisory agencies, research institutions, universities, private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), trade associations, financial Institutions and government agencies involved in value chain management. In all 300,000 direct & 1,080,000 indirect beneficiaries are anticipated.

The following are the proposed PDO level outcome indicators:

• Strengthened regional food crisis prevention and management systems are used for decision making;
  
• Total number of project beneficiaries;
• Producers adopting supported agricultural technologies and services, including access to agrometeorological information through digital channels (by gender);
• Area under sustainable and integrated land management practices; and

• Countries implementing regional trade policy in targeted input and output VCs.