Welcome to the Official Website of the Ministry of Food & Agriculture, Ghana. West Africa.

DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND OF THE REGION

Geography and Population
Location

1. Lat. 10o15’ and 10o10’N, Long. 0o and 1o4’W 
2. It is bounded: North by Republic of Burkina Faso, South by Northern Region and East and West by Republic of Togo and Upper West Region respectively.

Population – 993,317 (1.19 Growth Rate 2000)
Area – 8,842km2 (3.7% of Ghana
Population Density – 103 persons/km2

LAND USE, VEGETATION, SOILS AND CLIMATE

Agriculture remains the dominant economic activity employing 80% of the population. Due to this dependency on agriculture, the region was the poorest of Ghana’s ten regions but has moved up to the 9th position, largely due to improvement in the performance of agriculture

Land Use (General)

Land Area By Region

The region occupies 8,840 sq. km representing 3.7% of the total land area.

Agro-ecological zones:

The Upper East Region is in the Guinea-Savannah and a small area north of Bawku having Sudan-Savannah vegetation

Rainfall Distribution  

The region has an average rainfall of 921mm. It ranges between 645mm and 1250mm
Rainfall distribution is unimodal which gives a single 5 to 6 months growing season between April/May and September/October and 6 to 7 long dry season from October to April. This period is associated with dry hamattan winds with low humidity and temperatures making the area suitable for the growing of horticultural crops like tomatoes pepper onions, watermelons, okro and other leafy vegetables.

Vegetation The vegetation is within the Guinea-Savannah zone and a small area north of Bawku having Sudan-Savannah vegetation

Source: Meteorological Services Department, Accra.
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Temperature and Relative Humidity The region is hot and dry. Annual average temperatures recorded in the Upper East Region, specifically at Navrongo in the dry season is 15o (Dec. to Feb.) at minimum limits and highest at 45o (March to April). The relative Humidity ranges between 30% and 80% in the dry and wet seasons respectively.   
The long dry season from October to April is associated with dry harmattan winds with low humidity and low night temperatures making the area suitable for the growing of horticultural crops like tomatoes pepper onions, watermelons, okro and other leafy vegetables under irrigation.

Topography: The topography is predominantly undulating, with slopes less than 1%.  The region is mainly flat with gentle slopes ranging from 1% to 5% slopes; however, about 70% of it is subject to moderate to severe sheet and gully erosion.

1. Soils: The soils have predominantly light textured surface horizons in which sandy

loams and loams with very poor organic matter content.  Lower soil horizons have slightly heavier textures varying from coarse sandy loams to clays.  Heavier textured soils occur in many valley bottoms which are suitable for rice cultivation.  Many soils contain abundant coarse material either gravel and stone, or concretionary materials which affect their physical properties, particularly their water holding capacity.

Farming Systems:
Agriculture is predominantly on a smallholder basis in Ghana. About 90% of farm holdings are less than 2 hectares in size, and to a greater extent, in rice and maize. Main system of farming is traditional. The hoe and cutlass are the main farming tools. There is little mechanized farming, but bullock farming is practiced in some parts of the region.  Agricultural production varies with the amount and distribution of rainfall and nature of soil. Most food crop farms are intercropped. Mono cropping is mostly associated with larger-scale commercial farms as it is currently being done under the block farms

Challenges of Agriculture

• Pests and diseases of crops and livestock.
• High post harvest losses due to poor storage, processing and value addition of agricultural produce.
• Poor infrastructure, tools/equipments
• Poor market prices.
• Low adoption of agricultural technologies resulting drudgery and low outputs.
• Erratic rainfall resulting in floods and droughts.
• Declining soil fertility, and High level of environmental & land degradation (bush fires, Fragmented land, deforestation for farming, urbanization,  continues cropping and over grazing)

Natural Water bodies, rehabilitated dams and fish ponds at Tono/ Vea can be used for technologies on integrated aquaculture such as cage culture

Tomato: Tomato processing remains the chief bottleneck to increased tomato production in the region partly due to Northern Star Tomato Company Limited (NSTC Ltd) not operational. Currently, proposals are being prepared for possible financial consideration.

Meat Processing: Bolgatanga Meat Factory is currently under divestiture and therefore needs an investment support as has been done to the Pwalugu Tomato Factory now Northern Star Tomato Company Limited

Vegetable oil: Local industries for vegetable oil extraction such as sheabutter, groundnut, and soybean are on small scale with low capital.

Rice: Rice processing for value addition can contribute to improved storage or shelve life, marketing, incomes and nutrition in the region and the   country as whole. Quality rice processing will revamp the subsector processing centers like Nasia Rice in Tamale, ICOUR in Upper East, Single Mothers Association, Trade Aid Integrated and many other centers, thus reducing the revenue spent on importation. This will consequently lead to a boost in the Block Rice Farms and create employment for the rural population

Fruit: Watermelon processing for value addition has a potential for increasing incomes of farm families and improving nutritional status in the region and the country as whole.

Ruminants: Cattle, Sheep, Goats
The region has registered 240 farmers to benefit 2,400 small ruminants as part of the credit in kind programme under the Livestock Development Project (LDP) being implemented in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). The first batch of 600 animals have been distributed

Poultry: guinea fowl, fowls, ducks, turkeys
Local Chicken/Guinea Fowl Production: Production of indigenous chicken especially guinea fowl can be enhanced with provision of small scale incubators to replace natural brooding and cold chain system can boost processing and transport to southern markets

Swine: The region is culturally favored for the rearing of swine. Most of the indigenous households keep swine. The region currently supplies the local and southern markets for slaughter.

Others (dogs, donkeys): These are traditional animals reared and used for social and domestic purposes.  The development of this sub-sector will go a long way to improve on rural incomes, intermediate rural transport and traction for land preparation.

Naturally the region is blessed to have:

1. Cereals:           Sorghum, Millet, Maize and Rice
2. Legumes:        Groundnuts, Cowpea, Soybean and Bambarra beans
3. Fibers: Kenaf, Cotton and Kapok
4. Roots & Tubers:  Sweet Potato and Frafra Potato
5. Vegetables: Okro, Pepper and Leafy Vegetables
6. Non Traditional Export Crops: Sesame, Paprika, Cashew, Mangoes, Sheanuts.

Irrigated Crops: Tomato, Onion, Water/Sweet Melon, Rice, Okro, Pepper and Maize

Potential Areas of Production:

Rainfed Rice Production:  Valley bottoms at (Sumbrungu, Kalbeo, Nyariga) in Bolga Municipality, (Pwalugu, Winkogo, Pusu-Namoogo) in Talensi Nabdam, (Wiesi, Gbedembilisi, Fumbisi) in the Builsa District, Kologo -Naga, Tono) in the Kassena Nankana Districts, (Nafkolga, Sakpari, Tamde) in Bawku Municipality (Tamne in Garu Tempane and (Tillie, Widnaba & Lamboya) in the Bawku West District. 

Soybean:
Investment into grain production, soya oil extraction and cake production for human and livestock export substitution. 

Sesame:
The international market for Sesame is inexhaustible but marketing outlet and investment to promote the production.

Irrigated Crop Production
Maize:  Three cropping per year using pumps between February and July.

Irrigated Rice: Rice production at Tono and Vea dam-sites and pump irrigation.

Vegetables: Fresh/ Dried Onion, Chilly Pepper, Water and Sweet Melons for Local/ Export markets potential

Towards attaining the above listed objectives of the Ministry, a number programmes and initiative have been put in place regional and nationally to realizing these objectives. They include;

1. Extension Demonstration on crop and livestock
2. Block farms
   2.1 Rice
   2.2 Soya bean
3. Fertilizer subsidy
4. FAO Dry Season Support
5. Northern Rural Growth Programme
6. Livestock Development Project
7. Village Mango Programme
8. Rice Sector Support Programme