Some Queen mothers in the Brong Ahafo region have endorsed SEND-GHANA’s Soya drink, Soya stew, Soya Koose and Soya Khebab.
According to them the taste of the range of products from soya can match up to the imported ones. They were, therefore, of the view that SEND should train more people to produce the assorted products, such as drinks, for local consumption.

This endorsement was made at SEND-GHANA’s exhibitions stand mounted during this year’s durbar to mark World Rural Women’s Day held at Techiman-Akrofrom in the Brong Ahafo region under the theme, “Women as guardians of Seed, Life and Earth.”

The durbar which was organized by Farmers Organization Network in Ghana (FONG) in collaboration with the Ghana Federation of Agricultural Produce (GFAP) sought among other things to showcase and laud efforts of rural women towards national development.

Speaking at the durbar, Madam Gladys Adusah Serwaah, Womens’ Leader of Middle Zone Farmers Organization Network, bemoaned the practice of releasing arable farmlands to investors without the involvement of women farmers in the negotiation process. She appealed to government to support women smallholder farmers with improved seeds and credit.

Nana Akrofromhemaa, Queen Mother of Akrofrom and Nana Yeboah Asuamah, Queen Mother of Aworowa Queen Mothers added their respective voices to salute rural women in the world especially Brong Ahafo region for ensuring that there is always food on the table.

On her part, Tadria Sophie, the Food Security and Nutrition Officer of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) urged government to formulate gender sensitive agriculture policies in order to reduce the burden on women.

As part of efforts to bridge the nutritional gap in parts of the country, SEND-GHANA’s new project titled Food Security through Cooperatives in Northern Ghana (FOSTERING) will work to scale up Soya bean production.

The project is aimed at promoting and enhancing livelihood of poor communities in the Eastern Corridor of Northern Ghana by working through local institutions to deliver interventions in the area of Agriculture, Nutrition, Gender and Peace.

The Nutrition component of the project aims at supporting targeted communities to address the issues of nutrition deficiencies, especially, among children under 5 and pregnant women in the Eastern Corridor of Ghana.

The approach is to train women and men in these communities on soya bean utilization and fortification and also to inculcate in them the practice of making it a business.

The durbar was graced by the presence of organisations including SEND-GHANA, Ecumenical Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (ECASARD), USAID, Africa Lead and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The World Rural Women day is observed annually on every 15th of October each year to give recognition to “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.”

Story by Millicent Sumbo, Nutirtion Officer, SEND-GHANA and Pascal Kudiabor, Communication Officer, SEND-GHANA