DuPont Pioneer Collaborates to Increase Productivity and Profitability of Farmers

DuPont and the USAID on Wednesday launched a collaborative initiative that will boost maize productivity among smallholder farmers and help to increase their household incomes.  The investment of more than US$4 million over the next four years started in July 2014.

The program, called the Ghana Advanced Maize Seed Adoption Program (GAMSAP), is modeled on a similar one undertaken in Ethiopia by ACDI/VOCA, the implementing organization in Ghana.  GAMSAP will support the establishment of more than 3,200 demonstrations throughout the country to help enhance the incomes of 43,000 smallholder maize farmers. 

During the launch of the program in Tamale, Lystra Antoine, DuPont Pioneer’s Global Agriculture Development Director, discussed the challenge of food security in Ghana.

Lystra Antoine said “DuPont is committed to collaboratively tackling global food security challenges and we are honored to work with USAID to significantly increase productivity for maize farmers in Ghana."  

DuPont also is collaborating with USAID to improve household incomes of smallholder maize farmers by improving their access to credit, to hybrid seeds, to better agronomy, to secure input and output markets, to improved post-harvest handling practices, and to market linkages with end users. Lystra Antoine added 

Ghana currently has an average maize yield of about 1.5 metric tons per hectare, which is significantly below the average 2 tons per hectare of maize yields in Africa and 10 tons per hectare in the U.S.  

By adopting hybrid seed and using improved farming inputs and techniques, participating farmers will be able to achieve significant productivity gains and increased profitability.

“High quality seed (both local and international) is a key to the modernization and profitability of the agricultural sector.  This partnership is designed to demonstrate the benefits of these new varieties and encourage farmers to invest in their businesses with productivity-boosting technologies,” said the USAID Ghana Mission Director, Jim Bever. 

US Embassy Ghana