Over 20 farmer-groups in the Jirapa District of the Upper West Region are currently benefiting from a dry season gardening initiative along the banks of the Black Volta.

The project, which is an initiative of the District Chief Executive (DCE), Madam Vivien-Nelly Kunko, is been supported by the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), in collaboration with the Government of Ghana (GoG).

Major crops grown by the farmers under the project include maize, vegetables and butter nut squash, among others.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the DCE said the farmers have been provided with pumps at high purchase to enable them pump water directly from the Black Volta to their farms without any difficulty.

Madam Kunko noted that measures were being taken to link the farmers to good and ready market, both nationally and internationally, especially for the butter nut squash.

She said with the Support of the Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Paul Derigubaa, three other dry season farms, comprising 10 acres of land each, had been established for farmers at Nanbeg, Kunzokala and Ul-Gozu.

 The DCE said the initiative would help bring improvement in the income levels of the people, promote education in the area and prevent the youth from migrating to southern Ghana, in search of non-existent jobs.

Madam Kunko appealed for tractors from the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and the Ministry of Agriculture,  to enable the farmers cultivate more acres of land.

She also appealed for funding from the World Bank and other donor organizations, to enable them to desilt more dams and dug-outs in order to expand the project.

GNA