United Purpose Ghana Food security and livelihoods programme

United Purpose is a movement of people and organisations that strives to end poverty and inequality across the globe. We are a leader in community-led development and grassroots innovation. For nearly 20 years we have worked in partnership in Ghana to strengthen food security and livelihoods for some of the most marginalised and vulnerable communities, reaching over 15,000 farmers annually.

Project Title , Donor & value

Project Summary

Partnership for Accelerated Local Economic Development in Brong Ahafo (live project) : European Commission (EC) â‚Ź 882,433.91

This project contributes to promoting local economic development and job creation for 10,000 smallholder famers and 500 agro entrepreneurs in the Brong Ahafo region through improving agricultural productivity and agribusiness development, supporting local microfinance initiatives, while strengthening accountability and transparency in local governance.

Breaking the Poverty Chain (live project) Big Lottery Fund ÂŁ 477,272.46

This project contributes to sustainable poverty reduction through entrepreneurial development and socio-political empowerment of 8,000 farmers and micro-entrepreneurs in marginalized communities in Krachi East and Krachi, Nchumuru districts in Ghana.

Development of Market Access & Post Harvest Services for (completed project) AGRA

This project contributes to sustainable poverty reduction through entrepreneurial development and socio-political empowerment of 8,000 farmers and micro-entrepreneurs in marginalized communities in Krachi East and Krachi, Nchumuru districts in Ghana.

$699,940 Northern Ghana Shea (NGS) MCFEA

NGS was established in 2012 and registered as a social enterprise in 2018.

This project aims to achieve a viable market price for the shea nuts and butter and help reduce poverty through an environmentally sound and viable business opportunity, working with over 800 women.

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We build the capacity of smallholder farmers-We work with local government– employed extension agents to provide training on improved, climate smart agricultural practices. Demonstration fields, local radio shows, mobile voice messaging and training videos are some of the successful tools we have used. Our work has resulted in increased yields year-round), which reduces the number of ‘hungry months‘ experienced by smallholders. We have also worked with over 500 farmers‘ associations and aggregation centres to improve management structures, human resources, networks, record-keeping and marketing.

We take a market based approach-We help ensure access to market information through ICT-based platforms (for example, Esoko) in local languages, training in marketing (eg market planning, managing marketing risk, importance of group marketing, records keeping, contracts, negotiations and bargaining skills, maintaining market share) and establishing aggregation centers that bridge the gap between farmers and buyers. We equip the centres with pallets, weighing scales, and moisture meters, to bring farmers‘ produce in line with standards and ready for more formal markets. By selling collectively, famers were able to take advantage of standardized weights to gain an average of 24% over the price they would have obtained selling individually to middlemen.

Farmers, agro processors, shea butter processors and shea nut sellers have increased incomes farmers have higher yields

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farmers have increased knowledge of environmental issues, including parkland management and climate smart agriculture farmers, agro processors and shea butter processors trained in improved agronomic practices

Through a gender lens: -We recognise that women are often particularly excluded from government-provided services (including agricultural training), and that they often lack access to and control over assets. Therefore, we often focus on crops traditionally farmed and: or produced by women (for example shea nuts), we establish microirrigation schemes that provide women with an opportunity to rent and farm their own ‘start-up‘ plot of well-irrigated land, as well as ensuring women‘s representation at training sessions and in aggregation centre management.

We support entrepreneurs to build small agri-businesses-Training on enterprise management, leadership, marketing and improved production has supported thousands of farmers to start or improve the viability of their small agri-businesses, with positive results on incomes, household resilience and food security. We provide financial literacy training, so smallholders can make informed decisions about money and money management.

We take an environmentally sensitive approach to agriculture-Our training focuses on climate smart agriculture (CSA) techniques, including integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), which helps to improve soil