Ghana is a land rich in opportunity and IDE is helping to unlock its potential for subsistence farmers. IDE opened its Ghana office in September 2009 and is now ramping up its operations in the West African country.

With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Manitoba Government (a Canadian Province), IDE is starting a pilot project in the North East, close to the border with Burkina Faso. Over the next 12 months, this project will raise the incomes of 200 farmers by an average of $150 by introducing low-cost irrigation equipment and offering agronomic services to farmers seeking to adopt more sustainable and profitable farming methods.

IDE Ghana Country Director Bob Nanes – who has worked with IDE since 1986 – is excited by the opportunity he sees in opening new markets for poor farmers. He points to the potential for small-scale irrigation to generate significant income for the many farmers who already have land close to water sources but lack the technology to efficiently move the water onto their fields. Many plots lie unused throughout the dry season – a missed opportunity for farmers to grow and sell high-value vegetables, especially during the off-season when prices are high.

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