The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has officially launched its 3rd Innovation Extension Research and Advisory Coordination Hub (iREACH) at Fumesua in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The technology hub also known as Agriculture Technology Park aims at showcasing 21 cutting-edge agricultural technologies developed in the West African sub-region as well as ensuring food security and sustainable agriculture practices.
This innovative program was sponsored by USAID and FSRP.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Prof. Marian Quain, Deputy Director General of CSIR, emphasized the significance of research, extension, and farmer linkages in technology transfer, highlighting Ghana’s progress in this area through the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP).
She said, the nine-year WAAPP program, supported by the World Bank, transformed agriculture in Ghana and West Africa in general, boosting productivity, sustainability, and nutrition while creating jobs across 13 participating countries, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
The Agric technology park (also known as a science park, tech park, or research park) is a purpose-built area designed to foster innovation, research, and development in various fields of agriculture technology.
Key Features include Research and Development, Incubation centres for startups, Laboratories and testing facilities, Advanced infrastructure as well as Support services.
She said technologies showcased at the tech park are from root and tuber crops such as yam, cassava, sweet potatoes, and cocoyam and taros, maize, cowpea, peanut, good agronomic practices through varieties to post-harvest technologies.
According to Prof Quain, Prof. Quain these new innovations will not only increase food production but also contribute to the country’s economic growth.
She said the tech park will provide access to smart agriculture technologies for students and farmers to learn about the latest crop varieties suitable for cultivation.
Prof Quain highlighted that the technologies available at the Agriculture Park will help farmers, students, caterers, individuals involved in post-harvest activities, sellers, and marketers.
“We are looking at the whole value chain, thus; those in Agriculture, caterers, post-harvest, sellers and marketers, they all can work with the technologies we’re using here (Agriculture Tech Park).”
She therefore encouraged both the youth and the elderly to take advantage of the tech park to learn more about new crop varieties to be able to engage in farming, thereby increasing food production and reducing unemployment rates in the country.
The Acting Director, of CSIR-CRI, Kumasi, Dr Ernest Baafi on the other hand said, that iREACH is showcasing 21 ready-to-go technologies in 2024, at CSIR-CRI, Kumasi with a satellite site at CSIR-SARI, Tamale.
These technologies span from root and tuber crops to cereals and legumes.
He however eulogized CORAF and its financial partners (USAID, Kansas State University, The World Bank, FSRP and REACH) for their financial and technical support.
Businessmen/women, farmers, scientists, and processors all attended the CSIR-CRI 3rd Innovation, Research, Extension and Advocacy Coordination Hub (iREACH) Technology Park Open Day.
