My life depends on good harvest - groundnut farmer

Afa Alhassan being assisted by mom and auntie to dry his nuts

EACH year between August and October, one can see chains of women carrying sacks and pans filled with freshly harvested groundnuts and walking along dusty or muddy paths in villages in Northern Ghana.

It is that period of the year when groundnut farmers harvest their groundnuts, which were planted earlier in the year.

Groundnut or peanut happens to be one of the most farmed food crops in Northern Ghana due to its health, culinary and economic values.

In 2011, the Ministry of Food Agriculture (MoFA) indicated that the total output of groundnut produced in the three regions of the north accounted for about 80 percent of the nation’s total groundnut production.

In a recent trip to Zokuga, a farming community in the Savelugu/Nanton district of the Northern Region, I met with a 44-year old farmer who has been cultivating groundnut since childhood.

Isreali International Percussionist, Gilad Dobrecky performs in northern Ghana

Gilad in action with local drum

 A DURBAR has been held in Saakuba, a small farming community in the Tolon/Kumbungu district of the Northern Region, in honour of an International percussionist from Israel, Gilad Dobrecky.

Mr Dobrecky, who is considered one of the world’s top 12 percussionists by the JAZZIZ magazine, visited the community courtesy the Embassy of Israel in Ghana and the Paabinaa Meriga Peace Initiative (PAMEPI), a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation.

Using his percussion instruments and local Dagomba drums, Mr Dobrecky produced interesting rhythms and compositions that delighted both the young and old people of Saakuba and nearby villages who had converged at the durbar grounds upon hearing of his arrival.