The Northern Ghana Integrated Development Project (NGIDP): Promoting opportunities for sustainable agriculture, social protection and decent work in the agrarian sector. The project which is being funded by the EU is a consortium of ActionAid Ghana, URBANET and Tree Aid Ghana and would span a period of four years, 2019 to 2023. It will lead to the reduction of rural poverty by promoting environmentally sustainable agricultural practices thus contributing to the green economy, creating opportunities for income generation within the agricultural value chain, and enhancing access to social protection services. The specific objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of local CSOs to become drivers of innovation in research-based climate-resilient sustainable agriculture, related social enterprises and responsive social protection. This is in recognition of the crucial role that CSOs and social movements play in the provision of services, especially in rural areas, as well as their power to influence local and national level decisions and policies backed by their constituencies and technical expertise. The project will also address the social and economic vulnerabilities of marginalized groups of people such as women smallholders, unemployed young people and people living with disabilities by building their agencies and capacities for income-generating activities and integrating decent work and social protection within the development of the agricultural sector where most rural women find their livelihoods. Overall, we will reach 825,000 people in the 15 districts of implementation, through the improved delivery of extension services, increased awareness on rights to land, social protection and decent work.

The project has an extensive reach and combines community rootedness and high-level advocacy. In addition to strengthening the community mobilization and advocacy activities of thirty (30) CSOs with a membership of 3,600, it will work in 300 communities in 15 districts3 across the three regions in the north of Ghana (that is Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions) which are high-risk areas and suffer most from changing climate and destructive land use practices. Over a period of 48 months, this action will empower 13,500 marginalized women smallholder farmers, young people and people with disabilities, strengthen 300 women farmer groups, 15 farmer networks and train 1,050 CSO and group leaders, resulting in increased, secure and sustainable incomes, access to social protection mechanisms, more local agri-business enterprises and job opportunities that adhere to decent work principles.

Result/Output 1: CSOs and local movements leading joint community advocacy initiatives and research and supporting the formation of innovative farmer-led extension services.

Result/Output 2: Increased smallholder farmers resilience to the impact of climate change through more effective biodiversity preservation and sustainable agricultural practices that contribute to the green economy.

Result/Output 3: Increased income levels of women and young people through the processing of non-timber forest products, agricultural value chain business, and social enterprises.

Result/Output 4: Increased access to quality social protection schemes for people living in poverty in rural agrarian areas.

Result/Output 5: Gender-responsive decent work principles integrated into national and regional agricultural employments, programmes and policies.

URBANET is the the technical lead in the implementation of activities on sustainable agriculture.

Project Duration: May 2019 to June 2023.

Donor: European Union