The small fish industry in Ghana even though undervalued provides food security, nutrition, employment, income, and maintenance of livelihoods for fishermen and fish processors. The traditional practice with sun-dried fish all over Africa involves drying the fish on the ground exposing them to flies, insects, fecal matter, microorganism, rainwater, etc. This practice has led to concerns about the safety and quality of these small fish and in adverse weather conditions leads to huge revenue losses to the fish processors who are mostly women.
There is a need to improve the production processes to achieve better quality and longer shelf life of small fish and reduce losses.
Applied agricultural research Institutions need strong collaboration with extension services to effectively respond to farmers’ identified problems. Furthermore, the extension services need the backstopping of strong applied agricultural research institutions to effectively serve the farming communities and other stakeholders. Unfortunately, weak linkages exist among, research and extension services in the country. To address this problem, MoFA and the CSIR, in 1994, established Research Extension Farmer Linkage Committees (RELCs) to serve as an interface between the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) and the National Agricultural Extension System (NAES). The objectives of the RELCs among others include ensuring that research activities, especially adaptive research respond to farmers’ constraints. These constraints are identified through the regional/district planning sessions as well as review of progress made by RELCs in solving farmers’ problems and efforts made to promote proven technologies and best practices.
The RELC has since its inception been at the forefront of demand-driven technology generation and dissemination by providing a platform for key stakeholders in the agriculture sector to address constraints emanating from farmers all over the country. However, one major constraint that has always undermined the operations of the RELCs has been insufficient funds to implement its activities and demand-driven research emanating from the RELCs and other sources. It further seeks to ensure that MoFA releases agreed funds regularly and on time for RELC activities to facilitate appropriate technology generation and dissemination for enhanced productivity.
The focus of this project is to produce technical bulletins and collaborate with MoFA to produce relevant extension materials for training and dissemination purposes, to address the constraints identified at the RELC regional meetings.
Its activities are also geared towards impact measurement and capacity building across the districts and regions of Ghana
MAG is Modernizing of Agriculture in Ghana Institutional support sponsored by the Canadian Embassy. The aim of the support is to transfer technologies developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to farmers through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) specifically the Department of Agricultural Extension.
As part of this objective, CSIR-Food Research Institute (CSIR-FRI) has been mandated to organize Training of Trainers workshops in collaboration with MOFA to address constraints identified in the regional planning sessions. The trainees are mostly Agriculture extension Agents, District Agriculture officers, SME's, and Farmers. CSIR-FRI also assists in the production of extension leaflets and manuals to address the identified constraints which are mostly postharvest losses of food commodities in Ghana.
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing agro sectors in the world. Fish production provides nutritional, commercial, ecological and societal benefits to many countries including Ghana. However, fish health and management has not being fully exploited and understood for sustainable production. Most aquaculture farmers in Ghana are purported to have fish mortality as high as 75-85 percent after stocking with fingerlings (< 5 g). Fish disease problems constitute the largest single cause of economic losses in aquaculture (Sudheesh et al., 2012). In 2018, over 100 tonnes of farmed tilapia died on lake Volta within a month. With tilapia being the second most cultured fish species outside its origin in the world, the SafeFish Project had come at a good time, titled ‘Development of bacteriophage cocktails as disease biocontrol agents for improved aquaculture productivity, food and nutrition safety in Ghana and Uganda’ could be a pragmatic intervention to help minimize some the mass fish kills among cultured tilapia. This project is a three-year research and capacity building program funded by the European Commission (EU) through the African Union (AU) Commission. It is implemented by a partnership of institutions in Uganda and Ghana, with Makerere University as the lead, CSIR-Food Research Institute as the lead partner in Ghana, and CSIR-Water Research Institute as well as the University of Cape Coast (Dept. of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences), Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (Dept. of Electron Microscopy and Histopathology) of the University of Ghana and University of Leicester (Dept. of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation) as the supporting partners. These institutions would work by complementing each other due to the vast discipline or specialties, laboratory infrastructure as well as experience needed for implementation of the various activities. The action will offer a chance to create a consortium of phage researchers; sustainability and implementation of similar actions will be ensured through inclusion of graduate students in both countries.
The fisheries sector contributes to development goals, specifically the 14th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that emphasizes the need for countries’ support in restoration of fish stocks to improve safe and diversified healthy diets. Fish offers high quality proteins, higher amount of lysine and are nutritionally rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to other meats (Nahid et al 2014). Declining capture fisheries have been experienced globally but effects have mostly impacted the developing countries due to the limited capacity to fill up the gap. High levels of malnutrition especially among children under 5 years of age have been reported in sub-Sahara African countries (Akombi et al, 2017). Hence, government efforts in promoting aquaculture is envisaged as a key player in contributing to sustainable fisheries resources management; improve food and nutrition security and the livelihood of smallholder fisher folk and the general community (MAAIF 2015). However, there are challenges to fish farming, such as diseases, which are mainly managed and/or controlled through application of antibiotics. Not only will fish disease contribute to food insecurity, the community will miss out on a cheap source of animal protein.
Use of antibiotics in animal production systems has been associated with drug residues in the animal products as well as development of drug resistant bacterial strains, which may spill into the human population. Alternatives to antibiotic use exist but are not widely applied in the African setting. Bacteriophages, tiny antimicrobial entities that ‘eat up bacteria’, are specific to the bacteria attacked; and as disease-control agents, they are cheaper and safer compared to conventional antimicrobial drugs. Hence this project, which aims at developing phage products for application on the fish farms, will play a role in fish health management and ensure safe fish, since even drug resistant bacterial pathogens are susceptible to the bacteriophages.
Application of bacteriophages targeting the economically important fish bacterial pathogens will reduce disease incidences, contributing to improved fish farm productivity and availability of fish both for human consumption as well as export. Improved productivity and use of cheaper disease biocontrol agents will enhance profitability of the fish farms, which will reduce on farmers falling out of aquaculture business. Additionally, use of phages is not associated with presence of undesirable residues compared to antibiotic applications, hence, in this respect, the fish products will be safer. In addition to SDG 14, the project will also contribute to SDG2; that is “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”.
Therefore, the aim of the proposed project is to isolate and characterize lytic bacteriophages and evaluate their potential for bio control in farm Nile tilapia against various pathogenic and spoilage microbes that will be identified in samples of the fish from selected commercial fish farms in the country. The extent of pathogen contamination in various culture systems (ponds, cages, tanks, reservoirs etc.) of the fish in selected farms throughout the country will be assessed. Bacteriophage will be isolated, characterized and an in vitro experimentation will be carried out. Additionally, field trials will be conducted using the characterized phage(s). It is expected that a phage product will be developed for integrated pathogenic fish disease prevention, management and control. This will ensure good survival of culture fish, high fish farm production as well as increase in the profit margin of small holder fish farmers in the country. Hence, the use of antibiotics by tilapia farmers in the country to combat pathogenic diseases in farm fish will be reduced and farmed tilapia would be free of high levels of antibiotic residues.
Phages used against Listeria monocytogenes
Tilapia fish farmers and the local government production officers, especially the fish extension officers, and/or regulators/policy makers.
Fish farmers including women or women groups; Inland fisheries sector in Ghana and Uganda; Fish traders/exporters, Fish processors, consumers, Line Ministries for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Uganda | |
National Research Organisation (NARO) - National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NAFIRRI), Uganda | |
CSIR-Food Research Institute CSIR-Water Research Institute |
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Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Ghana. | |
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Department of Electron Microscopy and Histopathology; University of Ghana, Legon. | |
Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Leicester, UK. |
Based on significant on-going private sector investment in the cassava value chain, demand for the crop is projected to increase. It is estimated that over 60,000MT of cassava are processed industrially mostly for production of traditional packaged foods.
Industrial cassava requirement is estimated at over $20 million worth of cassava being supplied annually benefiting over 50,000 smallholder farmers. Latent demand for industrial processing is estimated to grow at 1.6 million MT per annum accounting for both domestic demand from Ghanaian industries and regional demand from other ECOWAS market.
Smallholder farmers in Ghana are unable to access these huge markets to improve their livelihoods and incomes due to lack of structure markets through forward contracts agreements with off-takers, lack of adoption of good planting materials which are required by markets, weak technical skills in GAP and postharvest technologies, low volume of supply of fresh cassava, and poor quality of produce
To catalyse and sustain an inclusive agricultural transformation in Ghana to increase incomes and improve household food security through consistent supply and processing of cassava for both industrial and food uses.
Food Research Institute is located Adjacent to Ghana Standards Authority, Near Gulf House, Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, Accra, Ghana. We are open to the general public from Monday to Friday 7:30am - 5:00pm, excluding holidays. If you need any additional information or have a question, please contact us on 0302-962068/+233-243302980 or email us at info@foodresearchgh.org or director@foodresearchgh.org.