A Ghanaian firm that is promoting a new model of agriculture, B-BOVID, is on a campaign to reshape the mindset of Ghanaians towards farming and the benefits it holds for national development.
The company has thus taken the lead in Ecotourism with many Ghanaians including school children visiting its 400-acre farmland which has many varieties of crops and animals. In addition to this, it has reintroduced the school gardening concept in collaboration with the Australian Embassy in Ghana.
B-BOVID seeks to promote sustainable agriculture, food security, and eliminate poverty amongst farmers. It is also committed to ensure climate smart agriculture in line with FAO’s agenda on sustainable agriculture policy.
Taking journalists on a tour of his facility which comprises an agro-forestry, a diversified livelihood centre; and eco-tourism sites at Pretsea Nkwanta and Angu in the Western Region, Mr. Issa Ouedraogo, Founder and Chief Executive of B-BOVID, said it is worrying that farmers continue to swim in abject poverty despite their enormous contribution to the society, adding Ghana has a super weather and soil which should enable the country to become food sufficient.
He asked farmers to interplant their crops with trees in an effort to combat Climate Change, adding the effects of Climate Change on livelihoods was dire, explaining that it could cause food insecurity and poverty, hence the need for the rural farmer to be empowered to use climate smart agriculture responses.
He said the company is sensitizing indigenous farmers through simple technology, demonstration farms, and other training programmes to encourage organic agriculture and aquaculture.
B-BOVID also offers corporate bodies, research and social institutions including orphanages, and the physically challenged an exciting excursion to its facility.
The facility has space for horse and donkey riding, fishing, different species of animals, and many more recreational activities to learn about nature.
They also have an ICT training centre for farmers, organic vegetable demonstration farms, cassava, eco-garden, rubber nursery, oil palm plantation, palm oil, and palm kernel processing mills and an organic restaurant. B-BOVID in 2012 won a Social Investment Pioneer Award of the UN along with nine other businesses from around the world. The awards were given in recognition of the companies’ outstanding contributions to local community development. It has since won several awards locally and globally.
B-BOVID is an integrated organic agro-business which promotes a new model of socially inclusive commercial farming combining innovative agricultural practices, ecological farming and social entrepreneurship to deliver high quality organic products, conserve the environment, promote sustainable lifestyles, create jobs and reduce poverty in rural communities by providing training and support to local farmers and sharing its profit with small –scale farmers.
The company operates on the values of improving people, the planet and profits (PPP). B-BOVID stands for Building Business On Values, Integrity and Dignity, which sums up the way the company works. “Our approach is to use the power of business to achieve social, environmental and profitable financial returns”.
The award-winning company through its unique concept, has created jobs for more than 3,000 households in various communities, and indirectly improved the livelihoods of more than 12,000 farmers.
Source: citifmonline.com
