Agriculture and Food Security

CARE INTERNATIONAL

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY

PROGRAMME

DOCUMENT

NORTHERN SAVANNAH ZONE GHANA

January 2009 – December 2024 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Agriculture and Development in Northern Ghana...... 3 1.1 Overview...... 3 1.2 The State of Agriculture in Ghana...... 3 2 CARE GoG’s Mission and Vision for the Northern Savannah zone of Ghana...... 3 3 The Underlying Causes of Poverty and Vulnerability in Northern Ghana...... 3 3.1 Dynamics of Social and Gender Relations...... 3 3.2 Dynamics of Power Relations in Community Development...... 3 3.3 Enabling Policy Environment...... 3 4 What’s the Impact Goal of the AFSP?...... 3 5 Who are the AFSP Beneficiaries? - Impact Groups and Priority Impact Groups...... 3 6 Building Capacity for Change – the AFSP Target Groups...... 3 7 What Will a Transformed NSZ Look Like? - The AFSP Theory of Change...... 3 7.1 Enhanced Socio-economic Capital for Women and Youth...... 3 7.2 Inclusive Local Development Processes...... 3 7.3 Effective Civil Society and Governance...... 3 7.4 Responsive Policy-Making and Implementation...... 3 8 How Will this Change be Realized? - The Pathways of Change...... 3 9 AFSP Breakthroughs – Indicators of Change...... 3 10 Implications for CARE’s Current AFS Initiatives...... 3 11 Funding Strategy for the AFSP...... 3 12 Alliance Building Opportunities with CARE...... 3 13 CARE Ghana’s Core Competencies and Food Security Expertise...... 3 14 Programming Principles of CARE...... 3 14.1 Rights based approach (RBA)...... 3 14.2 Working with Partners and Other Stakeholders...... 3 14.3 Advocacy and Engagement in Policy-Making and Implementation...... 3 14.4 Gender and Diversity...... 3 14.5 Disaster Risk Reduction and Conflict Prevention...... 3 14.6 HIV AIDS mainstreaming...... 3 15 Starting with the End in Mind - Exit Strategies and Sustainability ...... 3 16 AFSP Learning, Monitoring, and Evaluation...... 3 16.1 Learning, Documentation, and Communication Strategy...... 3 16.2 Social and Organizational Learning...... 3 16.3 Impact measurement and knowledge systems...... 3 17 Sources...... 3

Annexes 1 Economic Background 2 Agriculture Sector Policy in the Northern Regions 3 Underlying Causes of Poverty 4 Impact Groups 5 CARE’s Theory of Change 6 Current CARE Initiatives & Donors

2 Acronyms

AFSP Agriculture and Food Security Programme ALP Climate Change Adaptation and Learning Program ANR PLUS Agriculture and Natural Resources ANRM Agriculture and Natural Resources Management CAP Community Action Plans CARE GoG CARE Gulf of Guinea CBLA Community Based Land Agreement CBOs Community Based Organizations CI CARE International CICOL Civil Society Coalition on Land CIFS Community Initiatives for Food Security CLURCC Community Land Use Responses to Climate Change in Northern Ghana COP Conference of Parties CSOs Civil Society Organizations CSS Civil Society Strengthening? DA District Assembly DRR Disaster Risk Reduction EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESCAPE Enhancing Savings and Credit for Poverty Eradication Project FARM Food and Agriculture Resource Management Project FASDEPII Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy FOAT Functional Organizational Assessment FWG Forest Watch Ghana GLSS Ghana Living Standards Survey GPRS II Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II GWI Global Water Initiative IG Impact Group ISSER Institute of Statistical and Social Economic Research LEAD Local Extension and Agriculture Development Project LEAP Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MDG Millennium Development Goals MDI Millennium Development Indicators MMD Mata Masu Dubara savings program MTDP Mid-Term Development Plan NADMO National Disaster Management Organization NDI Northern Development Initiative NGDF Northern Ghana Development Fund NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations NREG Natural Resources and Environmental Governance NSZ Northern Savanna Zone PECCN Poverty, Environment, and Climate Change Network PIG Priority Impact Group PLWHA People Living With HIV/AIDS PQI Program Quality and Impact RBA Rights Based Approach SADA Savanna Accelerated Development Authority WFP World Food Programme

3 1 Agriculture and Development in Northern Ghana

1.1 Overview The population of Ghana is approximately 22 million. Ghana’s economy, which is largely agriculture- INDICATORS OF POVERTY based, has historically been impacted by high inflation, depreciation of the cedi, dwindling foreign  50% of income on average of is spent on food reserves, excessive public debt burden and  34% of population have no access fluctuating growth. to safe water  The infant mortality rate (IMR) is Since 2001, however, economic growth has been 56/1000 births nationally and is 36% higher than this in the 3 Northern improving. Poverty – as measured by the Ghana Savanna Zone. Living Standards Survey (GLSS 5) – was reduced  Total fertility rate is 4.5 births per from 51% in 1991 to 28.5% in 2005/2006. At this woman. rate, Ghana is on track to achieve the first of the five  Adult illiteracy is 27%. Millennium Development Goals - halving poverty and hunger by 2015.

Roughly one-third (28.5%) of Ghana’s citizens are classified as poor. Of these, 70% live in the Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions. The Northern region alone is home to 54% of the extreme poor. Farming households – as compared to households with other economic activity – are the most poor with almost half of them (46%) falling below the poverty lin. This situation highlights the inequality and vulnerability of agricultural households located in the savanna zone of the country (ISSER, 2007). Refer to Annex 1 for a more detailed description of the economic context of Ghana.

1.2 The State of Agriculture in Ghana Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy – responsible for 38% of the GDP and 60% of the employment. Ghana’s economy has depended historically on 3 main export products – cocoa, timber and gold. Attempts are being made to diversify exports but price fluctuations and low earnings have limited Ghana’s potential for growth.

Small, family-operated farms using traditional technology produce about 80% of Ghana’s total agricultural output. Ninety percent of family farms are less than two hectares in size.1 These small holding farmers typically lack access to improved technologies, market information, and linkages to the private sector.2

The performance of the agricultural sector has lagged behind that of the economy as a whole due to lack of investment. In recent years, Ghana’s agricultural economy has grown at an average rate of only 2% per year - less than Ghana’s rural population. There is a growing economic gap between those farmers producing for the high value export markets and the majority of farmers who struggle to meet family needs. Placing investment emphasis on commercial export production will limit support to the majority of poor and vulnerable farmers who rely on a mix of cash and subsistence crops. Farming households that are geographically remote from the major markets – a

1 Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP-II), MOFA, Republic of Ghana, Aug 2007. 2 Al-Hassan, R. and Jatoe, J.B. 2003. Role of agric in poverty reduction in Ghana.

4 common situation in the NSZ - are not well positioned to gain from these investment opportunities. Ghana finalized its second national Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEPII) in 2007. This policy seeks to address this economic gap by enacting pro- poor strategies. The FASDEPII is to be implemented through the Agriculture Sector Plan 2009-2015 and the Northern Development Initiative (NDI). The Northern Ghana Development Fund has been established to finance the NDI and aims to strengthen the agricultural sector in the three northern regions (refer to Annex 2 for details).

2 CARE GoG’s Mission and Vision for the Northern Savannah zone of Ghana

CARE GoG’s vision, mission, and strategic plan is to work with its partners to support the poor, vulnerable and marginalized to enable them to lift themselves out of poverty and realize their potentials. The Northern Savannah Zone (NSZ) of Ghana is composed of the following: the Upper West, Upper East, and the Northern regions and the fringe districts of the Brong Ahafo and Volta regions. The focus will be:

 Strengthening the capacity of households and communities to make their livelihood activities - which are agriculture and climate dependent - more resilient to disasters.  Focussing on the needs of the poor and vulnerable - especially women and youth.  Creating an enabling environment for greater participation of the poor in the development process.

3 The Underlying Causes of Poverty and Vulnerability in Northern Ghana

Though Ghana is on track to achieve the MDG of halving poverty by 2015 - statistics reveal that poverty is worsening in parts of the Northern Savanna Zone.3 The poorest areas of Ghana are the savannah regions of the north, where food insecurity is a chronic problem. Poverty in the north is most severe among food crop farmers, who are mainly traditional, rural small-scale producers.

According to the government’s poverty reduction strategy paper (GPRS II), the primary causes for poverty among these farming households are low productivity and poorly functioning markets for agricultural outputs. Low productivity is due in part to farmers’ reliance on traditional methods and technology. They frequently lack access to the skills and inputs - such as improved seeds - that can increase yields.

To make a significant change in the poverty amongst small- scale farmer households in the NSZ – there must be more attention paid to the situation of women and youth. About six Figure 1. Map of the NSZ. out of ten small-scale farmers are poor, and many of these farmers are women.4 Women are often involved in every aspect of the agriculture value chain – from production to market - yet tend to benefit the least due to control of revenue

3 Ghana Statistical Service, April 2007. Patterns and Trends of Poverty in Ghana, 1991-2006.

5 and resources by men. In most of the Northern Savannah Zone, youth – like women - have neither access to nor control of family land. When they do have access it is typically marginal lands that are less productive.

Typical agricultural interventions tend to focus on mature, male adults for technical skill training (e.g. production techniques, marketing, etc) while neglecting women and youth. As a result, women may be unable to translate improved production into increased household wealth if their access to rights and resources is not considered. Likewise, without addressing the youth, Ghana risks moving into an era in which the agriculture sector - often touted as the most promising for alleviating rural poverty and sustaining rural development – possess less capacity among the next generation of agriculturalists. The AFSP will focus on women and the youth to ensure they develop the relevant interest, knowledge, and skills to engage productively in agriculture-based livelihood activities for poverty reduction.

In the Northern Savannah Zone, poverty is defined by the development community as the “inadequacy of food supplies on a year-round basis”. Community members of the NSZ often define poverty as the lack of respect and influence in communal affairs and decision-making.5 In fact, lack of power is often viewed as a greater factor to poverty than agricultural production.

Northern Ghana’s endemic poverty is perpetuated by three factors: (1) marginalization of women and youth, (2) power structures that deprive the poor of participation in the development process, and (3) the weak commitment to policies that are responsive to the opportunities and vulnerabilities of Northern Ghana. In response to these three factors, the AFSP developed a framework to design interventions focusing on the dynamics of social and gender relations, the dynamics of power relations in local/community development, and development of an enabling policy environment. (Refer to Annex 3 for more background).

3.1 Dynamics of Social and Gender Relations The 800,000 food insecure people of the three Northern Ghana regions (2008, WFP) risk falling into extreme poverty if food security programs fail to address who is food insecure and what is the relationship among them? For northern Ghana, these questions lead to the critical issues of property rights and access faced by women, youth, and the elderly.

3.1.1 Gender Inequalities Affecting Food Security There is extensive literature that establishes women’s share of household income is positively correlated with household food security. Constraints to women’s’ access to livelihoods is a key underlying cause of household food insecurity in Northern Ghana (John Akaligaung and al., 2007).

“ Women account for about 70 percent of total food production and marketing in Ghana, making them central to food security and economic development. However, women’s empowerment and gender equity are constrained by their lack of access, ownership, and decision-making

4 Ibid. 5 PDA, Participatory Poverty and Vulnerability Assessment – Understanding the Regional Dynamics of Poverty, Ghana (PPVA), 2009.

6 power related to land, participation and representation in agriculture and natural resources groups, and influence on intra-household decision- making. Women’s contributions are often overlooked or ignored by husbands, fathers, brothers and sons, as well as community leaders, extension workers, agricultural planners and policy makers.”6

The Northern Savannah Zone is characterized by social and cultural practices that lead to inequalities and marginalization of women. The gender dynamics are structured by the dowry system and patrilineal inheritance. In patrilineal inheritance, men have a monopoly on access to the most productive land and the most profitable farming activities- such as cattle and millet (e.g. in Upper East, Duncan, 2002).

3.1.2 Women’s Limited Access to Land, Agricultural Resources and Knowledge In the North, while men are able to access land due to inheritance, women must negotiate with fathers and husbands. Studies by Deere and Doss (2006) indicate that women hold land in only 10 percent of Ghanaian households (in the north). Women are required to farm on men’s land before their own leaving women with little control over their own labor and time. Social norms restrict women from accessing and using knowledge and inputs that could improve their agricultural productivity. They are limited to the more arduous tasks, such as watering crops, while restricted from accessing knowledge on cultivating “men’s” crops. This results in no ownership in this work nor knowledge and skills which they could apply to their own fields. Typically, girls and women have less access to education than their male counterparts, which reinforces the fact that they are less likely to understand, voice or defend their rights.

3.1.3 Farm Management, Decision-making, and Communication in the Household In most households, male land-owners usually make farming-related decisions and only consult male heirs. Women are not meaningfully involved in this decision-making and have little say in decisions about their own use of time, the type of productive activities they engage in, and how gains from these activities are used or distributed. Women’s income is often appropriated by men for interests that do not benefit either women or children. This practice results in less income being spent within the household to address basic needs.

3.1.4 Limitations of Adult, Male-centered Agricultural Extension The NSZ lacks both the required number and female representation among its agricultural extension officers to disseminate best agricultural practices with rural farmers. Roughly 650 agriculture extension officers are needed, yet the region has 300 with only 11 of them being women. Male extension officers tend not to take women’s needs and varied responsibilities into consideration, hence limiting women’s access to their services. On the other hand, male extension officers face challenges extending information to women in the NSZ Male farmers are not receptive to topics considered to be related to women’s roles - such as food preparation using more nutritious crops - and frequently limit extension to women without the presence of their husbands or other male members of the family. Reluctance of men to be taught by women, lack of women choosing agriculture in higher education, and lower enrolment of women in higher

6 A place to grow – empowering women in CARE’s agriculture programming (CARE, 2008).

7 education as a whole are factors limiting the number of women serving as extension agents.7

3.1.5 Social Marginalization of Youth in Agriculture Due to a dependence on labor-intensive farming - youth marginalization in agriculture is at the root of food insecurity and vulnerabilities of Northern Ghana communities. Socio- economic and gender inequality start young, and these inequalities can contribute to life- long poverty.8 Migration of youth is a common phenomenon directly associated with poverty in Northern Ghana. Migration results in the loss of the labor of these youth to the farming effort and the participation of youth in agriculture is undermined by the dream of better employment in the cities.

Marginalization of the girl-youth (e.g. “kayayoo”) has complex impacts. To cope with food insecurity in Northern Ghana, low-income mothers or female guardians tend to have some form of income-generating activity. This dual load of responsibilities among adult women has two major impacts upon their daughters. First, mothers have less time to assume full responsibility for housework and childcare and so pass on the ‘excess’ burden to daughters (or foster daughters). Secondly, it reinforces the belief that women should contribute economically starting at a young age.

3.1.6 Marginalization of Elderly Women - the Case of Alleged Witches In Northern Ghana, elderly relatives that the family can no longer afford to care for - especially widows – are being ostracized in the name of witchcraft (Onyinah 2004). In many households, younger members of the family who find themselves unable or unwilling to look after an elder widow will seek out a ‘sign’ to accuse her of witchcraft. If one's mother or sister is accused of witchcraft, all the female members of that family may become suspects. The stigma against these alleged witches is so strong that it is common to have a group of mothers, daughters, and sisters banned from their villages. Once a woman is accused, the stigma follows her throughout her life. Witchcraft accusations are another source of marginalization to the already limited access women have to agricultural resources and markets (Actionaid 2004).

3.2 Dynamics of Power Relations in Community Development

3.2.1 Barriers to Voice, Participation, and Power Poor farm households in the Northern Savannah Zone lack power in dealing with service providers and local authorities. Public officials often make decisions without consultation with or involvement of local people. Similarly at the community level, traditional leadership does not allow for much ordinary citizen involvement. Consequently, citizens’ have come to expect little downwards accountability from their leaders.9 When women, children and other vulnerable groups are not consulted in the planning of infrastructure or services, the delivery of these communal facilities usually does not reach the intended beneficiaries. The lack of opportunities for voice and participation limits democratic evolution and reinforces the conditions of poverty and vulnerability of the poor.

7 Women in Agriculture in Ghana, Beatrice Akua Duncan, 2004. 8 Most of the references are from “Youth, Gender, and Livelihoods in West Africa: Perspectives from Ghana and The Gambia” which categorizes youth into younger youth (10-19 yrs) and older youth (20-29 yrs). 9 PDA, Participatory Poverty and Vulnerability Assessment – Understanding the Regional Dynamics of Poverty, Ghana (PPVA), 2009.

8 3.2.2 Weak Decentralisation and Accountability Systems at the District Level The weak implementation of decentralization and the complexities of local-level power structures hinder equitable empowerment of rural poor and marginalized people. Their rights and access to information, resources, and services are limited, with services often inappropriate and exploitative. Despite government efforts, rural families often receive little or poor quality agricultural support services in terms of timeliness, relevance, and affordability, and thus these services fail to address their needs.

3.2.3 Absence of a Strong and Genuine Civil Society at the Community Level The effectiveness of Ghana’s civil society is still limited, as many organizations are unstable and struggle to define their role in development. There are numerous, small community based organizations (CBOs), local NGOs, and NGO networks working in capacity building, women’s rights, advocacy and sectoral co-ordination; however, most of these are oriented towards service delivery and few address issues of access to power which perpetuate social inequalities. Additionally, their activities are usually uncoordinated and lack access to information to make the most informed decisions.

Despite the fact that national policies are generally favorable towards NGOs, civil society organizations (CSOs) are still regarded with some mistrust by the government. Many people question the extent to which these organizations are representative of and accountable to their constituents.

3.3 Enabling Policy Environment Several studies in the area have attributed poverty in the NSZ to the inadequacy of policies and the political commitment needed to respond to the natural and socio- economic situation. These include social-gender inequalities, land use patterns, and the potential impacts of climate change. The political elite are prone to expedient decisions and public spending that corresponds to the short term (i.e. electoral cycle) rather than long-term development strategies and the hard political choices required to implement them.

The natural resource management policy environment supports protection but fails to address the underlying causes of unsustainable natural resource management by the poor and vulnerable. Unsustainable natural resource management practices are prevalent in the NSZ and lead to land degradation with direct consequences for food security. Poverty is a driving force behind unsustainable natural resource management by poor, rural households. Interest in quick economic returns at the expense of sustainable development is at the root. Bush-burning; deforestation, charcoal production, illegal surface mining, use of fertilizers, land investment projects that fail to ensure adequate environmental impact assessment are all practices arising from the absence of a sustainable NRM policy addressing poverty.

3.3.1 Inadequate Policy Inclusion of Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change The Savannah Zone is constrained by its geographical and ecological characteristics - limited rainfall, declining soil fertility, high temperatures, remoteness from harbor for transport, etc. Extremes of droughts, flooding, and windstorms are predicted to increase under climate change and are already having significant impact on poverty in the

9 Northern Savanna Zone.10 In 2007, northern Ghana was hit by some of the heaviest rains experienced in 25 years. The very poor, have limited capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Sustainable development must take these risks into account to affect change.

3.3.2 Adult-Male Centered Agriculture Policies See description in section on Limitations of Adult, Male-centered Agricultural Extension -

3.3.3 Lack of Commitment to Bridging the North - South Development Gap There is a lack of institutional support and commitment to policies that fully and effectively support livelihood improvement for those most at need in the Northern Savannah Zone. One of the critical needs for the development of the Northern Savannah Zone is infrastructure improvement - road networks, irrigation infrastructure, etc. The availability of these will facilitate processes and stimulate the private sector to tap the natural resources of the NSZ. This will provide markets and greater economic opportunities for rural poor and vulnerable For example, the lack of road network development in the Upper West has caused it to lag behind the Upper East – despite the fact that the conditions are generally more favorable for agricultural production. Greater infrastructure investments will allow for development of the NSZ’s cash crops (shea nuts, mango, etc) which remain under-exploited.

The government’s Northern Development Initiative and SADA are promising new efforts to address this gap between North and South; however, the government has failed to provide the initial seed money as promised in their 2010 annual budget statement. Thus, there seems to be a continued lack of political commitment to the development of the North.

3.3.4 Inadequate Policy Framework for Coordination of Development Efforts Northern Ghana is labeled as “the capital of NGOs”. There are a number of civil society actors operating with short and long-term programs. The absence of a policy framework which integrates the various, disparate development agendas of these actors has hindered their combined effectiveness, resulted in lost synergies, and contributed to a growing “development dependency syndrome” in northern Ghana. The dependency syndrome undermines personal and institutional efforts towards self-reliance and food security.

4 What’s the Impact Goal of the AFSP?

CARE’s AFS programme addresses the following three Millennium Development Goals:

 Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger  Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women  Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

The impact goal of the AFS Program is:

10 CARE, Climate Change and Poverty in Ghana, 2007.

10 By 2025, women and youth - vulnerable to food insecurity, environmental and climate change in the Northern Savannah Zone - achieve social and economic resilience and food security.

5 Who are the AFSP Beneficiaries? - Impact Groups and Priority Impact Groups

The AFSP will work to transform the lives of impact groups. The impact group (IG) of the program is defined as the “vulnerable people - particularly women and youth - from food, asset, and income insecure households”. These households struggle every year to meet their food needs. They rely on asset-constrained, subsistence level farm & off-farm- based livelihoods. They have limited mechanisms to cope with natural disasters, impacts of climate change, and agricultural price volatility.

The following characteristics will be used to define households in the AFSP impact groups:

 Households with very small plots of land – generally less than 1 ha  Families which are under/malnourished and have high rates of under five child mortality  Households with multiple nutrition related deaths  Households whose youth migrate (e.g. to the south) for work every year  Households solely dependent on land or labour for survival  Households solely dependent on one type of livelihood activity  Members of female-headed households who have lost a husband and are alone, with or without children whom they are unable to support

The priority impact groups are the key subsets within the IGs which will be targeted for. A list of the PIGs includes:

 Vulnerable women - including: pregnant, lactating women, women heads of households, and women as well as girl-youth at risk of southward migration  Children under 5 years  People at risk of social stigmatization/marginalization - elderly people above 65 years, people with disabilities, accused witches, the chronically ill, etc.

For more information, consult Annex 4.

6 Building Capacity for Change – the AFSP Target Groups

The AFSP will work with key Target Groups to build their capacity in order to more effectively address the three underlying causes of poverty as addressed in section 4. The strategy will be to support and work with the Target Groups to affect a change in the IGs and PIGs. A list of some of the Target Groups for the AFSP includes the following:

 Traditional institutions, land-owners, Regional and National Houses of Chiefs.  National and international media - including community radio networks.  Northern Ghana based and national level civil society organizations (advocacy and service provision oriented).  Community based organizations - saving groups, relief committees, and community-based extension agents.

11  Agriculture and food security civil society groups, networks, and coalitions at district, regional, national and international levels  Relevant public sector institutions responsible for agriculture, food security, and social policy formulation - Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the District Agriculture Extension Services, Ministry of Local Government, Regional Coordinating Councils and District Assemblies, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Forestry Commission, Parliament / Parliamentary Select Committees, the Attorney Generals’ Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Minerals Commission, NADMO, and the EPA.  Private sector actors - agriculture value chains and financial service providers.

7 What Will a Transformed NSZ Look Like? - The AFSP Theory of Change

In order to achieve its impact goal, the AFSP will operate based upon a framework called the “theory of change”. According to this theory, there are four “domains of change” (i.e. visions for change in the NSZ). The theory holds that there is a multiplier effect among these domains and they are integrated – that is, change is greater as each domain is achieved, yet if any of the four domains are not realized, the impact goal cannot ultimately be reached. It is an all or none scenario. (Refer to Annex 5 for more background).

The AFS programme has a 15-year timeframe and already has several initiatives being implemented by CARE and its partners addressing sustainable change. The expected length of the programme reflects CARE’s long-term commitment to addressing the underlying causes of poverty in northern Ghana.

The following four domains of change form the basis of the AFSP vision for change in the NSZ:

7.1 Enhanced Socio-economic Capital for Women and Youth The social and economic capital of women and youth - vulnerable to food insecurity and environmental and climate change - are increased to promote their rights to access to land, natural resources, and other assets.

7.2 Inclusive Local Development Processes Community-based organizations, decentralized government institutions, and traditional authorities identify the most vulnerable and are effectively involving them in ANR planning processes to better address food insecurity and vulnerability to environmental and climatic change.

7.3 Effective Civil Society and Governance Civil society organizations representing the poor and vulnerable are effectively and efficiently holding duty bearers accountable for pro-poor food security and ANRM policy implementation in the NSZ.

7.4 Responsive Policy-Making and Implementation Sustained political will, commitment, and funding exist at all government levels for the implementation of policies that address poverty, food insecurity, and natural resources issues in the NSZ.

12 ENHANCED SOCIO- ECONOMIC CAPITAL FOR WOMEN & YOUTH

IMPACT GOAL Women and youth, RESPONSIVE vulnerable to food POLICY-MAKING INCLUSIVE insecurity, environment & LOCAL and climate change in IMPLEMENTATION DEVELOPMENT the NSZ, achieve social PROCESSES and economic resilience and food security

EFFECTIVE CIVIL SOCIETY & GOVERNANCE

Figure 2. Theory of Change Conceptual Model.

8 How Will this Change be Realized? - The Pathways of Change

CARE has mapped out “pathways of change” to reach each of the above “domains of change”. It is our assumption that if these smaller changes happen, they will add up to achieve the broader change. Defining this pathway will help us and our partners act to bring about these changes and track progress. Periodically, we will need to review our hypotheses and modify these pathways. The pathways below are listed from the more fundamental or longer-term to more short-term changes:

Domain of Change: “Enhanced Socio-Economic Capital for Women and Youth” includes the following steps on the pathway to change:

 Positive change in women and youth’s property rights.  Positive changes in societal respect for women and youth’s participation in household and community decision-making.  Appreciation of women’s contribution into economic security of their households.  Inclusive markets and financial services that reach AFSP impact groups and support their coping/solidarity mechanisms (i.e. safety nets).  AFSP impact groups understand and adapt to changing food/livelihood security context, in particular changing climate.

13  Secure mechanisms for women and youth to access quality livelihood assets (land) and support services (e.g. market, microfinance, agriculture extension);  Increase in the number and capacity of well-organized and networked women and youth solidarity groups  Improved visibility, power, and influence of women and youth community-based organizations

Domain of Change: “Inclusive Local Development Processes” includes the following steps on the pathway to change:

 Trust, transparency and accountability-based relationships between government and traditional authorities leading to genuine, collaborative efforts.  Broad based, diversified participation in community-level planning processes - including vulnerable groups.  Institutionalized integration of Community Action Plans (CAP) into district-level planning cycle.  Increased availability and accessibility of technologies (storage, irrigation) adapted to the environmental conditions and climate change vulnerabilities of Northern Ghana.  Government allocation of development resources amongst the northern regions is based on clear and objective criteria of poverty reduction.  Improved visibility and power of influence of women and youth community-based organizations.

Domain of Change: “Effective Civil Society and Governance” includes the following steps on the pathway to change:

 Districts in the NSZ successfully passing the FOAT (Functional Organizational Assessment) requirements as outlined in Ghana’s decentralization policy.  Increased district-level accountability to the poor and vulnerable for social service delivery.  Effective implementation of and adherence to civil society accountability mechanisms - CSO own mechanisms and those included in the new Government of Ghana Aid Policy.  A Government & Civil Society Forum for Northern Ghana is established and functional to enhance open and trust-based collaboration between government and civil society organizations.  Advocacy-focused civil society organizations have broad-based constituencies and credibility to represent the priorities of most vulnerable, in relation to climate change vulnerability.  Increased and predictable resourcing for civil society advocacy work at the regional, district, and community levels.  Increased representation and voice of women in mainstream civil society, at the regional, district, and community levels.

Domain of Change: “Responsive Policy-Making and Implementation” includes the following steps on the pathway to change:

 Policy goals for the Northern Savannah Zone development are sustained through district-level planning processes.

14  Major government policies (FASDEP, Climate Change Adaptation, LEAP, and NDI) address gender more substantively.  Increased knowledge and monitoring of government policies by AFSP Impact Groups.  Increased quality of media coverage of development issues relevant to communities of Northern Ghana - resulting in the promotion of a popular, self- reliance “mentality” and accountability on implementation of government policies and plans.  Improved coordination, communication, and complementarities of approaches of national and international civil society development players  Accelerated implementation of the decentralization and land policies, with greater public feedback.

9 AFSP Breakthroughs – Indicators of Change

For the AFSP impact goal to be attained, a number of breakthroughs both in the short/medium-term (up to five years) and in the long-term (10-15 years) have been defined. These breakthroughs cut across the different domains of changes and their realization requires multi-stakeholder efforts.

Short-term breakthroughs towards the AFSP goal include:

 Regional houses of chiefs - of the three regions - adopt a formal, enforceable plan of action on women rights, including secure access to quality land.  Sustainable and pro-poor market and microfinance linkage models are established and supported through private-public and civil society partnerships (banks, agro-enterprises, local NGOs, decentralized government structures).  District-level development planning guidelines and procedures integrate processes for community participation to better mitigate vulnerability priorities (i.e. floods, droughts, crop harvest failures).  Launch and full funding of SADA, with a proper impact measurement mechanism, including a formal civil society funding mechanism. Government integrates community-based land administration into the national land administration programme.  MOFA includes gender and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in a community-based extension system as its preferred model for agriculture extension in Northern Ghana.  The national meteorological service achieves international standards of functionality and reliability for its regional and district forecasts.

Additional, long term (10-15 years) breakthroughs towards the AFSP impact goal include:11

 Weather insurance scheme adopted for small-scale farmers to mitigate risks of crop failure.  A climate change adaptation funding mechanism is established and decentralized to the district level.

11 All breakthroughs and pathways will be reviewed during the annual program review meeting. Longer term breakthroughs may change based on social, economic, and political shifts in Ghana and evidence based analysis of how change will happen in Northern Ghana.

15  A civil society funding mechanism for the North, fully resourced by public-private funds is established.  Livelihoods Empowerment Against Poverty - a Government social safety net program for vulnerable households - is expanded to cover all deprived communities/districts fully funded by government resources.  A new land inheritance policy supporting women is translated into law.

10 Implications for CARE’s Current AFS Initiatives

The AFSP will build upon current and historical initiatives by CARE and its partners’ in Northern Ghana. Some of these initiatives/projects and their zones of implementation12 include:

 LEAD - Local Extension for Agriculture Development Project – UW, UE, N, BA  ALP - Climate Change Adaptation and Learning Program – N, UE  CLURCC - Community Land Use Reponses to Climate Change in Northern Ghana – N, UE  CAP - Conservation Agriculture Project – N, UE, UW  ESCAPE - Enhancing Savings and Credit for Poverty Eradication Project – N, UE, UW  FARM - Food and Agriculture Resource Management Project – N, UE, UW  Integrated Water Resource Management (under the Global Water Initiative) - UW  CIFS - Community Initiatives for Food Security. - N

The AFSP will build on the foundations of these efforts and partnerships in the Northern Savannah Zone.

These current projects are well aligned with the AFSP goals as follows. In terms of impact groups, two initiatives - one on local extension and the other on community microfinance - have an explicit focus on vulnerable women (e.g. 70% of project participants). While all the other initiatives target the very poor and small holder households, there is no explicit focus on women and youth. Nevertheless, women empowerment and gender mainstreaming is one of CARE’s core, cross-cutting programmatic goals.

The socio-economic capital of the IG is the domain of change most commonly addressed by the current projects. The domain of governance and civil society effectiveness has not received as much attention. In terms of geographic coherence, the AFSP cover all three regions of Northern Ghana and the Brong Ahafo region (the LEAD project is the only one implemented in the BA). The five districts targeted by the LEAD Project are the ones with the highest degree of overlap.

Table 1. Alignment of CARE Projects with AFSP Impact Groups and Domains of Change. GROUP GOAL DOMAINS

12 BA = Brong Ahafo, N = Northern, UE = Upper East, and UW = Upper West Regions.

l l s t s i a d s a c s v o t n i i e a e a G p n C p p ( n

: a e u e e d m n p c v I v o i

Project n i

p e u r m t

a f i u o c

) n G m r m o o

h o m t o r a f t G c f r n c p o

w u G t n s g o a E n i o

c a e o e p o s l y y r r a n c t

u b r m p l P e e y I a i e

c - c r f m c i v n o I l e i o I o o o c n l S G P o u S v Community Extension +++ ++ ++ ++ +++ +++ (LEAD) Climate Change Adaptation +++ ++ + ++ ++ +++ (ALP, CLURCC)

Conservation Agriculture ++ ++ ++ ++ + + (CAP) Savings-led Community +++ ++ +++ +++ + + microfinance (ESCAPE) Agriculture recovery (FARM ++ ++ ++ ++ + +++ Plus) Integrated Water Resource +++ ++ ++ ++ ++ + Management (GWI)

Community Food Security ++ ++ ++ +++ + ++ Initiatives

In terms of specific interventions at the project level, the following initiatives are currently being implemented as part of the AFS programme:

 Promote women’s and other vulnerable groups’ participation in the decision- making processes around resource allocation from household to national government level.  Strengthening the capacity of poor women and youth in emergency preparedness and DRR.  Addressing issues of tenure of land through the CBLA methodology.  Developing and testing models of extension service provision that are appropriate and relevant to the needs of the poor women and youth in the Northern Savannah Zone.  Development and promotion of appropriate financial services to enable the poor to diversify and sustain alternative livelihood activities.  Development of and testing of adaptation strategies and technologies that increase the resilience of the livelihoods of poor women and youth to climate change.  Capacity building and training for civil society organizations in downwards accountability, organizational development, facilitation, monitoring and evaluation, governance, advocacy, and network/coalition building.  Supporting field and evidence-based advocacy in the NRE sector by engaging non state actors and local level entities (including the media) for effective advocacy with national level duty bearers.

17  Facilitating Kasa – a national platform for civil society engagement in the NRM Sector.  Supporting civil society participation in climate change negotiations both with the Government of Ghana and at COP 15.  Facilitating the inclusion of the needs and interests of the poor and vulnerable in community action plans and promoting the further integration in MTDP at the DA level.  Support and institutionalize civil society advocacy platforms at local, district, regional and national levels for holding duty bearers accountable to pro-poor policy implementation.  Supporting integrated water resource management in the various locations where CARE works.

For a detailed description of current initiatives and the projects in which they are being implemented, please see Annex 6.

11 Funding Strategy for the AFSP

The program document will be shared with CI members and donors who may be interested in funding aspects of the program. Program resources and collaborative relationships will be used to leverage resources from organizations and donors. CI members CARE Danmark and CARE UK already support the program - CARE Danmark funds the ANR PLUS unit ensuring greater learning, reflection and impact across the program. The existing projects which make up the current AFSP program will continue to run to their terms while new funding will be sought to implement aspects of the program that are not currently addressed in the existing projects.

Short and medium-term priority areas for fundraising are:

 Budget and policy implementation tracking  Organizational development for partners  Support to District food security networks  Strengthening of M&E systems for CARE and partners  Lobbying policy makers, parliamentarians, DA, etc.  Awareness raising and advocacy for the implementation of the UN’s Convention to Combat Desertification

12 Alliance Building Opportunities with CARE

Core to the success of this programme is the ability of CARE and its partners to work together. CARE will facilitate the implementation of the program and seek to compliment the different strengths and expertise of the program’s stakeholders in order to achieve the impact goal. CARE will be working towards ensuring coherence between the different initiatives at the various levels.

Strategic partnerships and alliances have already been developed with national coalitions like FWG, the Northern Ghana Development Network, and CICOL. Strategic partnership agreements are forthcoming with national NGOs, international NGOs,

18 research organizations, think tanks, and media houses. Collaborations will be developed with public sector institutions, private sector actors, and international networks and coalitions.

13 CARE Ghana’s Core Competencies and Food Security Expertise

CARE Ghana’s expertise and strengths include:

 Capacity to inform and influence national processes and policies with regard to the on the ground realities.  Track record of successful application of sustainable agriculture and natural resource management models focused on security of tenure, ownership and equitable benefit sharing arrangements.  Substantial experience across West Africa with the globally recognized MMD model for village savings and loans for poor and vulnerable households  A strong tradition of working at community level, understanding group processes and dynamics, community empowerment, and use of the RBA.  An extensive network which CARE Ghana can access for innovations for improving the lives of impact groups or working with target groups.  Access to funds from international sources and a strong reputation as an accountable and professional organization.  Facilitating and supporting the development of networks/coalitions for national level advocacy for transparency, accountability, and participatory resource governance.  Focus on process approach and establishment of sustainable systems  Mainstreaming gender equity, HIV/AIDS, M&E, CSS, and advocacy in the policy environment.  Value on learning and sharing, ensuring accessibility, and adaptability of systems to Value on learning and sharing, ensuring accessibility, and adaptability of systems to broader communities as a critical means for assessing interventions.  Systematic capacity building of target groups/duty-bearers to be responsive to impact groups.  Demonstrated ability to leverage and influence the allocation and use of financial and other resources.

CARE International has demonstrated expertise in:

 Participatory development, linkages to information, sharing lessons learned and best practices from elsewhere in the world.  Coordinating, mobilizing and supporting consortia or networks around a common theme.  International networks and contacts beyond Ghana which could influence and inform donors, the general public, and the private sector regarding the AFSP.  Access to information, networks (PECNN, CARE UK Governance network, CARE Uganda’s NRM models) and people/institutions which enable high level advocacy and broader impact in addressing the underlying causes of poverty  C funding to enable long-term programmes and improve sustainability.

14 Programming Principles of CARE

19 In order to maximize the quality and impact of our work we will adhere to some core principles that are based on best practice from international development work.

14.1 Rights based approach (RBA) The programme recognizes that in order to reduce poverty, systemic social change and an enabling environment is needed. The programme aims at ensuring the recognition of poor and marginalized groups’ rights and responsibilities with regards to agriculture and food security by promoting more equitable, transparent, participatory and accountable governance in the Northern Savannah Zone.

14.2 Working with Partners and Other Stakeholders The AFSP will identify relevant stakeholders for collaboration to ensure that complementarities and synergies are achieved. The AFS approach to partnership will follow CARE Ghana’s ANR partnership strategy that focuses on relationship types. Preference will be given to civil society partners that represent the impact groups. Partnerships will be one of the strategies for scaling, creating ownership, and building local CSO capacity for sustainability. Collaborative relationships will also be formed with other development actors e.g. local and national government, private sector, development partners, and international NGOs.

Not all relationships will consist of formal “partnerships”. The Programme will remain flexible in its partnership approach but will secure strategic partnerships with national, regional, and key district level NGOs to lead the implementation of key programme outputs or objectives. Alliances will be formed with various networks advocating for the natural resource rights of poor and vulnerable communities.

14.3 Advocacy and Engagement in Policy-Making and Implementation The AFSP will prioritise and integrate advocacy into programmes and project activities at all levels. The Programme will strengthen advocacy skills – planning, networking, communications, and tracking advocacy outcomes - and encourage CSOs to implement effective advocacy efforts and critically review the outcomes of those efforts.

The Programme will contribute to civil society strengthening in Ghana through project grants, capacity building, organizational development, information sharing, strengthening networks and coalitions, and facilitation of collaborations and linkages among civil society organizations to effectively represent the poor and vulnerable populations in their areas of operation. The Programme will work with CSOs, networks, and coalitions to build an advocacy agenda for the rights and interests of the rural poor.

The AFS advocacy strategy will be developed during the second year of programme implementation. The strategy will respond to experiences from the advocacy activities of the first phase of the ANR Programme as well as the Ghana Government’s implementation of policy reform initiatives such as the Natural Resource and Environment Governance Sector Budget Support Initiative (NREG) and other relevant policies.

14.4 Gender and Diversity The programme will address gender aspects education, decision-making, access to resources, income and political representation, as well as incorporating an engendered approach to organizational M&E, strategic planning and budgeting. Attention will be

20 given to the influence of gender on information transmission and interpretation - whether referring to technical information, advocacy, or other communications by the CSOs. The AFS gender and diversity strategy will be based on CARE Danmark’s Gender Equality Strategy and CARE Ghana’s Gender Policy. The AFS gender strategy will be developed after the baseline assessment in the second year of programme implementation.

14.5 Disaster Risk Reduction and Conflict Prevention The Northern Savanna Zone is sensitive to climate variability and climate change. In 2007, northern Ghana was hit by some of the heaviest rains experienced in the past 25 years. The very poor have low capacity to adapt to climate change (knowledge, information, technology, resources, policy, etc.).

A DRR strategy will be mainstreamed into the existing long-term program approach. Local capacities will be strengthened to limit the impacts when crises occur.

14.6 HIV AIDS mainstreaming A specific HIV/AIDS mainstreaming strategy will be developed in year two of the programme. The strategy will be informed by CARE Danmark’s HIV AIDS guidelines and CARE Ghana’s HIV Policy which includes work place application as well as CARE’s responsibilities towards high prevalence areas where CARE is working.

HIV AIDS training modules are available to partner organizations to address:  Prevention, e.g., with migrant labourers and traders, trading centres, and auction markets; promoting referral (and self-referral) for voluntary counseling and testing.  Ensuring that households affected by HIV/AIDS have equitable access to care and support and other livelihood interventions existing in the community.  Encouraging mutual support initiatives in the community - self-help groups, home-based care groups, and efforts to reduce or prevent stigma toward households hosting chronically ill family members.

Enabling participation by PLWHAs in CSOs and community activities, including ANR governance, trainings, etc.

15 Starting with the End in Mind - Exit Strategies and Sustainability –

The AFS approach to exit strategy and sustainability concerns is focused on empowering local partners and stakeholders to take ownership of strategies and lead the implementation process. The intention of the programme is to bring about systemic changes in the policy environment that surrounds development for the Northern Savannah Zone by creating a more engaged civil society.

16 AFSP Learning, Monitoring, and Evaluation

21 16.1 Learning, Documentation, and Communication Strategy Experience shows that development actors are not learning enough from our past experiences in working in the North. The program will adopt an iterative learning process in the design of interventions to ensure the program benefits from learning from both within and outside Ghana. The programme will invest in processing the data generated from interventions into information that will be disseminated for reflection and learning.

The AFSP will document and share processes, best practices, and case studies reflecting successes of systems that work locally, nationally, and with international alliances and networks. The form these will take will emerge from the programme documentation plan which will be enshrined in the Program Communication Strategy.

16.2 Social and Organizational Learning There will be learning workshops in cross cutting issues and strategies such as organizational development, gender, or policy and advocacy processes identified as important for achieving programme goals. A system of quarterly recording, sharing of lessons learned, and coordination between all the components and partners will be institutionalized using the most significant change stories method.

Monthly programme team meetings will provide opportunity for learning and sharing, planning joint events, and building synergies. Peer reviewing components donor reports by other component managers.

Annual Programme review meetings involving external stakeholders (National, Regional and District level) as well as impact groups will review annual work plans, component design, partnerships, and programme organization. There will also be annual partner review to review the collaboration from a strategic perspective.

16.3 Impact measurement and knowledge systems At the program level, impact measurement of the AFSP will be aligned with the global CARE impact measurement system under the following five impact categories: Poverty Reduction, Food Security, Women’s Empowerment, Environment Sustainability, and Governance. Impact measurement will allow AFSP to evaluate the effectiveness of shifting to a program vs. project approach.

We will develop integrated systems where our program impact measurement is based on specific priority impact groups among the poor and vulnerable. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches will be needed along with adequate investment to ensure we identify, collect, and analyze relevant data to inform programmatic decision-making and action.

Program Indicators will be developed based on the MDGs, which will enable the Program to communicate impact based on a framework that is nationally and externally recognizable as well as internationally agreed upon. However, solely measuring impact based on the MDGs and their indicators MDIs would not tell the full story of the Program’s impact. The approach to developing indicators has therefore been named “MDI Plus,” an approach that focuses on adapting and adding to the MDIs by targeting vulnerable and excluded groups - especially women and girls. The ‘plus’ takes into account aspects of inequity and injustice which the original MDG indicators do not account for. Results of these indicators will serve as evidence for advocacy in national and international arenas

22 The M&E Working Group – a backstopping support based in CARE USA’s office - will work in partnership with CARE GoG’s Thematic Working Groups, Program Quality and Impact unit (PQI), CARE’s organizational performance system - Ubora (Swahili for “Excellence”), and CARE’s Regional Program Quality Forum to maximize learning and impact assessment. They will evaluate the usefulness of the global set of indicators by helping develop and test data collection tools and providing the organization with an assessment of what type of resources are necessary to measure impact - time, finances, people, and systems.

23 17 Sources

Actionaid 2004 Al-Hassan, R and Jatoe, J. B, 2003. Role of Agric in poverty reduction in Ghana CARE, 2008. “A Place to Grow” Empowering Women in CARE’s Agriculture Programming (CARE, 2008) CARE, Climate Change and Poverty in Ghana, 2007 Deere and Doss 2006 Duncan, 2002 Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP-II), Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Ghana, August, 2007, p. 4-5. Ghana Statistical Service, April 2007. Patterns and Trends of Poverty in Ghana, 1991- 2006. GLSS 5 ISSER 2007 John Akaligaung and al., 2007 (Onyinah 2004) PDA, Participatory Poverty and Vulnerability Assessment – Understanding the Regional Dynamics of Poverty, Ghana (PPVA), 2009 WFP 2008.