FINAL REPORT FEED THE FUTURE GHANA AGRICULTURE POLICY SUPPORT PROJECT FINAL REPORT FEED THE FUTURE GHANA AGRICULTURE POLICY SUPPORT PROJECT Cover photo: A worker from Victory Farms Ltd. in Koforidua properly drying maize seed after harvest. Through the Agriculture Policy Support Project's training on quality management processes, seed producers now effectively dry their seed to ensure proper moisture content to conserve its viability, quality, and to prevent molding during storage. (Credit: Agriculture Policy Support Project) DISCLAIMER This publication was made possible through support provided by Feed the Future through the U.S. Agency for International Development, under the terms of Contract No. AID-641-C-14- 00001. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development. CONTENTS Acronyms .................................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... 1 Background and Context ........................................................................................... 1 The Agriculture Policy Support Project Approach .................................................... 1 Highlights of Technical Activities and Results ......................................................... 3 Key Accomplishments at a Glance .......................................................................... 13 Technical Highlights and Results ............................................................................. 17 Component 1. Policy Formation and Implementation: Policy Process of Evidence- Based Decision-Making Related to Food Security Improved ................................. 20 Component 1. Project Legacy: Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s Policy Unit is Ready for Effective Policy Analysis ........................................................................ 37 Component 2. Policy Research: Availability of Rigorous Policy Analysis for Evidence-Based PolicyMaking Improved ............................................................... 44 Component 2. Project Legacy: Enhanced Collaboration Between Policymakers and researchers for Evidence-Based Agriculture Policies .............................................. 48 Component 3. Policy Advocacy: Voices of Civil Society, Private Sector, and Media in the Public Policy Process Clarified and Amplified ............................................. 51 Component 3. Project Legacy: Civil Society and Private Sector Organizations ready to Advocate effectively for an Enhanced Food Security Enabling Environment ............................................................................................................. 62 Gender: Empowering Women’s Role in Ghanaian Agriculture .............................. 68 Gender Project Legacy: Lasting Impacts on Women in Agriculture Policy Advocacy ................................................................................................................. 71 Project Legacy Case Study: Transitioning Seed Production to a Private Sector- Led Industry to Increase High-Quality Seed Supply and Adoption ..................... 74 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 74 Project Approach and Core Solutions ..................................................................... 79 Recommendations and Lessons Learned ................................................................. 92 Lessons Learned and Recommendations ............................................................... 100 Lessons Learned from and Recommendations on Project Design ........................ 100 Lessons Learned from and Recommendations on Specific Project Interventions . 102 Annex A. Performance Indicator Tracking Table ................................................ 105 Annex B. Agriculture Policy Research Studies, Assessments, Strategic Analyses, and Reports............................................................................................................... 107 Annex C. Index of Project Reports and Products ................................................. 122 FEED THE FUTURE GHANA AGRICULTURE POLICY SUPPORT PROJECT FINAL REPORT | ii ACRONYMS 1D1F One District One Factory ADVANCE Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement II APR agriculture performance review ASWG Agriculture Sector Working Group CAADP Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program CAPI computer-assisted personal interviewing CEPA Center for Policy Analysis CRI Crops Research Institute CSO civil society organization DUS Distinctiveness, Uniformity, and Stability test ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States FASDEP II Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy FBO farmer-based organization FinGAP Financing Ghanaian Agriculture Project GADS Gender and Agriculture Development Strategy GARDJA Ghana Agriculture and Rural Development Journalist Association GLDB Grains and Legumes Development Board GCX Ghana Commodity Exchange GIMPA Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration GIRSAL Ghana Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing Agriculture Lending GiZ Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GSID Ghana Seed Inspection Division HAG Hunger Alliance of Ghana ICT information and communication technology IFPRI International Food Policy Research Institute ISSER Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research JSR Joint Sector Review LBC licensed buying company LOA length of activity M&E monitoring and evaluation MAASI Mobilizing Action Towards Agriculture Sector Improvement FEED THE FUTURE GHANA AGRICULTURE POLICY SUPPORT PROJECT FINAL REPORT | iii METASIP Medium Term Agricultural Sector Investment Plan METSS Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Support Services NAFCO National Food Buffer Stock Company NAIP National Agriculture Investment Plan NARI National Agriculture Research Institutions NASTAG National Seed Trade Association of Ghana NETRIGHT Network for Women's Rights NORPRA Northern Patriots for Research and Advocacy NSC National Seed Council PFJ Planting for Food and Jobs program PPMED Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate Re-SAKSS Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support Systems RUWA Rural Women Association SAKSS Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support Systems SAS statistical analysis software SIRDA Savannah Integrated Rural Development Aid SMIFS Seed Market Industry Framework and Strategy SRID Statistics Research and Information Directorate UPA urban and peri-urban agriculture URBANET Urban-Rural Network VCU Value for Cultivation and Use WIAD Women in Agricultural Development Directorate FEED THE FUTURE GHANA AGRICULTURE POLICY SUPPORT PROJECT FINAL REPORT | iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT Ghana’s agriculture sector has enormous potential. Its success is vital to driving inclusive economic growth, lifting the most vulnerable out of poverty, and maintaining the stability that has allowed Ghana to become a leader in West Africa. As of the writing of this report, Ghana is a major contender for the fastest growing economy in the world, on track to expand by 8.3 to 8.9 percent between 2017 and 2018. Although agriculture’s share of gross domestic product has decreased in recent years, it continues to be fundamental to Ghana’s economy and is the largest source of employment in the country, especially for women. Approximately 50 percent of the population works in agriculture, with approximately 80 percent of women in Ghana depending on farming activities for their livelihoods. In October 2009, Ghana signed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) Compact, committing to a set of goals and principles for reducing poverty through accelerated agricultural investment and growth. Implementation of this compact is outlined in the country’s two phases of the Medium-Term Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (METASIP), from 2011 to 2015 and from 2015 to 2017, which provide a basis for coordinating public and private investment under Ghana’s Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP II). Modernization of the agriculture sector requires policies and programs that support effective and efficient functioning of production systems and agricultural markets. While Ghana has experienced much needed growth and development in the agriculture sector, the Ghanaian government has identified many opportunities to address remaining challenges to unlock its full economic potential. To address these challenges, the U.S. government launched the five-year, $15 million Feed the Future Agriculture Policy Support Project in 2013 to increase the capacity of the Ghanaian government, the private sector, and civil society organizations (CSOs) to implement evidence-based policy formation, implementation, research, and advocacy and perform rigorous monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of agricultural programs implemented for METASIP. THE AGRICULTURE POLICY SUPPORT PROJECT APPROACH Government policies are critical to addressing food security challenges and catalyzing agriculture sector growth for any country. During the past five years, the Agriculture Policy Support Project worked to provide Ghanaian policymakers with the necessary capacity, tools, and mechanisms to design, analyze, implement, evaluate, and communicate policies. Simultaneously, the project mobilized private sector organizations, including