A youth-focused agricultural empowerment initiative in the Upper East Region has entered a new phase of expansion as FarmYield Ghana scales up its flagship “One Youth One Acre” programme to include more young farmers.
The initiative, designed to reposition farming as a profitable career path, has doubled its intake in its second phase, increasing participation from 10 to 20 young people in the latest cycle.
The programme allocates each beneficiary one acre of farmland under a structured block farming system and provides comprehensive support, including mechanisation services, certified seeds, fertilisers, herbicides, and continuous technical guidance.
At an orientation ceremony in Zuarungu, FarmYield Ghana officials explained that the intervention goes beyond cultivation support to include training in agribusiness skills such as marketing, bookkeeping, record-keeping, and financial management.
Emmanuel Nsobila, Chief Operations Officer of the organisation, said the goal is to develop a new generation of agricultural entrepreneurs rather than traditional subsistence farmers.
He noted that participants are being trained across the entire agricultural value chain, with emphasis on business development and long-term independence in farming operations.
According to him, the success of the first phase has attracted international interest, with some development partners exploring post-training support, including business registration and access to financial services for participants.
The initiative also provides mentorship and empowerment sessions aimed at strengthening leadership skills, particularly among young women involved in the programme.
Beyond production, the project seeks to improve market access by linking farmers to aggregation centres where they can sell produce at competitive prices, thereby improving incomes and reducing post-harvest losses.
Participants say the programme is already shaping their outlook on agriculture. One beneficiary expressed hope that the training would enable him to support vulnerable groups, including women and persons with disabilities, through improved farming knowledge.
Another participant noted that the programme is helping her refine existing farming practices while building stronger technical and business skills.
FarmYield Ghana says the broader vision of the initiative is to transform smallholder agriculture in northern Ghana into a sustainable and commercially viable sector, while reducing youth unemployment and rural-urban migration.
