Workshop: Validating and Signing MoU for Early Warning and Response System for Crops Pest and Diseases in Ghana
Background
Variations in climate conditions are allowing pests to spread and survive in new environments, creating more problems for farmers. In Ghana, such ‘invasive alien species’ (as they are more technically known) cause food and agriculture-related losses valued at USD 50 million annually.
Many government agencies are responsible for carrying out pests and diseases surveillance and monitoring nationwide. Their work helps to shape and influence policy formulation and implementation for the advancement of the agricultural sector. The academia and research institutes also play significant and diverse roles in researching pest pests and diseases affecting various agricultural commodities in Ghana.
But, the systems for monitoring, detection, prediction, and warning alerts for pests and diseases are weak. These weaknesses can lead to invasive species going undetected until they become endemic and spread quickly.
To address these weaknesses, AICCRA Ghana in collaboration with the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) Ghana has invited key partners and stakeholders in EWRRS-PD landscape to a workshop to validate and sign a memorandum of understanding for Ghana Early Warning and Rapid Response System for Pests and Diseases (EWRRS-PD) to improve the existing PPRSD-led Ghana Emergency Response Plan for Invasive Alien Plant Pests.
Enhancing early warning alerts and rapid response to pests and diseases in Ghana will ensure that adequate intervention and control measures are put in place to boost Ghana's efforts to protect crops from pests and diseases.
Expected outputs and outcomes
Participants are expected to:
- Validate the Memorandum of Understanding for Early Warning and Rapid Response Systems for Crops Pests and Diseases.
- Sign the Memorandum of Understanding to the development and operationalise of a framework for monitoring, detection, prediction, and warning alerts for pests and diseases in Ghana.
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