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..................................................... 4
1.1
Overview.......................................................................................................... 4
1.2
The State of Agriculture in Ghana .................................................................... 4
2
CARE GoG’s Mission and Vision for the Northern Savannah zone of Ghana .......... 5
3
The Underlying Causes of Poverty and Vulnerability in Northern Ghana ................. 5
3.1
Dynamics of Social and Gender Relations ....................................................... 6
3.2
Dynamics of Power Relations in Community Development .............................. 8
3.3
Enabling Policy Environment ........................................................................... 9
4
What’s the Impact Goal of the AFSP? ................................................................... 10
5
Who are the AFSP Beneficiaries? - Impact Groups and Priority Impact Groups .... 11
6
Building Capacity for Change – the AFSP Target Groups...................................... 11
7
What Will a Transformed NSZ Look Like? - The AFSP Theory of Change ............ 12
7.1
Enhanced Socio-economic Capital for Women and Youth ............................. 12
7.2
Inclusive Local Development Processes ........................................................ 12
7.3
Effective Civil Society and Governance.......................................................... 12
7.4
Responsive Policy-Making and Implementation ............................................. 13
8
How Will this Change be Realized? - The Pathways of Change ............................ 13
9
AFSP Breakthroughs – Indicators of Change ........................................................ 15
10
Implications for CARE’s Current AFS Initiatives ................................................. 16
11
Funding Strategy for the AFSP .......................................................................... 18
12
Alliance Building Opportunities with CARE ........................................................ 18
13
CARE Ghana’s Core Competencies and Food Security Expertise ..................... 19
14
Programming Principles of CARE ...................................................................... 20
14.1 Rights based approach (RBA) ....................................................................... 20
14.2 Working with Partners and Other Stakeholders.............................................. 20
14.3 Advocacy and Engagement in Policy-Making and Implementation................. 20
14.4 Gender and Diversity ..................................................................................... 21
14.5 Disaster Risk Reduction and Conflict Prevention ........................................... 21
14.6 HIV AIDS mainstreaming ............................................................................... 21
15
Starting with the End in Mind - Exit Strategies and Sustainability ...................... 21
16
AFSP Learning, Monitoring, and Evaluation....................................................... 22
16.1 Learning, Documentation, and Communication Strategy ............................... 22
16.2 Social and Organizational Learning ............................................................... 22
16.3 Impact measurement and knowledge systems............................................... 22
17
Sources ............................................................................................................. 24
Annexes
1
2
3
4
5
6
Economic Background
Agriculture Sector Policy in the Northern Regions
Underlying Causes of Poverty
Impact Groups
CARE’s Theory of Change
Current CARE Initiatives & Donors
2
Acronyms
AFSP
ALP
ANR PLUS
ANRM
CAP
CARE GoG
CBLA
CBOs
CI
CICOL
CIFS
CLURCC
COP
CSOs
CSS
DA
DRR
EPA
ESCAPE
FARM
FASDEPII
FOAT
FWG
GLSS
GPRS II
GWI
IG
ISSER
LEAD
LEAP
M&E
MDG
MDI
MMD
MTDP
NADMO
NDI
NGDF
NGOs
NREG
NSZ
PECCN
PIG
PLWHA
PQI
RBA
SADA
WFP
Agriculture and Food Security Programme
Climate Change Adaptation and Learning Program
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Agriculture and Natural Resources Management
Community Action Plans
CARE Gulf of Guinea
Community Based Land Agreement
Community Based Organizations
CARE International
Civil Society Coalition on Land
Community Initiatives for Food Security
Community Land Use Responses to Climate Change in Northern Ghana
Conference of Parties
Civil Society Organizations
Civil Society Strengthening?
District Assembly
Disaster Risk Reduction
Environmental Protection Agency
Enhancing Savings and Credit for Poverty Eradication Project
Food and Agriculture Resource Management Project
Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy
Functional Organizational Assessment
Forest Watch Ghana
Ghana Living Standards Survey
Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II
Global Water Initiative
Impact Group
Institute of Statistical and Social Economic Research
Local Extension and Agriculture Development Project
Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty
Monitoring and Evaluation
Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Indicators
Mata Masu Dubara savings program
Mid-Term Development Plan
National Disaster Management Organization
Northern Development Initiative
Northern Ghana Development Fund
Non-Governmental Organizations
Natural Resources and Environmental Governance
Northern Savanna Zone
Poverty, Environment, and Climate Change Network
Priority Impact Group
People Living With HIV/AIDS
Program Quality and Impact
Rights Based Approach
Savanna Accelerated Development Authority
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 agriculturebased, has historically been impacted by high
inflation, depreciation of the cedi, dwindling foreign
reserves, excessive public debt burden and
fluctuating growth.
INDICATORS OF POVERTY



Since 2001, however, economic growth has been
improving. Poverty – as measured by the Ghana
Living Standards Survey (GLSS 5) – was reduced
from 51% in 1991 to 28.5% in 2005/2006. At this
rate, Ghana is on track to achieve the first of the five
Millennium Development Goals - halving poverty and
hunger by 2015.


50% of income on average of is
spent on food
34% of population have no access
to safe water
The infant mortality rate (IMR) is
56/1000 births nationally and is 36%
higher than this in the 3 Northern
Savanna Zone.
Total fertility rate is 4.5 births per
woman.
Adult illiteracy is 27%.
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
2
Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP-II), MOFA, Republic of Ghana, Aug 2007.
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 propoor 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 smallscale farmer households in the NSZ – there must be more
attention paid to the situation of women and youth. About six
out of ten small-scale farmers are poor, and many of these
3
Figure 1. Map of the NSZ.
Ghana Statistical Service, April 2007. Patterns and Trends of Poverty in Ghana, 1991-2006.
5
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
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).
4
Ibid.
5
PDA, Participatory Poverty and Vulnerability Assessment – Understanding the Regional Dynamics of
Poverty, Ghana (PPVA), 2009.
6
“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
power related to land, participation and representation in agriculture and
natural resources groups, and influence on intra-household decisionmaking. 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
6
A place to grow – empowering women in CARE’s agriculture programming (CARE, 2008).
7
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
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. Socioeconomic and gender inequality start young, and these inequalities can contribute to lifelong 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
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
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.
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 socioeconomic 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
9
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
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-farmbased 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).
11
 Community based organizations - saving groups, relief committees, and
community-based extension agents.
 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.
12
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.
ENHANCED
SOCIO- ECONOMIC CAPITAL
FOR WOMEN & YOUTH
RESPONSIVE
POLICY-MAKING
&
IMPLEMENTATION
IMPACT GOAL
Women and youth,
vulnerable to food
insecurity, environment
and climate change in
the NSZ, achieve social
and economic resilience
and food security
INCLUSIVE
LOCAL
DEVELOPMENT
PROCESSES
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.
13
 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.
 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:
14
 Policy goals for the Northern Savannah Zone development are sustained through
district-level planning processes.
 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, selfreliance “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
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
 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.
 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.
12
BA = Brong Ahafo, N = Northern, UE = Upper East, and UW = Upper West Regions.
16
Table 1. Alignment of CARE Projects with AFSP Impact Groups and Domains of Change.
Socio-economic
capital of Impact
Group
Inclusion of Impact
Group
Governance and Civil
Society Effectiveness
Policy responsiveness
DOMAINS
Programme Goal
GOAL
Impact Group:
vulnerable women
(and youth)
GROUP
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
++
++
++
+++
+
++
Project
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 decisionmaking 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.
17
 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.
 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.
18
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,
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.
19
14 Programming Principles of CARE
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.
20
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
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.
21
16 AFSP Learning, Monitoring, and Evaluation
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
22
which the original MDG indicators do not account for. Results of these indicators will serve
as evidence for advocacy in national and international arenas
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, 19912006.
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.
24