In the past five years, Ghana has experienced fairly high levels of poverty-reducing growth, and the country has set 2015 as a target date to achieve middle-income status. The Ghana Strategy Support Program (GSSP) at IFPRI works to supply information and knowledge that can be used to shape Ghana’s agricultural and rural development strategies.

On June 3, IFPRI – GSSP hosted “Agricultural Services, Decentralization and Local Governance,” a workshop in Accra, Ghana. It brought together agricultural science researchers, members of Parliament and government ministries, representatives of civil society and NGOs, and donors. This meeting provided an opportunity for IFPRI researchers to share their findings, and for all stakeholders to discuss their experiences and sharpen the priorities of Ghana’s agricultural development.

The first half of the workshop focused on strategies for achieving a Green Revolution in Ghana. Papers considered the investments needed to reach this goal, as well as the opportunities and barriers it would present to Ghana’s smallholder farmers and agribusinesses. Presenters highlighted three important resources needed to drive such a change: fertilizer, irrigation and information.

The second half of the workshop focused on decentralization, along with policies to strengthen local governance. Papers explored the prospect of using decentralization to improve the provision of public services, such as drinking water. They also examined questions of revenue generation and accountability in a decentralized system. All papers are available on the workshop blog.

Throughout the day, participants deliberated how to apply these research findings towards meeting Ghana’s growth and poverty reduction targets – in other words, towards a Green Revolution in Ghana.