Local Agricultural Production and the Implementation of the Ghana School Feeding Programme in Tolon District, Northern Ghana
Abstract
The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) seeks not only to improve child nutrition and school participation but also to stimulate domestic food production by creating a market for smallholder farmers. This qualitative study examines how local agricultural production contributes to the implementation of the GSFP in Tolon District, a predominantly agricultural area in Ghana's Northern Region, and identifies the factors that shape the linkage between local farmers and the programme. Data were collected between April 2025 and July 2025 through 26 individual interviews and four focus group discussions. Participants included farmers, agricultural extension agents, the district GSFP coordinator, representatives of Farmer-Based Organisations and civil society organisations, input dealers and food vendors. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that participants reported that farmers and caterers trade through separate informal networks that rarely connect. Because the study was conducted in one district, these findings reflect the accounts of the participants studied. They are not intended to generalise to all farmers or caterers in the district. The study concludes that the programme’s domestic food production objective appears largely unrealised among the stakeholders studied in the district. It recommends formal integration of FBOs as aggregators, sustained community sensitisation, caterer coordination committees, and a structured role for civil society organisations in facilitation and monitoring.
Keywords: Ghana School Feeding Programme; Home-Grown School Feeding; Local Procurement; Smallholder Farmers; Farmer-Based Organisations; Tolon District; Ghana
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