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David Agongo, who passed away in 2015, was the initiator and project leader of ZEFP. He started in 1991 with a demonstration farm in the village of Zasilari, situated about halfway Tamale and Bolgatanga. He settled in the village and made people acquainted with composting of organic debris, planting trees, and the principles and practice of biological agriculture. Soon, the farm grew into a green oasis in the otherwise dry environment. After a period of doubts about this new approach, brought by an outsider, people became interested and began to apply the new techniques. After a while, David realized that using this mouth-to-mouth advertising it would take a long time to reach all farmer’s communities in the area. He took the chance to join an agricultural demonstration project (TRAX), 75 km north of Zasilari. Here, he learned new methods of erosion control and composting, and how to transfer this knowledge to larger groups of male and female farmers. He figured that it strengthened these groups, by spending on mutual solidarity and common activities. During his free time and in the weekends, David and his wife worked in the Zasilari area, applying the TRAX methods. Of his TRAX salary, he paid a young person to continue the information and demonstration activities during the weekdays. It was David’s ambition to copy the work of TRAX in his own area. Some Dutch people with contacts in Ghana were interested to support this enterprise financially and after some years the project was covered by ELPG. In 2002 ZEFP was founded as a new NGO in Northern Ghana, financed by GOAP. In 2018 during a process of restructuring, the work and people of ZEFP were taken over through a new NGO called the Centre for Ecological Agriculture and Livelihood (CEAL). Meanwhile, ZEFP/CEAL is a recognized concept in the region and beyond. The project is an example for co-sponsors and government bodies who pursue biological agriculture or sustainable development.
- principles of biological agriculture; composting, changing of crops, etc.
- controlling erosion (plowing along lines of altitude; building dams);
- storage of harvest, protected against insects and rodents;
- sustainable cattle farming; training on animal breeding and -management;
- maintaining the fertility of the land: planting trees and avoiding the burning of harvest remnants and pasture areas;
- offering perspectives for young people in agriculture and animal breeding;
- Agricultural activities during the dry season, by means of irrigation.
More information Details of the above activities can be found on the websites of CEAL, ACDEP (an umbrella of agricultural demonstration plants in northern Ghana, of which CEAL is a part), West Mamprusi District (the district in which CEAL is active), Cordaid (our Dutch co-financer):
