26 Van der Werf. Ecological Agriculture in Africa.

In Ghana and many other countries the so-called "Green Revolu-
tion" has not met with the expectations. On the contrary: hun-
ger in the rural areas is increasing and the ecological deter-
ioration is rampant. This paper discusses small-scale ecologi-
cal farming methods as a viable alternative. After discussing
ecofarming and its influence on self-reliance, rural develop-
ment and the regional and national economy, a description is
given of the agricultural problems in Ghana. Field experiences
with ecofarming are based on the educational village at Dibuy-
iri (Northern Region) and the Agomeda Agricultural Project
(Accra Plains). A detailed description is given of the Maar-
tengarden and the extensionwork achieved.


CONTENTS:

1. Introduction 1
2. Ecological sustainable agriculture 3
2.1 Basic principles 3
2.2 Ecological agriculture and local and regional
self-reliance 4
2.3 Ecological agriculture and rural development 4
2.4 Ecological agriculture and the regional and national
economy 5
3. Ghana 6
3.1 Climate and vegetation 6
3.2 Agriculture 8
3.3 From traditional to high-put agriculture 10
3.4 Agricultural problems 11
3.5 Indiscriminate burning 12
3.6 Conclusion 13
4. The Agomeda agricultural project 14
4.1 History of the Accra plains 15
4.2 Necessary agricultural changes 16
4.3 The extension farm 17
4.4 Fertilizers 20
4.5 Soil fertility 21
4.6 Improving soil fertility 22
4.7 Erosion 24
4.8 Diseases and pests 26
4.9 Examples from the extension farm 27
4.9.1 Fire breaks and fencing 27
4.9.2 The orchard 29
4.9.3 The soil structure 30
4.9.4 Intercropping 31
4.10 Mulching 31
4.11 The schoolgarden 33
4.12 The Agomeda women class 34
5. Conclusion 35

References 36