Troy Barrie

Country: Ghana
Partner: Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA)
Placement: Promoting the Agriculture as a Business program

From his first time in Ghana back in 2006, Troy Barrie was struck by the warm character of its people. “The generosity and general ability of Ghanaians to welcome strangers is exciting.” He says, “This place surprises me at every hour.”

Yet each day, 45% of Ghanaians live in extreme poverty. Most rural families are unable to generate a lasting income through subsistence farming. Troy knows that approaching farming as a business is an important way to mitigate this challenge. Semi-commercial farming allows small-scale farmers to cultivate higher yield production, and sell the surplus crops for additional income.

Motivated by the spirit of Ghana’s people, Troy is working in Ghana’s Northern Region with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to help improve the lives of rural farmers and their families on a broad scale. In this region alone MoFA works to provide 750,000 subsistence farmers with the skills and opportunities necessary to generate a long-term income from their farms. To achieve this, MoFA has an expansive network for field staff – called Agriculture Extension Agents – who work directly with thousands of rural farmers. MoFA is an innovative, far-reaching organization leading transformative change for farmers in Ghana.

In partnership with EWB, MoFA has created the Agriculture as a Business program to equip farmers with the skills necessary to run well-managed and profitable farms. Through 8 workshops, Agricultural Extension Agents work with farmers to promote a shift from farming for survival, to farming as a business. Topics include analyzing costs and revenues, setting prices, and managing market fluctuations. This unique program is fundamentally changing the approach to farming in the region.

The Agriculture as a Business program has had a proven impact in Northern Ghana – the EWB team in Ghana is now looking to the future. Troy is an integral part of this – he is working alongside rural farmers to monitor and evaluate the program’s long-term effectiveness. His passion for Ghana’s people is helping to best identify how the program can have a more innovative and widespread impact going forward. Troy’s work is directly impacting the ability of EWB to help farmers gain control of their future.

“What excites me is having the opportunity to interact, understand and work directly with farmers in rural communities,” Troy says. “I am working to establish a trusting relationship with them as a partner to help them learn.”

With the achievements of the curriculum thus far, the EWB team is now hoping to extend the Agriculture as a Business program to new regions of Ghana. This is an exciting step which will positively impact the ability of farmers across Ghana to create a more secure future through farming.

Troy notes, “We are helping farmers become entrepreneurs, and spreading the message that agriculture can work as a business in Ghana.”