The Ghanaian agriculture sector has been given a boost by the launch of an online Geographic Information Systems (GIS) platform, in a bid to improve the sector’s efficiency and Ghana’s competitiveness in regional and international markets.
The platform – launched on Wednesday – is the culmination of a collaboration between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) programme, and the Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS).
The GIS platform aggregates a range of spatial data and maps for use by agribusiness players, service providers, farmers, investors, development projects and academia.
Information that can be accessed via the platform includes the locations of crop farms, aggregators, processors, tractor service providers, warehouses, weather stations, and irrigation sites.
It is hoped that through the launch of the online system, the efficiency and success of value chain actors and agribusinesses will be improved, given that reliable data will be available on which to base critical decisions.
“Ultimately, Ghana’s agricultural industry will become competitive in the domestic, regional and international markets,” the platform creators conclude.
