This agribusiness project aims to:

• Give practical agribusiness training to seminarians.
• Generate a sustainable income which can support the running of the seminary and its formation activities.
• Transfer agribusiness and entrepreneurship skills gained by future priests to the community through their ministry after ordination.

“The project is gaining its foundation gradually. The seminarians are very much involved, and the impact can be felt in the immediate surroundings of the Seminary in the Malshegu village and beyond.” Monsignor Thomas Anamooh

Latest updates & challenges

After a challenging year, all basic structures are now in place. All activity areas for both practical and theoretical training of seminarians are in place. The poultry, piggery, garden and crop farming areas are all now well established and functional and the mushroom farm has been constructed.

"An experienced mushroom farmer was invited and contracted to help and supervise the installation of production pots and cells and conducted training sessions. Production began in January 2021" Monsignor Thomas Anamooh

An old underused building has been renovated into a new office space; construction is around 80% complete.

A fence was constructed around the poultry and garden enterprises for semi-intensive rearing of locally bred stock and to protect vegetables.

The rabbit pens are complete and are gradually being stocked. Feasibility studies were conducted into rabbit rearing to ensure proper care and funding is available to purchase feed. Two males and six females have been purchased.

Poultry is laying eggs well with 40 guinea fowls and 360 chickens currently laying.

Ten acres of maize and groundnut has been cultivated and is about to be processed. Additionally half an acre of land is being used to grow produce such as tomatoes, okra, beans, etc., which provides food for seminarians with leftovers being used as feed for poultry.

Training courses available for seminarians

All seminarians participated in training courses:

• Integrated farming – agronomic practices, organic manure, mixed cropping, and crop rotation.
• Farming as business – keeping a profitable piggery, vegetable gardening, marketing.
• Good management practices – poultry and mushroom production.
• Farm budgeting – requirements and conditions
• Product processing – grain, vegetables, meat etc.

“For more efficient learning and regular follow-up on the various project areas, we decided to put each class in-charge of a specific area of the project: The fourth year of Theology are responsible for the Garden and to revive our bee keeping. The third years in-charge of the Piggery, sheep, and rabbits. The Second years in-charge of The Poultry (all birds). The First years in-charge of Crop farmland and mushroom farm." Monsignor Thomas Anamooh

Each class works collaboratively and as directed by the farm manager to ensure their area is doing well. Each group is able to make suggestions on improving sustainable practice, applying their new skills in unique ways.

In September 2020, the seminarians returned to recommence classes following a lengthy delay due to Covid-19. This delay in study meant that seminarians were able to return to their hometowns and villages across Northern Ghana. Unfortunately, upon the seminarians return, there was an outbreak of swine flu amongst the pigs at the farm.

Swine flu viruses are thought to be spread among pigs mostly through from contaminated objects moving between infected and uninfected pigs. In this instance, it is thought that one of the seminarians may have transmitted the virus through soil on their shoes, as there was also an outbreak of swine flu in the upper West region of Ghana at the time. As a result, 32 pigs died. The Seminary had policies in place regarding correct disinfectant protocols before entering the pigsty, however, these procedures were not followed while training seminarians and it resulted in the pigs being infected. The seminarians used this unwelcome challenge as a learning tool though, increasing strictness of policies and ensuring greater adherence to the procedures in place so it does not occur in the future.

The pigsty underwent disinfections and deep cleaning and was monitored by specialists from Tamale University to determine when it was safe for other pigs to be purchased. The deceased pigs were disposed of in a way that does not allow the virus to spread further and cause more harm in the community. Fortunately, other sectors of the project are thriving such as the poultry, vegetable garden, and sale of eggs, and income has been able to offset the loss of the pigs.