About KITA

Achievements

KITA has witnessed modest achievements. In December 2010, KITA was again awarded Regional Best Institution by the Ministry of Agiculture MOFA on its 26th National Farmers Day celebration in the Ashanti region, in recognition of its immense contribution to the development of Agriculture in Ghana. Since 2008, KITA has been consulting for the Rural Enterprises Project (REP) of the ministry of Trade and has been providing competency-based skill training in agricultural enterprises such as mushroom, snail, grasscutter and rabbitry; as well as agroprocessing such as cassava processing, palm oil processing, and finally Business skills training for SMEs such as marketing skills, record keeping, management skills, business Advocacy, group dynamics, credit management, Business Growth skills among others. In December 2007, KITA was awarded District Best Institution by the Ministry of Agriculture MOFA on its 23rd National Farmers day celebration in the Ejisu Juaben District in the Ashanti region.

From 2007 - 2010 KITA has forged a strong collaboration with The Peace Corps Ghana office where KITA has been training newly arrived Peace Corps volunteer trainees during the Inservice Training (ISTs). KITA continues to provide technical support to the Peace Corps volunteers on the field through its agroforestry program with Trees for the Future. It has trained over 15,000 youth and prospective farmers, most of whom have won national best farmer awards. Graduates of the Institute are noted for reviving collapsed farms. It has also trained over 800 practicing farmers with free follow-up consultancy to help them put the acquired technology into practice. KITA served as consultants to the Skills Training and Employment Placement program of the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment in 2004, and trained 1000 unemployed youth in mushroom and rabbit production accross the country. through this initiative KITA established the National Youth Agricultural Cooperative Centers (NYACC) Project as a means of creating perpertual employment and continuous education for the youth in various regions and districts in Ghana. KITA is still looking for collaboration with interested organisations to develop the NYACC project. Participatory Village Development Program in Ejisu-Juaben District in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Assistance (CFTC). Kita won National best Agro-forestry Farmer Award in 1992.

Many graduates have won national Best farmer Awards and others received NGO grants to finance agro-forestry and other income generating projects in their communities. Trainees receive best-farmer awards The institute embarks upon environmental protection programs. It has a 12 acre Alley Cropping project at its former site in Broadi. It has embarked on other forest recovery programs including planting of trees along water bodies. It has also embarked upon tree planting exercises in communities around the institute. KITA has developed a credit scheme to seek funds to provide a Revolving Fund credit for graduates who have applied to take up farming as a career in co-operatives after National Service on land KITA has purchased for this project. The vegetable section has begun at Essienimpong, Ashanti. The college has many students sponsored though many governmental and private institutions. Graduates also participate in the National Service Scheme in rural districts including teaching in secondary schools, and supporting the district extension staff.

Challenges

Current Challenges For the Institute :

1. Promoting the transfer of modern food production and agricultural technologies to institutions, families and individuals, and rural economies, thereby reducing food insecurity.
2. Exploring the potentials of Permaculture in providing green appropriate affordable housing to reduce the rural homeless in Ghana The potential of Permaculture for solving these problems looks great and KITA wants to establish the first permaculture training institute in Ghana.
3. More overseas training for staff especially in sustainable agricultural, sustainable rural development, and environmental conservation.
4. Environmental recovery and protection programmes; central community nursery for free tree seedling creation.
5. Youth employment creation
6. Nutritional improvement for rural families, farm diversification programmes
7. More research into appropriate practices for rural development and sustainable agriculture.
8. Agribusiness training for staff and local farmers; turning farms into businesses; making peasant farmers plan for their retirement.

If you or your organisation is able to help KITA meet its challenges please - Contact Us.

Management

Management Section of management board in an informal chat The institute is under the control of Board of Trustees. These are representatives from:

Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA)
Ministry of Education (MOE)
National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI)
The Universities
Soil Research Institute (SRI)
Crops Research Institute (CRI)
Department of Forestry (DOF)
National Chief Farmers
Community Chiefs

The day to day running of the institute is however done by the director and other staff. Other staff of the institute are Director, Principal, Registrar, Lecturers, Accountants, Project officers, Technical Officers and Assistants, Field Extension Officers, Field Assistants, Administrative Secretary, Domestic Bursar, Kitchen assistants, Farm Hands.

Message

Message from the Director:

"The nation needs the services of this department more than ever. Our focus is on the Ejisu Juaben district. We hope that in this particular year, the institute will make a positive change in the lives of the people of the district. We are glad to acknowledge the unrelenting sacrifices that members of staff of this department are making towards the improvement of the lives of rural people. It is hoped that the department will receive the necessary co-operation from the local and international organisations to achieve their targets for the year 2004. "

Thanks,

— Dr Noah Owusu-Takyi, Former Director KITA

Mission

KITA is a non-profit premier tropical agricultural college in Ghana Networking with local and global institutions to better the lives of rural farmers, unemployed youth, hungry and homeless families, women, aids victims and orphans, needy street children, the aged, and the disabled Through training, seminars and workshops, technology transfer, on-farm research, environmental conservation, volunteer exchange, seeds and food aid, input and clothing distribution and children’s sponsorship For environmentally sustainable development, that enhances the local economy, the nation and the quality of life in Africa since 1984.

Objectives

To enhance the transfer of modern agricultural technology to rural farmers through workshops, seminars short courses, correspondence courses, and overseas training
To provide vocational technical agricultural training to the youth both literate and non literate
To protect the environment for increased agricultural productivity
To assist rural farmers to have links to credit and inspire confidence of financial institutions in rural agricultural credit delivery
To undertake farmer-based research to develop appropriate strategies for practicing farmers, both commercial and subsistence
To provide consultancy to prospective and practicing farmers and trainees to establish their own agricultural projects and identify market for their produce
To assist rural communities to draw their own village development plans based on their local resources, to improve upon their own lifestyles
To liaise with local and international institutions and organisations with similar objectives

Supporters

The college has received a lot of support from donor agencies and has been able to develop further including:

Assistance to rural women
Extra 50-acre College farmland
2 times National Best Institution Award by Ministry of food and Agriculture MOFA
National Best Farmer Award in Tree-planting
National Agroforestry and Tree planting Project with Trees for the Future, planting 1 million trees from 2009 - 2010
New buildings for students and staff
Extra support for Community Women Farmers
Extra support for graduates to win national Best Farmer Awards
Charity support for Old Women, Men and Children
Support for training of Refugees from neighbouring countries especially Liberia
Overseas development and training for staff and students
Improved facilities for Foreign Students-Backpackers (Stay-on-the-Farm) programme
Increased enrolment of students
Improved facilities for lecturing and management staff
Expansion of demonstration farm projects

Donor Agencies From 2004 - 2010:

Trees for the future USA
Perpertual Prosperity Pumps Foundation, PPPF USA
Permaworld Foundation Chief and Elders of Nobewam, Domeabra, and Apromase From 1990 - 2001
African Development Foundation (ADF), USA
The Royal Netherlands Embassy T
he African 2000 Network, UNDP
The German Embassy
The Co-operation for Development (CD), London
The Commonwealth Development Co-operative (CDC), UK
Gospel Express Ministries
Nyame-Akwan and Gospel Express, USA (donates seeds and chemicals to KITA)
Nyame Akwan Agro Chemicals Ltd
Guinness Ghana Limited
Logs and Lumber Limited

Location

The Institute is located near Domeabra-Apromase in Ejisu Juabeng District. It is located about 5 km from the main Accra Road. It is located near the University of Science and Technology, near St. Louis Sec and World Vision International. It is surrounded by 10 rural communities whose development KITA is really steering.