Ghana poultry farm’s integration model trains community

A model poultry farm in Ghana is offering training and guinea fowl to local farmers, improving meat supplies and raising agricultural output.

Sintaro Mahama wants Tibzaa farm to not only supply meat and eggs in northern Ghana but also to be training resource. | Ad Bal
Sintaro Mahama wants Tibzaa farm to not only supply meat and eggs in northern Ghana but also to be training resource. | Ad Bal

A model poultry farm in the north of Ghana is hoping to meet local demand for poultry meat and eggs, and to share rearing knowledge with local farmers.

What little commercial broiler production exists in the country tends to be concentrated in the south. Northern Ghana has never been a poultry-producing region, despite strong demand for meat and eggs. Access is further hampered by the country relying on imports for much of its broiler meat, making it expensive.

But demand for poultry meat does not have to be solely satisfied by broiler meat, and this new model farm is working with guinea fowl - rather than broilers - and layers.

Tibzaa Farm, located near the regional capital of Tamale was established in 2011 by Sintaro Mahama, a former International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent logistics manager, who wants it to function has a model farm to advance agricultural progress in the region.

Local communities

The farm is not simply taking a top-down approach, but is inviting local communities to become members of this “rural integration model” and to contribute to its progress together.

The farm has adopted the slogan of “Endless opportunities” and, as Mahama explains: “This means that we are facilitating the local communities.”

The farm has breeding flocks of about 2,000 indigenous guinea fowl and approximately 5,000 Lohman Classic Brown layers, which are already producing eggs for sale. The farm is the process of registering local farmers to work with it and rear guinea fowl or laying hens. Basic training is being carried out on-farm, but there are plans to increase the farm’s training opportunities.

Guinea Fowl Ghana 2

Guinea fowl, indigenous to the area, will be used to produce meat. | Ad Bal

“We aim to establish a training facility on our premises in the near future, but first, production on the farm needs to be in full swing. The structure is not truly ‘high end’ but that’s not really what we are aiming for. On the contrary, it must, to some extent, represent the current conditions in the local communities.”

Facilities already on the site include a small hatchery, a brooding house, two open-sided layer houses, two traditional guinea fowl pens and a small feed mill. While slaughtering equipment is already on-site, it has yet to be set up.

In addition to producing meat birds and layers, the farm is also engaged in crop production.

Alternative integration

“The idea behind this alternative integration is that we will provide input materials for free to the farmers in the region," Mahama said. “Referring to guinea fowl, this means, for example, breeding stock, feed and veterinary medicines. The farmers, in turn, provide housing and labor. We support and monitor them permanently.”

Once the birds have reached target weight, they will be taken to our slaughtering facilities. The farmers can keep a part of the crop for their own use, and/or they can sell them. Both the farmers and Tibzaa benefit from this structure," Mahama said. “The same models will be used for layers. Input and support comes from Tibzaa, output goes back to Tibzaa and to the farmers.”

But this is not an easy model to follow in an area where education levels are usually low. For this reason, farmers are trained on the Tibzaa farm. To help ensure that farmers are receiving the best possible training, the farm has received assistance from senior experts at PUM, a Dutch nonprofit organization established by the country’s employers’ federation.

Help has been given in the areas of best practice and on establishing contacts with professional suppliers from the international poultry business.

Longer-term vision

Tamale is strategically located on the highway to Burkina Faso and several other countries, and sales could, in time, be expanded outwards. In addition to working with the local community, Mahama also believes there may be opportunities to explore export markets.

Registration Farmers Tibzaa 3

Local farmers registering to work with Tibzaa. | Ad Bal

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