Expanding Agroecology in West Africa: Welcoming CEAL and Urbanet as New Partners in Ghana
We are thrilled to announce two new partnerships in Ghana that will strengthen our collective network impact: the Center for Ecological Agriculture and Livelihoods (CEAL) and Urbanet.
These local organizations share our commitment to empowering smallholder farmers, advancing agroecology, and building resilient communities. By joining forces, we aim to extend the support available to those most affected by poverty, food insecurity, and climate change in Northern Ghana, and pool learnings for global systemic change.
CEAL Ghana: Strengthening Agroecology for Sustainable Livelihoods
The Center for Ecological Agriculture and Livelihoods (CEAL) was founded by smallholder farmers who recognized the urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices in Northern Ghana. Today, CEAL supports 88 farmer-based organizations across the West Mamprusi, Mamprugu Moaduri, and Talinsi districts. Through eco-friendly farming technologies, conservation agriculture, and climate-smart innovations, CEAL helps smallholder farmers increase productivity, enhance food security, and build resilience to climate change. CEAL’s work focuses on:
- Climate-smart agriculture: Training farmers in conservation agriculture, agroforestry, and crop-livestock integration.
- Sustainable land management: Promoting agroforestry models and natural resource governance.
- Economic development: Supporting income-generating activities like fish farming, shea butter processing, and beekeeping.
- Advocacy and policy engagement: Mobilizing farmers, women, and youth to participate in policy dialogues on sustainable land management and climate resilience.
- Research and innovation: Conducting rural economic research and running ecological agricultural laboratories to develop and scale innovative agroecological practices.
Urbanet Ghana: Empowering Marginalized Communities for Social Justice
Urbanet is a social impact organization dedicated to advancing social justice and human rights for marginalized groups, including women smallholder farmers, unemployed youth, and people with disabilities. Working in communities grappling with poverty, food insecurity, and gender inequality, Urbanet focuses on four key areas: agriculture and food security, women and youth empowerment, environment and climate change, and nutrition and health.
Urbanet’s approach includes:
- Advocacy and policy influencing: Strengthening the voices of smallholder farmers in agricultural policy reforms.
- Empowering farmers and youth: Enhancing skills in sustainable farming, beekeeping, mushroom production, and agro-processing.
- Women’s economic empowerment: Establishing women-friendly business hubs, providing start-up capital, and linking women entrepreneurs to financial services and networks.
- Agroecology promotion: Training farmers in compost production, crop rotation, and agroforestry to improve soil health and sustainability.
Why These Partnerships Matter
Partnering with CEAL and Urbanet aligns with our mission to support community-led farming solutions that drive long-term change. These organizations bring deep local expertise and a shared vision of strengthening agroecological food systems in West Africa while improving the well-being of vulnerable populations. Together, we will:
- Expand access to agroecological farming training and resources for smallholder farmers.
- Enhance women and youth leadership in sustainable food systems.
- Promote policies and practices that improve food security and climate resilience.
- Strengthen local networks for knowledge sharing and community-driven solutions.
“ Urbanet is excited about its new partnership with Groundswell International, as both organizations share a deep commitment to empowering rural communities through sustainable farming and resilient food systems. This collaboration will cultivate meaningful connections with like-minded organizations, smallholder farmer groups, networks, and youth initiatives, fostering knowledge exchange and collective learning. Urbanet believes this partnership will expand its expertise in agroecology, equipping smallholder farmers with the tools and knowledge needed to overcome hunger, poverty, and the challenges posed by climate change.”
– Jibreel Mohammed Basit, Executive Director at Urbanet
“We are happy to be part of this new partnership and collaboration with Groundswell International. The fight against hunger, climate change and poverty in our local communities can be very complex and challenging. Therefore, this new partnership brings us new hope and opportunities for our local communities. As an organization purposely formed to promote agroecology practices in Northern Ghana, we see a value addition of our new partnerships in terms of: a strengthened capacity of CEAL-Ghana through connection, learning and sharing agroecology practices, opportunities to expand and transition more local communities to adopt and practice agroecology, and finally the potential to build a regional movement of agroecology practitioners to influence and make agroecology a priority food production system in Northern Ghana”
Issifu Sulemana, CEO at CEAL Ghana
Groundswell International has worked in Ghana with our partner CIKOD for over a decade. We’re excited to grow our regional network and impact in Northern Ghana, by collaborating with CEAL and URBANET. Their expertise in agroecology, youth engagement, women’s empowerment and agricultural innovation will further our collective work to improve wellbeing and heal our farming and food systems.
Rebecca Wolff, ProgramDirector at Groundswell International
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Stay tuned for updates on our joint initiatives and the inspiring work happening on the ground in Ghana!