Tamale: Professor Abdul-Rahman Ibn Iddriss, the Dean of the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala Campus, has urged the implementation of targeted policy interventions to revitalize the guinea fowl subsector in the country. The aim is to enhance food security, improve livelihoods, and reduce poverty.
According to Ghana News Agency, Professor Ibn Iddriss highlighted the continued underperformance of the guinea fowl subsector despite numerous initiatives aimed at boosting production. He attributed this underperformance to persistent structural and technical challenges. The call for intervention was made during the 23rd inaugural Professorial Lecture at UDS in Tamale, an event that was part of the requirements for his full professorial status.
The lecture, titled 'Nature's Neglected Gift: Reproductive Insights into the Guinea Fowl and the Quest to Feed Africa,' was attended by religious and traditional authorities, government officials, security agencies, students, and other stakeholders. Professor Ibn Iddriss pointed out that interventions such as the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Guinea Fowl Initiative and others had not achieved the desired impact due to issues like high keet mortality, use of unimproved breeds, and poor management practices.
Professor Ibn Iddriss emphasized the need for well-structured policies to address these challenges, which could unlock the subsector's potential to reduce Protein-Energy Malnutrition, boost economic growth, and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. He advocated for increased government investment in research and development to improve local guinea fowl strains, establish feeding standards, develop vaccination schedules specific to guinea fowls, and break their seasonal breeding cycle.
He also proposed the establishment of specialized brooding units to supply hardy grower keets to farmers and called for improved farmer knowledge on disease prevention and management to reduce mortality rates. Prof. Ibn Iddriss identified inadequate access to veterinary services as a major constraint, particularly in rural areas, and called for the increased deployment of veterinary professionals and training of veterinary doctors in northern Ghana.
Moreover, he criticized the practice of treating commercial and smallholder guinea fowl farmers as a homogeneous group and urged the development of a policy framework that differentiates between them, allowing for tailored support systems. He also called for strengthening veterinary extension services by building the capacity of agricultural extension agents to provide practical training in improved husbandry practices and disease control.
Prof. Ibn Iddriss advocated for adopting the Triple Helix model to enhance collaboration between academia, industry players, farmers, and policymakers. He stressed the importance of improving technology transfer systems within academic and research institutions to ensure that innovations are effectively applied.