During a recent trip, I witnessed the power of FINCA’s mission to help a woman rise above poverty in Ghana. I visited the office of one of FINCA’s partners, Ignitia, in Accra and travelled with Ignitia staff to the Nkeesee farming community in the Eastern Region of Ghana. In this community, the women are all smallholder farmers who harvest maize and cassava. This is where I met Margaret Terkpertoi.
Margaret’s Inspiring Journey
Margaret Terkpertoi’s story is a testament to the power of resilience and innovation in overcoming poverty in Ghana. Margaret, a mother of five, grows cassava and maize. She not only trades her harvests but also processes cassava and maize into one of Ghanians’ favorite dishes: banku. Her operations are extensive, including a processing hut, a warehouse and a store. She even has a special area for processing palm nuts into palm oil.
Although her business is complex, Margaret does not have permanent employees. Instead, she hires up to eight seasonal workers at a time, paying them in cash based on the workload. Most of her employees are women from her community. In this way, Margaret plays a crucial role in supporting the broader economic development.
Rising Above Poverty in Ghana
A pivotal change in Margaret’s farming practice came when Ignitia began provided services in her community. Ignitia, which receives support from FINCA, specializes in weather forecasting in remote areas of Africa. They provide highly accurate, localized tropical weather forecasts through SMS (i.e., text messages), helping farmers like Margaret make better decisions about planting and harvesting. Ignitia’s collects data from local sources such as street cameras, connected cars, drones and cell phone towers in order to provide an accurate, high-resolution and immediate picture of weather conditions at a local level. AI and machine learning technologies analyze vast amounts of data to generate precise forecasts, considering the unique characteristics of each location, with an 84% accuracy compared to 39% with global models.
Before using Ignitia, Margaret relied on traditional methods and prayers for good weather. Now, she receives daily 48-hour rainfall forecasts and agricultural advisories on planting, drying, spraying, fertilizing and harvesting. This information has significantly increased her harvests, allowing her to sell more quality goods. This in turns allows Margaret to better feed and support her family and save produce for tough times, building resilience. Margaret told me “I am grateful because to have the money to send my youngest child, Graham, to a very good boarding school in Koforidua,” stressing the importance of education for her children.
From Smallholder Farmer to Community Leader
The improved yields also enable Margaret to provide temporary employment to other women in her community and share valuable data with farmers who aren’t Ignitia customers. Margaret’s success has not only improved her livelihood but also strengthened her community. She dreams of expanding her business to include palm oil production and plans to buy a machine to extract oil from palm nuts. She also hopes to hire more people for weeding and harvesting and purchase a machine to speed up cassava processing.
Margaret’s journey from a smallholder farmer to a community leader provides a beacon of hope and inspiration. Her story highlights the impact of innovative tools like Ignitia in empowering farmers and transforming communities, showing how resilience and innovation can overcome poverty in Ghana.
