Eggs For a Healthy Future is the Theme of World Egg Day on Oct. 13, 2023
WISHH’s September poultry trainings have given 40 Ghanaian egg producers as well as U.S. soybean growers more reasons than ever to celebrate World Egg Day.
“Poultry is one of the avenues Ghanaian authorities see as a contributor to food and nutrition security, income generation, and employment opportunities,” notes WISHH technical adviser Khalid Benadbeljelil, who helped lead the sessions. “Ghana’s poultry businesses are growing and can have a significant impact across the country.”
In fact, more than half of the participants in WISHH’s trainings had raised poultry for less than 10 years. Their flock sizes ranged from 500 to more than 100,000 birds.
The USDA Agricultural Trade Program-supported trainings highlight the contribution of poultry products, including eggs, to meet the protein needs of people across the West African nation. WISHH led the trainings in the major poultry producing regions of Kumasi and Sunyani to enhance knowledge and skills on a wide range of topics, such as the role of soy in nutritious poultry feeds. The three-day sessions included both classroom learning and practical fieldwork, allowing attendees to gain hands-on experience to take back to their farming operations.
The training sessions included various aspects of table egg production, including breed management, training on feed production measures, and the importance of safety measures to combat disease. A highlight included a farm visit to one of WISHH’s strategic partners in the region. There, participants witnessed proper on-farm feed mixing and learned about ingredients used in feed production. Ongoing extension support is just one of many of WISHH’s next steps with the trainees as well as a Ghanaian manufacturer of soy-based feeds.
A thriving poultry industry in Ghana is one of the keys to creating a new market for U.S. soy. As the poultry industry grows, it can also increasingly rely on U.S. soy as a high quality and nutritious feed ingredient.