To inspire and inform entrepreneurs in developing countries, ASA/WISHH commemorates World Food Day by sharing insights from a WISHH strategic partner who is a leader in real-world resilience during COVID-19.
WISHH’s new mini documentary features Samuel Kwame Ntim-Adu, the CEO of Yedent Agro Group of Companies, Ltd. in Ghana. Ntim-Adu signed a memorandum of understanding with WISHH in 2016. He shares fives examples of how WISHH has helped his company that is revising its product development and marketing strategies due to COVID-19 closing schools and other institutional markets. Ntim-Adu also highlights the opportunities for trade between Ghana and the United States that result from this strategic partnership.
His daughter, Soteria, the lead nutritionist for the company, describes the important role of soy as an affordable source of protein as well as results from her participation in WISHH-led training funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
WISHH’s work with Yedent has assisted them in offering new high-quality and affordable soy-based foods to meet the standards of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initiatives as well as apply as a supplier to the World Food Programme.
Yedent has also collaborated with WISHH to expand into feed production, including setting up a feed testing laboratory through WISHH’s USDA-funded AMPLIFIES (Assisting in the Management of Poultry and Layer Industries with Feed Improvement and Efficiency Strategies) Ghana Project.
The mini documentary also features a poultry producer who benefited from AMPLIFIES and now buys feed from Yedent for his expanding poultry enterprise. As demand grows for eggs, demand rises for soy as an important poultry feed ingredient.
For nearly three decades, countries and international organizations have recognized October 16 as World Food Day, a day to focus on the importance of global food security. COVID-19 makes the 2020 World Food Day a year like no other for U.S. soybean growers and all the other key members of the global food, feed, and nutrition community. According to the United Nations, 690 million people are hungry worldwide; the pandemic is projected to push another 83-132 million people into hunger by the end of the year.
The 2020 World Food Day theme “Grow, nourish, sustain. Together. Our actions are our future” is fitting for U.S. soybean farmers as they harvest their 2020 crop that is vital to global nutrition. WISHH and U.S. soybean farmers remain committed to working with Samuel, Soteria, and our other partners across the globe to improve food security.