Hamdiya Buyeke joined the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Project in 2024 after a community sensitization session in her community in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region.
She is a resident of Nyentie in the Sissala West District and an active member of a CRS-supported SILC group.
In May 2024, Hamdiya received comprehensive training on soybean seed production and marketing under the HAPPY Project’s Youth Entrepreneurship in Seed Systems Programme (YESSPRO) initiative, facilitated by the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) in collaboration with the Directorate of Crop Services, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI).
Following the training, Catholic Relief Services, through the HAPPY Project, supported Hamdiya with agricultural inputs land preparation, and farm tools to cultivate one hectare of soybean seed farm.
Encouraged by the support from the HAPPY Project, she dedicated her time and adhered strictly to the protocols guiding seed production with the primary aim of maximizing her yield.
Although the weather during the production season was unfavourable, Hamdiya harvested 750 kg of soybean seed and met the regulatory requirements for seed production and marketing. CRS facilitated the certification of all seeds produced in 2024, including Hamdiya’s.
Upon laboratory analysis of her seed sample by PPRSD, Hamdiya’s seed was certified with an 81% germination rate, 98.8% seed purity, and 8.2% moisture content.
To help bridge farmers’ limited access to certified seed, Hamdiya sold her soybean seed to farmers in her community and neighbouring areas, realising a revenue of GHS16,000.00 after selling all the seeds she produced.
Motivated by this income, she reinvested GHS2,840 into cultivating another hectare of soybean seed farm, strongly believing she would make even more revenue after the next harvest.
“I am motivated to continue soybean seed production because of the money I earned from selling certified seed. I have never gained this amount from selling soybean grain, even from two or more acres,” Hamdiya remarked.
Guided by her experience with poor weather conditions in the previous season, Hamdiya has diversified her farming by investing part of her seed revenue into maize production.
She cultivated two acres of maize and has already spent GHS6,200 on farm hands, land preparation, and agricultural inputs.
“I made GHS16,000 from the sale of my soybean seed. Being a seed grower means a lot to me because there are many young people in this community, but I was among the few selected,” she added.
She further noted that she used part of her income to support her husband’s education at the Damongo College of Agriculture and Allied Sciences.
“It’s really helping my family and me. I was able to support my husband’s schooling with part of the money. Because of this, he is proud of me and even encourages me to expand my farming,” she said.
The Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Program is a 4-year partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and Agri-Impact Limited. This transformative initiative is supported by an eight-member consortium, comprising Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Newage Agric Solutions, National Service Authority (NSA), MiDA, Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), TechnoServe, and Jobberman.
HAPPY aims to create 326,000 dignified and fulfilling jobs for youth—70% of whom are women—and Persons with Disabilities, focusing on the rice, soybean, tomato, and poultry value chains.
