About Us

The Presbyterian Development and Social Services-North (PDSS-N) is a church-based Non-Governmental Organization with Registration No. DSW/9332 under the Department of Social Welfare, and a Company Limited by Guarantee with Registration No. CG067922017.

Vision

To be Christ-centred, self-sustaining and growing development work.

Mission

To promote quality healthcare, equitable and sustainable income, food security and inclusive development in Northern Ghana through the provision of integrated rural health, agricultural initiatives and inclusive development for the core vulnerable in society.

Overall objective

To develop and strengthen organizational structures, systems and links with other institutions so that the various social institutions (agricultural stations, health projects, community-based rehabilitation projects and other social intervention initiatives) implement core activities in a way that achieves the espoused vision.

Our history

The Presbyterian Agricultural projects have, for more than 30 years, worked in Northern Ghana to support smallholder farmer livelihood enhancement. Over this period the strategy has evolved from improving the productivity of farmers through extension support to facilitating access to markets for their produce. PDSS-N knows the terrain and understands the geographic dynamics of Northern Ghana.

PDSS-N is the development wing of the Upper Presbytery, which consists of the following development entities:

• Four Presbyterian Agricultural Stations at Sandema, Langbinsi, Garu and Tamale Mile 7
• One Presbyterian Go Home Programme for the Gambaga witches camp
• Presbyterian Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programmes at Sandema, Garu and Bolgatanga
• Eight Presbyterian Primary Health Care Programmes in Bawku, Garu, Sandema, Tongo, Langbinsi, Worinyaga, Bolgatanga and Namologo
• The Presbyterian Hospital at Bawku (Presbyterian Bawku Hospital)
• The Presbyterian Regional Eye Centre in Bolgatanga, providing specialised eye services
• The Presbyterian Nursing Training College in Bawku

Our experience

The following projects attest to the experience and expertise of PDSS-N.

Millennium Development Authority (MiDA)

The Presbyterian Agricultural Station received funding from MiDA to serve as a Technical Training Service Provider in the commercial development of Farmer Based Organisations (FBOs) in West Mamprusi. The project:

• helped FBOs approach farming as a profit-making venture, mobilise funds through group action plans and grow with one voice;
• developed business plans for 55 FBOs and linked them to banks, and facilitated value-chain development for maize, rice and soya beans;
• trained 33 producer and 5 processor groups, developed bankable business plans for them and linked them to financial institutions and buyers;
• increased farmers' yields of rice, maize and soybeans by 30–50%.

Graduating from Ultra Poverty (with Innovations for Poverty Action)

A rural development programme that increased household productivity through capacity building of MED groups and animal traction technology, improved farmers' incomes with business development services, and strengthened Credit Unions to serve peasant farmers. It supported 1,500 direct and 12,000 indirect beneficiaries, 60% of them women, in East Mamprusi, Garu, Builsa and East Gonja districts and peri-urban Tamale.

By the end of the project, 1,500 direct beneficiaries had improved their maize and soybean productivity per acre, increased small-ruminant stock per household from 2 to 10 goats and sheep, earned more from selling small ruminants and ploughing with bullocks for other farmers, strengthened their links with financial institutions, and adopted better animal husbandry practices.

Food Security and Environmental Facility (FSEF)

Implemented with grants from the Canadian International Development Agency through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, for food security interventions such as small ruminants.

Zai technique and compound mango project

Implemented in East Gonja, East Mamprusi, Garu and Builsa districts: training in the Zai method (organic fertiliser buried in planting holes) and other sustainable soil management, small-ruminant rearing, post-harvest management, farm inputs and household tree growing. Results included:

• yields up from an average of 3 bags per acre to about 10 bags per acre;
• small ruminants up from 2 to about 8 per beneficiary;
• post-harvest storage losses down from 40% to 15%;
• more tree growing, with some communities now harvesting mangoes from the trees planted, improving household nutrition.

Other partnerships

• Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA): building the capacity of rural FBOs to enhance food security and negotiate good prices for their commodities.
• Christian Blind Mission (CBM): supporting persons with disabilities to establish dry-season organic vegetable farming. 45 survival yard gardens are established in Builsa North, Builsa South, Kassena Nankana Municipal, Kassena Nankana West and Garu Tempane districts.
• Presbyterian World Service and Development (PWS&D): supporting people with disabilities in small-ruminant and crop production through a revolving system that passes animals and seed to new beneficiaries every year.
• Northern Rural Growth Programme: helping establish the District Inter-Professional Bodies and district value-chain committees.
• IFAD: two commodity value chains, women's crops (baobab and shea) and fruits and vegetables (pepper, tomatoes and onion), with sustainable market linkages that raised farmers' profitability and incomes.
• Global Shea Alliance (USAID matching grant, since 2015): a sustainable shea initiative. PDSS-N's contribution helped build processing centres and community warehouses for women's groups.
• French Embassy (2019): promoting shea for environment and biodiversity conservation. 200 households and 100 young people were trained in shea tree planting and processing.