Ladies Club

CSIR-Crops Research Institute’s Ladies Club
VISION: Our vision is to build and support confident women to deliver on the mandate of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute and influence society at large.
MISSION: Our mission is to build a sustainable structure that supports professional, social and personal wellbeing of female staff of CSIR-Crops Research Institute.
VALUES:
1    We value honesty, integrity and recognise our unique contribution in delivering the mandate of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute.
2    We value and recognise the social and personal responsibilities of women in society.
3    We value accountability and encourage personal reflection and improvement.
4    We promote equality and gender responsiveness in agricultural research and development.
5    We recognise our worth as women and seek to serve as role models for young girls in our society.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Aim 1: To provide a responsive and supportive service to the CSIR-Crops Research Institute
Objectives
i.    Deliver well on our responsibilities as female staff of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute
ii.    Provide a gender lens and bring our expertise to bear in promoting gender responsive agricultural research
iii.    Improve the visibility of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute through strategic promotion of the activities of the institute, networking and collaboration
iv.    Seek opportunities to develop and maintain inter gender interactions at the institute

Aim 2: To be a catalyst for the promotion and development of female staff at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute
Objectives
i.    Recognise, value and promote the expertise of female staff of the institute
ii.    Build the resilience of women in the agricultural research environment
iii.    Identify and share opportunities for continuous professional and personal development of female staff
iv.    Encourage and empower women by promoting their involvement at all levels of institutional management and decision making
v.    Organise role modelling activities to encourage and empower young girls in our society
Aim 3: To support the social and personal wellbeing of female staff of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute
Objectives:
i.    Organize entertaining and educational activities for the wellbeing of female staff of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute
ii.    Support female staff in cases of social and personal events such as funerals, childbirth, marriage, etc
iii.    Act as mediator and support system in cases of conflict intra and inter gender conflicts at the institute
iv.    Assist in building a safe, secure and fit for purpose working environment for female staff of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute

Horticulture Division

Horticulture is a major segment of agriculture, which deals with intensively cultured plants.  The abundance of vegetables, fruits and other nutrient-rich horticultural products has a high potential of improving the health and well-being of the population. In recent times, there’s been a tremendous interest and increase in the demand for horticultural products due to awareness of the benefits derived from them.
The Horticulture Division is one of the eleven (11) divisions of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) aimed at developing and disseminating improved varieties and technologies of horticultural crops for sustainable production. The Division conducts basic and applied research to increase resistance of such crops to adverse environmental conditions.
The Division is made up of three sections namely “Vegetables”, “Tree/Fruit Crops”, and “Plantain/Banana”. The “Vegetables” as well as the “Tree/Fruit Crops” sections are located at Kwadaso while the “Plantain/Banana” section is located at the Head office of the Institute, Fumesua, all in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

Area of Specialization
The Division conducts research on vegetables (tomato, pepper, garden egg/eggplant, onion, okra, African Indigenous vegetables, carrots, cabbage, lettuce garlic etc.), tree and fruit crops (mango, citrus, pawpaw, avocado pear, pineapple, guava, cashew etc.) as well as Plantain and banana.

Specific areas of specialization are:

  • Genetic improvement, production, processing, preservation and marketing of tropical fruit crops, vegetables, spices and medicinal plants.
  • Dissemination of information and transfer improved technologies on horticultural crops
  • Coordination of all research on horticultural crops and as a repository of scientific information relevant to the development of horticulture in Ghana.

Research Interest

The Division’s research interest includes:

  • General improvement of vegetables such as tomato, pepper, eggplant, okra etc spanning the development of crop varieties that are demand-led and employs good agricultural practices for increased productivity
  • Improvement in the genetic potentials of Tree and fruit crops including plantain and Banana
  • Development of appropriate economic and husbandry practices for the production of horticultural crops.
  • Development and improvement of existing methods of harvesting, packaging, storage, processing of specific horticultural crops.
  • Study on the ecology and biology of pests and diseases of horticultural crops in the country and devise effective and appropriate control measures.
  • Equipping farmers, extension personnel, exporters, NGOs and others interested in fruit and vegetable crops production through training and the provision of information.

The division has a current staff strength of 46 comprising scientists, technicians and field staff. The various sections (vegetable/tree and fruit crops/Plantain and banana) are each headed by a sectional head and the entire division is led by a Head of Division.