Nyankpala, Northern Ghana — September 23, 2026

Thirty agricultural extension agents from Tolon, Kumbungu and Sagnarigu Districts have visited the CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) Technology Park at Nyankpala as part of efforts to strengthen the connection between agricultural research, extension and farming communities.

The visit provided the extension agents with an opportunity to see agricultural technologies and improved crop varieties developed by CSIR-SARI and to interact with researchers about their application, management and potential benefits to farmers.

For the participants, the visit was more than an institutional tour. It was an opportunity to gain practical knowledge that they can take back to the farmers and communities they serve.

Turning research into practical knowledge

Agricultural research only creates meaningful impact when innovations reach the farmers who need them. Extension agents play a critical role in this process, translating research findings and technologies into practical information that farmers can understand and use.

For Karimu Musah, an extension agent from Kumbungu District, seeing the technologies firsthand was particularly valuable.

“As extension agents, we are expected to take agricultural technologies to farmers, but it is much easier to explain and promote a technology when you have seen it yourself and understand how it works. This visit has given us the opportunity to learn directly from the researchers, see the technologies in practice and build the confidence to take this knowledge back to our farmers.”
— Karimu Musah, Extension Agent, Kumbungu District

A platform for research, learning and exchange

The Technology Park is designed to provide a practical space where agricultural innovations can be demonstrated and where researchers, extension personnel, farmers and other stakeholders can interact with technologies developed through research.

According to Dr. Charles Nelimor, Technology Park Manager at CSIR-SARI, strengthening this connection is central to the purpose of the Technology Park.

“The Technology Park is not simply a place where we display technologies. It is a platform for connecting research with the people who will use it. By bringing extension agents here, we are equipping them with practical knowledge that they can transfer to farmers in their districts. We want the technologies developed by CSIR-SARI to move beyond our research fields and laboratories and ultimately contribute to improved productivity and livelihoods.”
— Dr. Charles Nelimor, Technology Park Manager, CSIR-SARI

From seeing to sharing

The participation of extension agents from Tolon, Kumbungu and Sagnarigu represents an important step in strengthening the research–extension–farmer linkage.

The knowledge gained during the visit is expected to support the extension agents in their engagements with farmers, enabling them to provide more informed guidance on available technologies, improved varieties and appropriate production practices.

For CSIR-SARI, the Technology Park provides a mechanism for making agricultural research more visible, accessible and actionable.

The approach is simple:

Research → Demonstration → Extension → Farmer Knowledge → Adoption → Improved Outcomes

The visit is therefore not an end in itself. It is part of a broader effort to ensure that agricultural innovations developed through research reach farming communities and contribute to addressing the challenges faced by farmers across northern Ghana.

As more extension agents, farmers, agribusinesses and other stakeholders visit the Technology Park, CSIR-SARI aims to strengthen the facility’s role as a hub where research meets practice and agricultural knowledge moves from the research station to the farmer.