Breaking Barriers: Northern Ghana’s First Woman-led Seed Producer Reshapes Roles in Agribusiness

Seed production is a lifeline for farmers across Ghana. High-quality seeds are the foundation of food security, determining the yield, resilience, and profitability of crops. Yet, access to certified seeds remains a challenge for many smallholder farmers, limiting their productivity and income.

Dinmbone Farm Gates, the only woman-led seed production and input supply enterprise in Ghana’s Northern Region, is changing this reality. Through innovative solutions and strategic partnerships, the business is ensuring farmers have access to improved seeds and is reshaping women’s role in agribusiness in the region.

Overcoming barriers to growth

Located in Nyankpala, Tamale, Dinmbone Farm Gates (DFG) specializes in the production of foundation and certified seeds for cowpea, soybean, groundnuts, maize, and rice. The enterprise also engages in input sales, distribution, and seed production training for farmers. Today, DFG reaches over 500 smallholder farmers and has tripled its permanent staff. But DFG’s path to success has not always been easy.

The enterprise, founded by Dr. Sanatu Mustapha Alidu, faced significant obstacles that limited its expansion and ability to meet market demand. Limited access to mechanization services, including tractors and threshers, delayed planting and harvesting, leading to reduced crop yields. Environmental threats like bushfires further threatened production and yields.

“In the 2022/3 farming season, I lost about 10 acres to bushfires, which left me devastated,” recalls Dr. Sanatu.

Financial constraints compounded these challenges, making it difficult to secure capital for essential equipment and infrastructure.

New opportunities arrive

In 2023, DFG joined MEDA’s Greater Rural Opportunities for Women 2 (GROW2) project, funded by Global Affairs Canada. The partnership with GROW2 provided targeted support to help DFG scale.

DFG was awarded a matching grant to procure a tractor, a disc plough, and a multi-purpose thresher to enable efficient land preparation, reduce labour costs, and ensure timely harvesting to reduce post-harvest losses. Dr. Sanatu was also sponsored by GROW2 to attend key agribusiness events including the ANDE 2023 Inclusive Investing Roundtable, the 2023 National Farmers’ Day Exhibition, and the Annual Pre-Harvest Event, where she showcased certified seeds and built valuable business networks. Business development services supported DFG in improving its investor readiness, embracing business risk, and improving its branding strategies.

“I was brought out of my shell and comfort zone and learned that many women’s businesses fail due to fear of taking risks,” says Dr. Sanatu. “But I have learned to embrace risks, and today, I am more confident and ready to scale up and take on new challenges”.

Scaling success: A pioneer for women-led agribusinesses

DFG’s partnership with GROW2 has also supported the enterprise to position itself as a leader in women-led seed production under the project’s Innovation Fund – a flagship initiative designed to enhance access to agricultural technologies. Through the initiative, GROW2 introduced the smart-incentive mechanism that connects technology vendors with clients, offering a discount on essential agricultural inputs such as certified seeds, organic fertilizers, inoculants, roller planters, and others. This model helps last-mile farmers access high-quality inputs while building sustainable market linkages.

As a result of the Innovation Fund, DFG has sold 55.98 metric tons (MT) of fertilizer and groundnut and soyabean-certified seeds to women smallholder farmers in its second year of collaboration. This is a substantial increase from the 4.26 MT sold in the first year of the partnership. DFG’s boost in sales resulted from the addition of legume-specific fertilizers to meet market demand. DFG saw an impressive 53% increase in its sale of certified seeds and an increase of 45% in fertilizer sales.

This growth has also translated into job creation. DFG’s workforce has expanded from five to 18 permanent staff, including field officers, supervisors, and managers. Over 150 casual workers are also now engaged in seed cleaning during production cycles. During the dry season, DFG employs over 70 youth in seed cleaning and packaging, offering daily wages well above the national minimum wage. The efficiency gains have also been significant for DFG.

“I received the tractor before the start of the 2024/5 season, so it helped me in timely preparation of my commercial farms for over 300 acres and had the opportunity to extend services to over 500 smallholder farmers across 4 districts in Northern Ghana,” Dr. Sanatu shares. 

DFG now completes harvesting in just three days, compared to over two weeks when relying on rental services.

Implementing change for lasting impact

With GROW2’s strategic support, DFG has undergone a remarkable transformation. As DFG continues its expansion, GROW2 is set to provide further support in 2025, including branding, business development services, and access to finance. These investments will support the continued transformation of the business, ensuring that Dinmbone Farm Gates continues to lead and break barriers as a pioneering woman-led agribusiness in Ghana’s seed production industry.