The launch of the technology park on agroecology, circular economy and climate action is part of the CRI's Agroecology and Circular Economy for Ecosystem Services (ACE4ES) Project; - a multi-institutional initiative aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture practices to mitigate short-lived climate pollutants and enhance ecosystem services.

The 15-acre multipurpose technology park will serve as a hub of innovation, where validated technologies for agroecology and circular systems will be tested, demonstrated and scaled up.

Again, it will be used as a center for learning and capacity building providing farmers, researchers and policymakers the tools and knowledge needed to transit from sustainable practices.

Dr Kwaku Onwona-Hwesofour Asante, ACE4ES Africa Consortium Coordinator and a Scientist at CRI, speaking at the commissioning of the park, indicated that, the multicultural technology park had instruments for measuring methane, nitrous oxide, black carbon (super pollutants in agriculture).

The commissioning coincided with the 2025 Open Day of CSIR-CRI, and the launch of the Regional Policy Guide of Agroecology, Circular Economy and Climate Action, at Fumesua, near Ejisu in the Ashanti region.

With these instruments in place, Dr Asante called for extra support to get scientists to carry out different agroecological studies across the regions to be able to generate the data needed for Ghana to participate in agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) opportunities.

According to him, Ghana does not have emission factors for agriculture GHGs, making it difficult for the country to access or work on any of the opportunities in tackling agricultural emissions issues.
He said although agroecology, an old principle, was one of the growing concepts that brought along the key parameters to drive ecosystem services, including input reduction, recycling, animal and plant health.

"There should be ecosystem services and sustainability because the population across Africa are concerned about the amount of chemical inputs that are going into our food systems, pesticide loads are exceeding thresholds, soils are increasingly getting acidic and unproductive, with the adoption of agroecology, we use that concept to solve several problems within agriculture and food systems", he observed.

Professor Paul Pinnock Bosu, Director-General, CSIR, said the launch of the technology park and policy document fitted well into the first thrust of CSIR's corporate strategic plan, which highlighted the Council's readiness to push private sector driven research and development as well as technological innovation.

Prof Maxwell Darko Asante, CSIR-CRI Director, said the research institution was in the position to support the Government's Feed Ghana Programme by recommending varieties and associated technologies, produce adequate breeder and foundation seeds and also partner the seed growers to produce certified seeds all aimed at ensuring sustainable agriculture.

Mr Kwasi Etu-Bonde, Technical Advisor to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, pledged the Ministry's readiness to work hand-in-hand with ACE4ES and all stakeholders to ensure that the benefits of the technological park reached every farmer and community in Ghana.