A major agricultural transformation is unfolding in the Tolon Constituency as Member of Parliament Hon. Habib Iddrisu, affectionately known across the constituency as “Soyalana,” launches an ambitious mechanisation initiative to modernise farming, boost food production, and create new opportunities for rural livelihoods.
At the centre of this bold intervention is the newly established Soyalana Agricultural Mechanisation Centre (SAMC), a constituency-wide agricultural support system designed to deliver mechanised farming services, agricultural advisory support, and agribusiness opportunities to farming communities across Tolon.
For a constituency where agriculture remains the backbone of household livelihoods and the local economy, the intervention is already being hailed by farmers and community leaders as one of the most practical and transformative agricultural investments in recent years.
A NEW CHAPTER FOR AGRICULTURE IN TOLON
For generations, farming has been the heartbeat of Tolon. Yet many farmers have continued to rely on manual labour, rain-fed production and limited access to timely mechanised services, often resulting in delayed planting, lower yields and avoidable losses.
Hon. Habib Iddrisu says that he had to change.
Driven by his commitment to rural transformation and food security, the MP has invested in a structured agricultural mechanisation system built around accessibility, affordability and long-term sustainability.
The initiative aligns with a broader vision captured in the Centre’s guiding message:
“Soyalana agricultural mechanisation services and technology-driven farming and agribusiness enterprises for zero hunger and zero poverty.”
The goal is straightforward but ambitious: help farmers cultivate more land on time, increase yields, reduce drudgery, improve incomes and inspire a new generation of agribusiness entrepreneurs.
FIVE ZONES, FIVE TRACTORS: NO COMMUNITY LEFT OUT
To ensure timely and equitable service delivery, the constituency has been strategically divided into five operational zones, each with a dedicated tractor and a full complement of modern implements. At the centre, there is also a stand-alone tractor and a full complement of modern implements, ready to support the others in the five zones.
The zones are Lungbunga/Kasulyili in the western belt, Yogg/Chirifoyili in the northern belt, Tali/Gburimani in the eastern belt, Tolon in the central belt, and Nyankpala/Worrebogu in the southern belt, with each zone equipped with a tractor and plough, harrow, planter, harvester, thresher, sheller, and sprayers to provide comprehensive mechanised farming services throughout the production cycle. This decentralised model is designed to reduce waiting time, improve operational efficiency and bring mechanisation services closer to farmers.
BEYOND TRACTORS: A FULL AGRIBUSINESS SUPPORT SYSTEM
What makes the Soyalana Agricultural Mechanisation Centre distinctive is that it goes beyond machinery.
The Centre combines mechanised services with:
Agricultural Advisory Services
Through Soyalana Farm Radio, TV, and mobile extension services, farmers will receive regular guidance on climate-smart agriculture, soil fertility and water management, adoption of improved certified seed, and crop management and agronomic best practices. The Project will also strengthen input and market linkages by connecting farmers with agro-dealers, seed suppliers, buyers and aggregators, as well as broader market opportunities and contract farming arrangements.
Youth and Women Agribusiness Development
A major focus of the initiative is to promote youth employment and strengthen women’s economic participation by supporting skills training in mechanisation and agribusiness, encouraging youth-led farm enterprises, empowering women through greenhouse vegetable production, and expanding opportunities for agribusiness entrepreneurship across the constituency.
The Centre also maintains a subsidised pricing structure to make services affordable while ensuring operational sustainability.
“THIS IS ABOUT OPPORTUNITY, DIGNITY AND RESULTS” – SOYALANA
Speaking to farmers and community members during the launch, Hon. Habib Iddrisu reaffirmed his commitment to putting agriculture at the centre of Tolon’s development.
According to him, agriculture must be treated not merely as a survival activity but as a modern business capable of creating wealth and transforming communities.
He noted that the people of Tolon possess the land, labour and determination to succeed, and that the responsibility of leadership is to create the systems and opportunities needed for farmers to thrive.
For many residents, that message reflects the development style that has earned him the popular name Soyalana, a name now increasingly associated with action, results and practical investment in livelihoods.
A MODEL FOR THE NORTH
Beyond Tolon, observers say the Soyalana Agricultural Mechanisation Centre offers an important model for agricultural transformation in Northern Ghana.
By combining mechanisation, extension, agribusiness and structured service delivery at the constituency level, the initiative demonstrates what targeted leadership and practical investment can achieve.
For the people of Tolon, however, the impact is immediate and deeply personal.
A farmer can now register in the community, access mechanisation services closer to home, receive advisory support, and connect to markets all through one coordinated system.
And as the rainy season commences, the sound that begins to define communities across Tolon is not only the familiar call to the farm, but the steady roar of tractors preparing fields for a more productive and more hopeful future.
In Tolon today, mechanisation is no longer a promise. It is on the ground, and Soyalana is driving it forward.
