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The National Service Scheme (NSS) is accelerating efforts to improve food security in the country through a number of agricultural interventions. The scheme, as a result, is focusing on its activities at its Ejura Maize Farm in the Ejura Municipality in the Ashanti Region. The farm, which was begun in 2010, produces about 30,000 bags of maize each harvest season. The NSS maize farm occupies a land area of about 1,000 acres and its sole purpose is to supplement the government�s efforts at ensuring food security in the Ashanti Region and the country as a whole. Through the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools, the scheme has supplied various senior high schools throughout the country with about 80 per cent of its maize produce. As part of measures to increase production this year and in subsequent years, the NSS received a grant of GH�5 million from the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF). A part of the money was used to purchase agricultural machinery. The Executive Director of NSS, Alhaji Alhassan Imoro, has inspected the farm machinery bought with the funds from EDIF. The machinery included a fertiliser spreader, combined harvesters, planters and a dryer. Speaking to the Daily Graphic after inspecting the farm machinery, Alhaji Imoro said it had become necessary to involve a number of national service persons in the farm project. He said improving the farm�s capacity and adding value to the farm produce was an area that was being considered by the NSS. He commended EDIF for assisting the National Service Scheme to purchase the farm machinery. The Director of Projects at the National Service Scheme (NSS), Rev. George Gado, said the NSS was going to extend and improve on its farm projects by working through the Youth-In-Agriculture Programme. According to Rev. Gado, the NSS is working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture. He said the scheme had set up a pilot system under which between 50 and 100 national service persons had come to possess their own farms. The service persons were particularly marketing students from tertiary institutions who had been trained in production, marketing, storage and processing of farm produce. He said the system was part of plans by the NSS to sustain the scheme�s farm projects. �EDIF has supported the National Service Scheme with GH�5 million as grant to purchase agriculture machinery to help improve and sustain agricultural production on the NSS farm project at Ejura�.