The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, as part of celebrating World Food Day on October 16, 2024, has sensitized farmers in the Wa-Upper West Region of Ghana on agroecology and circular economy as an approach to mitigating the impact of climate change and addressing the food crisis in the country.
According to the Executive Director of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Bismarck Owusu Nortey, Ghana’s food system is under serious threat following the devastating effects of illegal mining (galamsey), climate change, and the introduction and commercialization of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Ghana.
The Executive Director revealed that, per their analysis, if decisive actions are not taken against galamsey, Ghana may face a generational food crisis. He pointed out that the illegal activities are destroying our water bodies, farmlands and claiming the youth, who are the workforce of the agricultural industry.
Speaking at the event organized by PFAG and CSIR-Crop Research Institute with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) under the theme: “Sustainable Agriculture for a Greener and Resilient Future” Mr. Nortey urges farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices or climate-smart agricultural practice like minimum tillage, cover cropping and mixed cropping to enhance food production and minimize climate change.
Acknowledging the dangers galamsey poses on the food system the Deputy Executive Director for the Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) Daniel Banuoku Faabelangne said “In recent times there is a lot of corporate pressure towards the takeover of the seed and food system globally and once we lose our food, we’ve lost our identity, we’ve lost our culture and we’ve lost our heritage”.
He encouraged farmers to avert their minds to a much bigger existential threat that the country is confronted with, which is the introduction and proliferation of genetically modified organisms and biotechnology, which will extinct the local seed industry.
Meanwhile, a Research Scientist at the CSIR-Crop Research Institute and Project lead/Principal Investigator for ACE4ES, Dr. Kwaku Ashanti, said that activities of illegal mining (galamsey) are severely affecting the environment and the food system while advising farmers to avoid the use of synthetic chemicals that further deteriorate the environment.
He called on farmers to adopt agroecology and circular economy for ecosystem services in Sub-Saharan Africa. This practice, he said will reduce climate change and increase food production.
The Scientist revealed that biodiversity is being severely impacted by the chemicals that farmers are applying to the agriculture industry.
Additionally, he said that “If we can go back to our ancestral practice, where they were not using a chemical spray, where they were not using synthetic fertilizers to make the soil acidic and adopt their practices that were keeping the environment clean and still producing good food for us, we will be making good headway”.
Admitting that population growth demands innovation and technology, Dr. Kwaku Ashanti said the continuous use of synthetic chemicals to spray pests would kill about 50% to 80% of the insects serving as pollinators in the area which would have aided the yield of crops. Adding that, after 5 years of applications of synthetic chemicals, the land would have lost 80% of its pollinators.
The Principal Investigator for ACE4ES further indicated that due to the increasing population, CSIR-Crop Research Institute is championing agroecology research work so that top-level farmers can embrace agroecology and scale up to produce more food instead of maintaining the practice of indigenous farming.
On her part, The Queen Mother of Tabiehi, Pognaa Fatima Osumanu, said she would go back to her Community and sensitize them on the dangers associated with the use of synthetic chemicals and the threat GMOs pose to our food system. She urges all to do the same while appealing to the media houses to help propagate the message.
Story by: Wononuo Salifu||Tungsung Radio
