By Ruth Dery
Tema, Dec. 16, GNA – Mrs. Patience Alloh, Director of Agriculture for Tema West Municipal, has encouraged Ghanaians to learn and practise backyard farming under hygienic conditions for home consumption.
Mrs. Alloh advised households to use any available space around their homes to cultivate vegetables under healthy conditions.
She said the Agriculture Department would intensify sensitization on climate-smart agriculture and continue to promote “One House One Tree” to help reduce the adverse effect of climate change and enhance nutritional status.
“The department would scale up the sensitization on alternate livelihoods such as mushroom and snail production as well as build the capacity of interested individuals on catfish production.
“We would also facilitate group formation of farmers and all other actors along the Agricultural Value Chain to enhance extension delivery,” she said.
Mrs. Alloh reiterated that the global economic challenges call for a concerted approach to the concept of Value Addition in Agriculture in the area of crop/livestock production and aquaculture.
She said Value Addition in Agricultural products presents an opportunity for additional revenue generation, job creation, food security, improved food safety, foreign exchange earnings, and effective post-harvest management, satisfying Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) one and two.
SDG one calls for an end to poverty in all its manifestations by 2030 and SDG two is about creating a world free of hunger by 2030.
She said the Agriculture Department of the Assembly would continue to raise seedlings of economic benefits under the government’s Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) for distribution to households.
“The survival and progress of a nation depend largely on the performance of its agricultural sector. Agriculture can, therefore, not be left out in our developmental agenda as a nation,” Mrs. Alloh said.
GNA