Accra, June 12, GNA – Prof Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Board Chairman, A Rocha Ghana, has urged journalists to develop interest in environmental issues and focus their reportage on land and forest ecosystem to promote agroecology.
He said agroecology basically was a sustainable farming that worked with nature where farming practices mitigated climate change, managed the impact of farming on wildlife and adapted agricultural techniques to suit the social, environmental and economic conditions of the area
Prof Oteng-Yeboah said this at a national stakeholder’s forum organised by Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), on the theme: “Journalism, Agroecology and Environmental Sustainability in Ghana.”
The forum is in line with public interest and accountability journalism and the role of media, CSOs, political actors, policy makers and the public in contributing to shaping public debates and policies through quality journalism.
Prof Oteng-Yeboah said agroecology guaranteed food and nutrition security, adding that it was an integrated and holistic approach to achieve food system transformations, address food production and Commercialisation systems.
He said Ghana’s agro-ecological situation had been changing rapidly and suffering from environmental challenges like climate change, pollution, and biodiversity losses that were hampering environmental sustainability.
“Our land is under stress…making our lives unpredictable. We need to restore it, stop the degradation and put in place strategies to promote drought resilience, particularly biodiversity and genetic resources in our ecosystem to promote life,” he said.
Prof Oteng-Yeboah said the society needed to understand the dangers of desertification, deforestation, air, water and land pollution, biodiversity losses, climate change and the enormous benefits of agroecology.
He said society could make informed choices, help in the fight against environmental degradation when the media (journalists) informed and educated the masses.
“It is critical that we have more environmental journalists to share this knowledge in society. I suggest the admission of graduates from the Environmental Science Departments and colleges in our universities into journalism. Their presence in journalism will beef up environmental reportage,”
Dr Kojo Impraim, Programme Director, Media for Peace and Sustainable Development, MFWA, who spoke on behalf of Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director, MFWA, said we had been producing foods with questionable nutritional value, where prevalence of food poisoning had become a significant public health concern.
“With agroecology, we can ensure sustainable food production and safeguard the future of our food and environment. I urge journalists, producers to prioritise public education on climate change and agroecology issues in their programming,” he said.
GNA