By Daniel Agbesi Latsu
Dodo-Pepesu (O/R), Nov. 08, GNA – Mr Gideon Anto, a 55-year-old farmer from Pampawie, a farming community in the Kadjebi District in the Oti Region, has been declared the overall Best Farmer for Kadjebi District.
He had eight-acres of plantain farm, two-acre vegetable, one-acre cowpea, one-acre turmeric, 18-acre Cocoa farm, 150 birds, 150 pigs, 350 snails and 10 tortoises.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after being declared winner, said farming is lucrative and pays, so people, especially, the youth should engage in it.
He said he had five children in tertiary all school fees being paid through income from farming.
Mr Anto, however, appealed for market since he had about 30 bags of maize lying down without market to sale.
Mr Wilson Kwami Agbanyo, Kadjebi District Chief Executive, said, the theme for the 2024 National Farmers’ Day: “Building Climate-Resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security” is appropriate as” climate change poses one of the greatest threats to agriculture today”.
He said to “achieve climate resilience in agriculture, we must adopt strategies that ensure our food systems can withstand and adapt to the changing climate”.
This means investing in climate-smart agriculture practices, such as the use of drought-resistant crop varieties, efficient water management systems, and sustainable land use practices.
Mr Agbanyo said that under the Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA), the Kadjebi District Department of Agriculture has received and supplied 4,185 oil palms and 600 mango seedlings to farmers.
“This is a Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) intervention”.
Under the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase II programme, he said, 3,325 farmers comprising 2,265 males 1,055 females as well as five institutions have been registered and of the number, 1,122 were selected to benefit from the programme.
Mr Rashad Shaibu, the Kadjebi District Director of the Development of Food and Agriculture, Kadjebi District had a favourable arable land for farming, and it had 33, 697 farmer population.
He, however, lamented about staff strength to manage these farmers and that the Department had only nine Agriculture Extension Officers.
Sixteen farmers and one Agriculture Extension Officer were awarded, and they received Cutlass, Spraying machines, and certificates.
The overall Best Farmer received a certificate, spraying machines, Cutlass and a double-door fridge.
GNA