By Elizabeth Larkwor Baah
Nungua, Nov. 9, GNA – Mr Joshua Bortey, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Krowor Municipal Assembly (KroMA), has called on farmers to adopt climate-smart farming practices for sustainable food production.
The MCE stated this in a speech read on his behalf by Ms Jemima Akpedo Kalikratis, the Coordinating Director for the assembly, during the municipality’s 40th Farmers Day Celebration on the theme: “Building Climate Resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security.”
There was free health screening and the presentation of items, ranging from fridges, water pumps, knapsack sprayers, cutlasses, and others as prizes to winners.
The overall best farmer received a tricycle in addition to other items.
Mr Bortey called for collaboration between the government, farmers, research institutions, funding agencies, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector to promote climate-resilient agriculture for food sustenance and security.
Outlining some practices needed in building climate adaptive farming practices, he told the farmers to cultivate climate resilience crops, do water management such as precision irrigation, drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge techniques, and greenhouse farming.
He added that it was crucial to manage feed by altering frequency and modifications of diet composition, seek local weather information from experts based on location and time-specific technologies, and create an artificial eco-system for livestock rearing and fish farming.
Mr Bortey noted that the government recognised the importance of agriculture in national development and hence created an enabling environment through incentives and strategic policy interventions for farmers and fishers who continued to feed Ghana’s growing population and industries, thus contributing to Ghana’s foreign exchange.
He said 270 farms were enhanced through the distribution of 100 bags of fertilisers and 270 kg of maize seeds as direct inputs for 100 farmers and food business operators supported with processing equipment to reduce post-harvest losses under the second phase of the government’s planting for food and jobs programme.
The MCE further said over 300 viable mango and coconut seedlings were distributed to farmers under the planting for export and rural development initiative, while 50 unemployed youth were supported with 5000 fingerlings, 300 bags of fish feed, and tarpaulins to venture into fish farming in the municipality.
He said over 1,800 farmers and processors were trained on climate-smart agriculture practices under the modernisation of agriculture programme, saying that the assembly established the Nungua Landing Beach Committee to ensure fishermen were regularly supplied with premix fuel while complying with fishing laws.
Ms Elizabeth Tapang-Tetteh, KroMA Director of Agriculture, urged Ghanaians to actively engage in and support farming activities to bolster food security and sustainable economic growth.
She said the government’s flagship programmes had successfully enhanced the agribusiness sector and encouraged the youth to explore careers in agriculture.
GNA