By Regina Benneh
Fiapre (B/R), Nov. 12, GNA – Some female farmers took centre stage at the Sunyani West Municipal celebration of the 40th National Farmers Day, held at Fiapre in the Bono Region.
Hajia Mariama Salifu Dumasua Mantukwa won the Best Woman in Agricultural Award, having six hectares of cassava, 10 hectares of plantain, half a hectare each of pepper and garden eggs.
She also has 800 fowls, four cattle, 70 goats and a sheep.
For her prize, she received a table-top refrigerator, radio cassette player, three pieces of wax print, 10 bags of organic fertilizer, 10 bars of key soap, four pairs of wellington boots, and five cutlasses.
Madam Mariama Abubakar was the second runner-up and received similar items. She has 17 hectares of maize, eight hectares of cassava, three hectares of garden eggs, two hectares of pepper and three hectares of okro.
In addition to these are two hectares of tomato, a hectare each of yam and cowpea, two hectares of plantain, 17 Goats, five sheep, and 45 local birds.
Madam Esther Oboshie from Amanfoso also emerged the Best Agriculture Extension Officer in the Municipality.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the side-lines of the celebration, the award winners expressed their gratitude and encouraged unemployed women to engage in farming as a commercial activity to support the upkeep of their families.
They called on traditional authorities to release lands to women who were interested in commercial farming and urged financial institutions to also provide loans to them.
Bismark Yelbouri, a 21-year-old physically challenged farmer, was also honoured.
He received a bicycle, knapsack sprayer, Wellington boot, cutlasses, key soap, wax print and fertilizers and weedicides.
Mr John Nkaw, the Country Director, Action Aid Ghana, a non-governmental organisation and a sponsor of the programme, said women in agriculture remained essential to the promotion of gender equality and improving livelihoods.
He expressed worry over the myraid of challenges women farmers were confronted with, including limited land access and credit facilities, saying those challenges ought to be
tackled to attract more women into commercial farming.
As the population grew, Mr Nkaw said ActionAid Ghana would continue to support smallholder farmers and women to contribute meaningfully towards accelerated national development, while empowering them economically.
GNA