By Naa Shormei Odonkor
Kumasi, May 24, GNA – The Kosmos Innovation Centre (KIC), a non-profit organisation in Ghana, has rolled out its 2025 School Farms Competition with 700 participating schools in Ghana.
Organised in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, the competition aims to promote agriculture among students at the basic and secondary school levels of education to achieve the broader goal of KIC.
Ms Terence Tienaah, the Programmes Manager at KIC, said the organisation aimed to raise a generation of agricultural entrepreneurs who understood the importance of agriculture in sustaining livelihoods and contributing to national development.
The School Farm Awards Programme forms an integral part of KIC’s strategy to promote practical agricultural education and enhance the entrepreneurial potential of students across Ghana.
Ms Tienaah recalled that over 1,000 schools, including special schools, applied to participate in the competition this year, indicating the positive impact the initiative has had on students and schools.
After the selection of participating schools, she said coordinators from the selected schools were trained to train and guide the students on good agronomical practices to implement on their farms.
Ms Tienaah indicated that the training for the schools’ coordinators ensured that the competition remained impactful, educational, and aligned with the best global practices in horticulture.
She said the school farms would be visited by officers from KIC to award marks based on the quality of vegetables, and the effectiveness of the farming practices.
Additionally, the students will be vetted on the contribution of the program in promoting agriculture among the youth.
Ms Tienaah mentioned that one of the objectives of the competition was to challenge students to demonstrate practical knowledge of sustainable farming practices.
She said practicing their theoretical knowledge in agriculture would improve their agricultural skills, and promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education through experiential learning.
The School Farm Competition and Awards which was initiated by the Blueskies Foundation, has been adopted by the Kosmos Innovation Center to promote agriculture in Ghana.
GNA
Yusif Ibrahim/Linda Asante Agyei