By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, May 26, GNA – Stakeholders at a media engagement forum in Bolgatanga have raised urgent concerns about the extinction of indigenous seeds and its potential implications for food security, local livelihoods, and cultural heritage.
The stakeholders included smallholder farmers, officials from the Department of Agriculture, the National Commission on Culture, Traditional Authorities, the Forestry Commission, District Assemblies, and civil society organisations, among others.
Speaking at the forum on Indigenous Seed Systems and Food Sovereignty, the stakeholders said indigenous seeds had historically provided resilience to changing weather patterns, while imported foreign varieties, high-yield seeds, and genetically modified crops struggled to withstand the harsh conditions in parts of Northern Ghana, particularly the Upper East Region.
The forum, jointly organised by the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO), Trax Ghana, and the Beela Project, aimed to engage media practitioners and urge them to use their platforms to amplify and champion the value of local and indigenous seeds and agroecological practices.
Dr Joseph Bangu, Executive Director of NABOCADO, said indigenous seeds and their varieties had been declining over the years as farmers increasingly adopted foreign high-yield seeds and relied more heavily on agrochemicals.
He warned that this shift was threatening indigenous farming practices, eroding local agrobiodiversity, and contributing to pollution of farmlands and nearby waterways.
Dr Bangu noted that unlike in the past, when farmers planted crops such as early and late millet and guinea corn, such practices were becoming less common.
He also cautioned that Ghana’s growing dependence on foreign seed systems could undermine the country’s self-reliance, adding that in the event of disruptions from supplier countries, it could translate into serious shocks to food security.
Presenting recommendations, Ms Abena Offeh-Gyimah, Director of the Beela Project, emphasised the need to empower communities to establish Community Seed Banks, farmer-managed seed systems designed to help communities choose appropriate seeds and store them properly across farming seasons.
She argued that since about 80 per cent of smallholder farmers depended largely on indigenous seeds to sustain their communities and feed the nation, supporting community seed banking would enable farmers to access indigenous seeds without having to spend on foreign seeds and input purchases.
The Director further stated that losing indigenous seed varieties would not only affect farming but also communities’ traditions, since crops from these varieties were used in cultural practices such as funerals, traditional festivals, and outdooring ceremonies.
Mr Vincent Subbey, Director of Trax Ghana, commended the media practitioners drawn from the 15 Municipal and District Assemblies in the region for their commitment and appealed to them to champion the cause of indigenous seed preservation and food sovereignty through their coverage.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali /Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Email: [email protected]