By Anthony Adongo Apubeo, GNA
Zuarungu (U/E), Oct. 1, GNA – The Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM), a non-governmental organisation and its consortium partners have called for the introduction of a dedicated award category to recognise farmers who practice agroecology and promote indigenous farming knowledge.
Ms Abigail Fati Abdulai, the Executive Director of WOM, made the call at a stakeholder engagement in Zuarungu in the Bolgatanga East District.
The engagement brought together the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, District Assemblies and Departments of Agriculture from West Mamprusi in the North East Region, Bolgatanga and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities, Kassena-Nankana West, Bongo, Talensi and Nabdam districts in the Upper East Region, as well as CSOs and agroecology farmers.
The engagement sought to initiate discussions on establishing an Agroecology Day or a dedicated agroecology category within the farmer awards scheme, while promoting the integration of agroecological practices into District Assembly development plans and agricultural extension services.
It formed part of the “Strengthening Agroecology for Resilient Livelihoods: Empowering Women and Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana” project, being supported by the 11th Hour Project Food Sovereignty Fund, an initiative managed in partnership with RSF Social Finance.
The meeting formed part of efforts by WOM and its consortium partners, including Trax Ghana, The Beela Project, ORGIIS Ghana, the Centre for Ecological Agriculture and Livelihoods (CEAL), Bugbon Farms and Volta Sustainable Farms, to strengthen agroecology and build resilient livelihoods among women and smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana.
Ms Abdulai said the project focused on strengthening agroecological practices to improve production and livelihoods while creating an enabling environment for policy influence, documenting farmers’ indigenous knowledge and strengthening collaboration among stakeholders.
“This meeting today is to examine existing farmer award systems and identify areas where agroecology could be better recognised so that they will be motivated to not only sustain it but expand their production,” she said.
Ms Abdulai said there was the need for systems that would motivate farmers who were working hard to promote sustainable agricultural practices.
“Sometimes, hard work alone is not enough to sustain farmers’ motivation. We therefore need systems in place to recognise and appreciate the efforts of these hardworking farmers.
“By acknowledging and rewarding their contributions, we can encourage them to continue and, at the same time, inspire other farmers to embrace and sustain agroecological practices,” she said.
Mr Thomas Yaro, Assistant Upper East Regional Agriculture Officer in charge of Extension, said the national farmer awards system did not currently have a dedicated category for agroecology farmers.
However, he said some District Assemblies had introduced initiatives to recognise farmers practising agroecological farming.
He explained that farmer award categories were generally created to promote crops based on national demand and availability. Although the categories were limited at the national level, they were expanded at the district level, creating opportunities for agroecology farmers to compete.
Mr Wilberforce Laate, the Deputy Director at the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), called for stronger collaboration between agricultural NGOs and the Department of Agriculture.
He said such collaboration would help ensure that agroecology farmers received appropriate technical guidance and complied with recommended agroecological practices.
Mr Kassim Salifu, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Director of Agriculture, said the advocacy for recognition of agroecology farmers by WOM and its consortium partners was in the right direction, noting that “we have been awarding them since last two years for their role in maintaining our indigenous crops.”
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Kenneh Odeng Adade
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Email: [email protected]