By Stephen Asante/James Amoh Jnr
Accra, Dec. 06, GNA – Food security has been at the core of Ghana’s development agenda since 2017.
The issue is intrinsically linked to the nation’s overall development aspirations within the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The second of the UN’s 17 SDGs seeks to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030.
“Within the development agenda of Ghana, agriculture is identified as one of the economic pillars.
“It is obvious that the nexus between agriculture development and the country’s abilities to achieve its food security goals are inextricably linked,” says Dr Bryan Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture.
Over the last six years, the Government under the Nana Akufo-Addo-led Administration, has embarked on some reforms to bring transformation to the agricultural sector.
The most significant of these initiatives is the implementation of the flagship programme – Planting for Food and Jobs (PfJ).
The first module, officially launched on April 19, 2017, aimed to promote food security and immediate availability of selected food crops on the market and also provide jobs.
The five key modules are: Food Crops, Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), Greenhouse Technology Villages, Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ) as well as Agricultural Mechanisation Services (AMSECs).
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), in its assessment, said the successful implementation of the first phase had resulted in reaching over 2.7 million farmers and other value chain actors under the five modules.
A stable food security environment with food self-sufficiency in major food staples such as maize, cassava and yam, and an increased agricultural sector growth rate from 2.7 per cent in 2016 to an average of 6.3 per cent from 2017 to 2021, are some of the success stories.
Against the backdrop of this feat, the Government believes the second phase of the flagship programme, dubbed ‘PfJ 2.0,’ and launched in August 2023, will be a ‘game-changer’.
Dr Acheampong, addressing the 2023 National Farmers’ Day Celebration, at Tarkwa, Western Region, explained that the PFJ 2.0, a five-year strategic intervention, was borne out of major challenges, gaps and unacceptable state of affairs reflected by some indicators in the agricultural sector.
It is worth noting that Tarkwa, the host District, is among the districts in the country facing the highest rates of food insecurity, as captured in a Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis report, published by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in 2021.
For most countries in the sub-Saharan Africa such as Ghana, achieving food security and ending hunger by the UN’s target date of 2030, undoubtedly, will require a profound change of the food and agricultural management system and related value chains.
The prevailing challenging issues – climate change, geo-political conflicts, low level of technical know-how and investment – continue to be the bane of sustainable agricultural development in the Region.
Agro-industrial development has been limited in most countries, with the bulk of agricultural exports made up of raw products, and the continent importing large amounts of higher-value finished agricultural goods.
The ratio of agro-processing manufacturing to agricultural value addition in the Region is below 50 per cent, says the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET).
The theme for this year’s National Farmers’ Day: “Delivering Smart Solutions for Food Security and Resilience,” ostensibly, reinforces Ghana’s commitment and determination to change the narrative.
While the PFJ programme has shown promising results in its first phase, the second phase is seen as a critical step towards transforming Ghana’s agricultural sector.
“We are taking food security issues to another level.” Dr Acheampong echoed, saying the PFJ 2.0 “is focused on private-sector partnerships that can help provide financing and technical support to farmers, which can improve their productivity and profitability.”
The Government had provided an adequate budget to ensure that the programme was adequately funded and resources allocated effectively, the Food and Agriculture Minister assured.
The programme’s implementation is expected to be efficient and effective, with a focus on reaching mechanised and commercial farmers and addressing their specific needs.
It seeks to make significant contributions to food and nutrition security, inflation reduction, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, and the creation of sustainable employment opportunities for youth in agriculture.
Per the arrangements, beneficiary youth farmers are to receive training on modern farm management practices, input credit such as seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals, and services such as extension, and mechanisation support (ploughing, harrowing, planting, spraying, among others).
A monthly stipend covering the first production cycle of the respective agricultural value chain will also be provided to ensure their success.
Dr Acheampong said the programme was targeting some 200,000 youth farmers as beneficiaries to collectively cultivate and manage over one million acres during the five-year programme duration.
“A comparative analysis of crop budgets suggests that beneficiaries under the programme will realise over 400 per cent profit margin compared with conventional farmers, cultivating the same acreage elsewhere.
“This is certainly a game-changer for farming in Ghana,” he stressed.
Nana Sarpong Siriboe, the 2022 National Best Farmer, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), on the sidelines of the Farmers’ Day Celebration, said he shared in the nation’s vision of ending hunger.
“God has blessed the nation with a vast arable land. What we need to do is to be flexible in our land tenure system and ensure effective use of our resources for agricultural growth,” he noted.
Charity Akortia, the 2023 National Best Farmer, on her part, called for more work to transform agricultural practices through research, science and technology.
She said: “We will not make any meaningful headway in ensuring food security, if it is business as usual.”
The Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis report, published in 2021, revealed some interesting findings that suggest the need to review Ghana’s food and nutrition interventions to improve food security – availability, access, utilisation and stability.
The analysis found that 3.6 million of the country’s population, representing 11.7 per cent, are food insecure.
Food insecurity is concentrated in the five northern regions in the country, comprising Upper-East (48.7 per cent), North-East (33 per cent), Northern (30.7 per cent), Upper-West (22.8 per cent), and Savannah (22.6 per cent).
The regions with the highest level of food insecurity are also the areas most prone to adverse weather conditions, such as floods and droughts, the report reveals.
These regions are disproportionately affected by food prices during their lean season and bumper season.
The districts in the country facing the highest rates of food insecurity are Kassena Nankana West (78.8 per cent), Karaga (75.9 per cent), Builsa South (74.5 per cent), Tatale (68.4 per cent), Bolgatanga East (66.3 per cent), Kumbungu (61.2 per cent), Jirapa (61.0 per cent), Chereponi (60.3 per cent), Tempane (59.2 per cent) and Bongo (57.3 per cent).
Comparatively, food insecurity is not only predominant in northern Ghana as pockets of areas in southern Ghana are also food insecure.
For instance, 71.4 per cent of the population in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem District of the Western Region, which hosted this year’s national celebration of the Farmers’ Day, are also food insecure.
Food insecurity is also prevalent in Ada West (35.9 per cent), Sekyere Afram Plains (34 per cent), Ayensuano (31.7 per cent) Eastern Region and Asunafo South (31.4 per cent).
As a matter of urgency, issues bordering on climate change, illegal small-scale mining (galamsey), land tenure system, investment and adopting smart solutions for increased agricultural growth should be tackled head-on.
For illegal small-scale mining, it remains the greatest threat to Ghana’s agricultural development for now, amid the wanton destruction of farmlands and the nation’s vegetative cover.
“The practice is increasingly denying farmers of their livelihood and income,” Akua Doku, the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Best Cocoa Farmer, lamented.
GNA