Bolgatanga: Stakeholders in Ghana’s agricultural sector have made a heartfelt plea to the government, urging it to invest in and integrate agroecology into both national and sub-national agricultural development strategies. Their goal is to foster sustainable food production and protect the environment across the country.
According to Ghana News Agency, the appeal was encapsulated in a communiqu© issued after a two-day engagement held in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region. This meeting was part of the Agroecological Solutions for Resilient Farming in West Africa (CIRAWA) project, an EU-funded initiative operational in Ghana, Cape Verde, Senegal, and The Gambia. The project aims to build resilient farming systems through the synergy of indigenous knowledge and scientific innovations to enhance food security, biodiversity, and climate change resilience in West Africa.
In Ghana, the CIRAWA project is being implemented in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region and the Central Gonja District in the Savannah Region. The engagement brought together various stakeholders, including the University for Development Studies (UDS) CIRAWA team, Regional Directors of Agriculture, District Directors of Agriculture, and agricultural extension personnel.
Stakeholders highlighted that a significant portion of food in northern Ghana-about 80 to 90 percent-originates from smallholder farmers who already rely extensively on agroecological practices. However, they noted the absence of a national policy framework or dedicated government support to promote these practices.
Professor Saa Dittoh, the Lead Investigator of CIRAWA-Ghana, presented the communiqu© on behalf of the stakeholders, advocating for government action to support agroecology as a vital path towards resilient and climate-friendly agriculture. He emphasized the necessity for governmental investments to mainstream agroecology into national strategies, suggesting that it should be a key component of the Feed Ghana programme.
Professor Dittoh also recommended the creation of a National Agroecology Strategy (NAS) for Ghana and urged Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to incorporate agroecology into their medium-term development plans. He described agroecology as an integration of indigenous and scientific knowledge aimed at sustainable food production while mitigating climate change and environmental degradation.
Professor Dittoh criticized the current conventional agricultural system, which, despite government support, poses risks to planetary, animal, and human health due to its reliance on agrochemicals and unsustainable practices. He argued for a shift from conventional agriculture, stating that it exacerbates food insecurity, poverty, and environmental issues.
Furthermore, Professor Dittoh called for enhancing the capacity of agricultural extension officers with agroecological knowledge and emphasized the importance of local production of farm inputs through collaborative research. He also advocated for innovation in mechanized tools to ease smallholder farming and strengthening farmer-based organizations with targeted training and funding.
He urged the government to ban harmful agrochemicals and foster collaboration among researchers, extension personnel, and farmers to expand agroecological practices nationwide. Additionally, he encouraged the MMDAs to enforce by-laws on environmental protection, including animal ranching, transhumance, bush burning, and illegal mining.
Dr. Dzigbodi Adzo Doke, Co-Investigator of CIRAWA-UDS, highlighted the ease of adopting agroecology due to its reliance on indigenous knowledge and seeds. Alhaji Zakaria Fusains and Alhaji Seidu Sulemana, Regional Directors of Agriculture, echoed the sentiment, advocating for increased awareness and investment to empower farmers with agroecological knowledge.