Rural women farmers from the three regions of northern Ghana, and some parts of the Brong Ahafo Region, have embarked on a peaceful demonstration through the principal streets of Wa, the Upper West Regional capital.
The protest is against MOSENTO, a leading bio-tech corporation and also to register their disapproval of genetically modified crops in Ghana.
Dubbed ‘we are the solution campaign’, the march was also to highlight the displacement of women in the food chain, as they alleged what they described as “the corporate take-over ” in the seed and agricultural production systems.
Over 200 women farmers took part in the demonstration.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘get Mosento out of our food’, ‘seed belong to nature not Mosento,’ and many others.
Addressing journalists after the demonstration, Rebecca Akua Sibri, President of the Rural Women Association of Ghana, reminded President John Dramani Mahama to be mindful of the concerns of small scale farmers in the Plant Breeders Bill which is currently before him for approval.
She said “we use this opportunity to reiterate our concerns as small scale women farmers in the plant breeders Bill. In its current state, the passage of the plant breeders Bill will compromise our food and political sovereignty and increase Ghana’s dependency on corporations.”
Madam Akua Sabri argued that “the bill will displace millions of women farmers in seed and food production systems.”
She further opined that “having made some ambitious commitments in the just ended COP 21 in Paris, Ghana will be unable to reduce global emissions with large scale production systems, which the bill seeks to promote; stressing the law will legalize the use of laboratory seed and the accompanying chemical.”
The first march against “Mosento”, a bio-technology corporation took place in May 2013 with demonstrations, protesting genetically modified crops around the world. Ecological activists have since then continued with their demand in over 400 cities in the world.
The demonstration in Wa was supported by The Center for Indigenous Knowledge and OrganizationalDevelopment (CIKOD), Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana and Rural Women Association of Ghana.
–
By:Mahama Latif/citifmonline.com/ghana