According to the Africa Post-Harvest Losses Information System, Ghana loses over three hundred thousand tonnes of maize annually to post-harvest losses.

Similar losses have also been recorded in other staple foods.

Speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of a Policy Dialogue on Post Harvest Loss and Food and Nutrition Security in Accra today, Programs Coordinator for the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Victoria Adongo called for collaboration to avert further post harvest losses.

She stated, “specifically, we call on government to take deliberate steps to ensure that post-harvest management is effectively integrated into all its agricultural programs; the “Planting for food and jobs” program. While the one district, one warehouse as well as, one district one factory are laudable and long-term solutions, current short-term challenges such as bad road infrastructure, inadequate machinery, extension services, and adoption of simple post-harvest technologies need be urgently addressed.”

Madam Adong added, “when we come to nutrition, the National Nutrition Policy (NNP) provides the framework among other things, to create an enabling environment for the effective co-ordination, integration, and implementation of nutrition programmes in Ghana.”

The nutritional profile of Ghana as presented by the USAID in 2014 gives a grim picture with nutrition challenges persisting, with the greatest burden in the three northern regions (Upper East, Upper West, and Northern Region).

According to the report, as many as 1.2 million Ghanaians are considered food insecure and chronic undernutrition.

There are both national and regional disparities in undernutrition, with high stunting rates in Upper East, Northern, Eastern, and Central regions, high rates of anaemia in the Upper West and Upper East regions, wasting in the Upper West regions and high incidences of anemia which was at a rate of 57% in 2011, higher than the WHO cut off of 40%”.

Under the Voice for Change project, PFAG, calls for the organization and institutionalization of a National Nutrition Policy Fair  to create a learning opportunity to learn more about nutrition.

–

By: Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Develop strategies for post-harvest losses – Peasant Farmers appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The launch will be held at Goaso in the Asunafo municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”o0aU9FbnDrJgZhXIKRbRX3aUQjnlOs7k”]The project is expected to be rolled out in all 216 districts across the country and will involve the supply of farm resources such as high yielding and improved seedlings to participating farmers.

The NPP government has said that it intends to revolutionize agriculture in the country by introducing the programme which is expected to create more than 750,000 jobs.

The programme, according to the government, would also motivate farmers to grow staple foods such as maize, millet, and beans. Interested farmers are to be provided with free seedlings among other agricultural inputs and agro-chemicals such as fertilizer at reduced prices.

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto told Citi News, government was very optimistic about the prospects of the program.

He also announced that government intends to construct a warehouse in each district of the country enhance food storage.

“This year, we expect that with these interventions and only the 200,000 farmers, we would be able to increase the demand for jobs on the farms, and create 750,000 jobs. Government has also resolved to build a 1000-metric tonnes capacity warehouse in each of the 216 districts to ensure that we have enough storage capacity to store and market the expected increases that we get from this program,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, has noted that, the program will fail if it is not properly restructured to target more small-scale farmers, instead of large-scale farmers.

The Programme Officer for the Association, Charles Kwowe Nyaaba, in an earlier interview with Citi News said “the target beneficiaries in the first place are wrong. They are targeting the large-scale farmers, and not small-scale farmers, but we all know that the farmer population in Ghana, we have over 80% being small-scale farmers.”

He further said that government’s intention to recruit, train and deploy National Service personnel as extension service officers was a recipe for failure since they may not possess the required skills to undertake the duty.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post Akufo-Addo to launch Planting for Food and Jobs project today appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The farmers in a congratulatory message to President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo said the incoming government must consult various stakeholders to formulate policies that will regulate the activities of the nomadic herdsmen.

“The conflict between “Fulani” Herdsmen and peasant farmers across many parts of the country in the past has led to loss of lives, property, farms and pollution of water bodies. We call on your government to consult widely and formulate policies that will regulate the activities of nomadic herdsmen to ensure there is peaceful co-existence between crop farmers and livestock farmers specifically the “Fulani” herdsmen.”

The farmers added that the NPP’s victory came at a time when the country required a serious political commitment to agriculture to salvage its declining growth.

“The local agriculture sector is experiencing a decline in growth partly due to inadequate investment in the sector, changes in weather as result of climate change and corresponding low incomes for producers. It is the hope of PFAG that you will address these challenges and bring agriculture to the next level and beyond as envisioned in your 2016 Manifesto.”

They said Akufo-Addo’s “one village one dam” policy especially in Northern Ghana and his quest to establish factories in every district in the country are based on available raw materials were laudable.

They added that “we are constrained to remind you that the declining number of agricultural extension officers in the country is worrying as it is affecting farmers’ access to, and use of, technology in support of agricultural modernization.”

“The promise in your manifesto to work to achieve the UN-recommended ratio of one extension officer to 500 farmers, with emphasis on recruiting female extension officers is particularly exciting news for us as it will go a long way to increase technology dissemination and uptake.”

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post Tackle ‘fulani herdsmen’ crisis – Farmers urge Akufo-Addo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.