Each and every day, farmers, the media and other agricultural actors, go on and on about the challenges facing the agriculture industry. There are several articles highlighting these challenges and even depicting how it would worsen in a couple of years or affect the future.
At this point, every agricultural enthusiast and the ordinary Ghanaian is aware climate change is posing a threat since we experience the changes in the weather patterns ourselves.
We experience the continuous increase of food prices on the market. Those in the city do not get access to fresh foods and COVID also demonstrated the need to plant more because there wasn’t enough for everyone when individuals began hoarding food in fear of panic. Thus, it is time we focus on what the Ghanaian agriculture industry needs to address its challenges and to boost productivity.
To begin with, indeed there’s some level of information on agriculture in Ghana in terms of news and happenings in the country, but we lack research and the education on how to do things better. Modern farming practices like precision and smart farming among others, which boost crop yield and productivity are rarely practiced in Ghana.
Our traditional farmers stick to their hoe and cutlass since they can hardly afford some of these modern agricultural technologies.
The agricultural space needs individuals committed to the cause of studying our climate and weather patterns to come up with new ways and techniques to improve crop yield.
Also, there should be a campaign by government and the respective authorities to educate and encourage young individuals on the numerous opportunities that await them in the agriculture sector. The population continues to grow and as such needs all hands on deck. Thus, if we leave the sector for the old in the country, who feeds the entire population when their generation is gone?
Government should liaise with Chiefs and land owners to lease their lands for farming and other agricultural purposes at subsidized prices, to make it easier and attractive to young people so they can indulge and contribute their knowledge and quota to the field.
Moving forward, all this can’t be done without funds. For research, high crop yields and other innovative ideas to materialize, the agricultural sector needs to be invested in.
Government should establish agro-processing factories or partner with international agriculture-industrial organizations interested in adding value to agriculture to process our raw materials into semi-finished or finished goods to curb the issue of post-harvest losses while boosting our exports and agricultural value on the international market.
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