Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin has endorsed organic farming as “a new gold” for Ghana.
The Overlord of Akyem Abuakwa has therefore admonished the youth, particularly those engaged in illegal mining to embrace organic farming as source of livelihood
He said there is dignity in organic farming because it promotes environmental sustainability.
According to Okyenhene, it is time Ghana revert to farming practices that are less injurious to the environment to help protect and conserve the ecosystem and promote quality environmental health.
He said this during Organic Farmers Day celebration organized by Ecoland Ghana and the University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies (UCAES) at Bunso in the Eastern region to create awareness about organic farming.
“We should keep this land fertile, clean so we can keep food in there so our children will eat there and be healthy.Somebody decided that we are going wreck these whole land by illegal mining and put mercury cyanide in the same soil that we are going to plant the food, and we are dying” said Okyenhene
He added “So the farmers, your children have gotten opportunity now.If they Wana work they should work at the farms.Tell them there is dignity in organic farming There is nothing in destroying the land through Galamsey. There is nothing. The Ggc100 you make a month so you leave school and go there and you get all these things for nothing. You are destroying your future and the future will come back to you”.
The German Ambassador to Ghana, Ambassador Daniel Krull stated that organic farming is the “new gold” worldwide which Ghana should take advantage to change its economic fortunes through export and value addition to create additional employment opportunities for the youth.
He said organic farming is cheaper and environmentally friendly with propensity to significantly reduce importation of agro-chemicals , and improve food security that will have positive impact on Ghana’s trade balance.
“Organic is the new gold.Only organic farming make farmers resilient to economic crises as they do not need cash to buy fertilizers. Organic Farmers replace money for pesticides and fertilizers with labour. The President speech the last Sunday suggest that it is going to have enormous positive impact on Ghana’s trade balance if we stop import. So, I strongly encourage you to go further down this road because we know this from Germany and Europe that all it needs is a mind shift in farming,” Daniel Krill said
The €1,520,000.00 ” PartnerAfrica project ” aims at developing and upgrading ecologically sustainable value chains for the export of organic agricultural products and thereby contributing to more and better employment opportunities in agricultural sector in Ghana
It is being implemented by Ecoland International Ghana in collaboration with German Association for Organic Agriculture ECOLAND e.V and University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies (UCAES).
The President of ECOLAND International, Rudolf Buhler
said ,the development of food sovereignty by developing and increasing agricultural production was of great importance but should be done in a sustainable, environmentally and climate-friendly way, using the most resource-efficient agricultural practices such as organic agricultural methods.
He indicated that Ghana must reduce importation of food by using organic farming as a model of increase food production at cheaper price .
“Shortages and inflation might come up since all these imports are subject to the foreign exchange rate,” Buhler.
Over 200 farmers have been trained on organic farming in Bunso and its environs with a demonstration farm.
The Acting Rector of the University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies UCAES, Dr. Charles Yaw Bempong Yeboah said the University in partnership with Ecoland is seeking accreditation to run diploma course in organic farming to train more farmers and experts to sustain organic farming in the country.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Kojo Ansah
