By Salifu Yaro BANCE
In recent days, I’ve been deeply engrossed in reading Manasseh Azure Awuni’s 409-page book, “The President Ghana Never Got”. The book’s ironic title mainly highlights the political developments under Ghana’s current president.
Every night at 21:00 GMT +2, I make it a point to stream JoyNews live to catch the major news bulletin from Ghana. On August 22, 2024, while browsing the internet, four significant news headlines grabbed my attention, reminding me of how I could apply MaxQDA to identify patterns, categorisation, themes etc., during content analysis, as discussed in our qualitative lecture—all the news headlines related to the country’s food security threat.
- “Farmers Count Their Losses as Dry Spell Jeopardises Crop Yields” – Source: Adomonline.com, August 19, 2024
- “Techiman Muslims Hold Islamic Prayer and Rain Ritual to End Drought” – Source: JoyNews 12pm News, August 21, 2024
- “Bagre Dam Spillage: Limited Relief Items Available, Move to Higher Ground” – Source: Myjoyonline.com, August 19, 2024
- “Drought: GHS 1.18 Billion Agriculture Investment at Risk” – Source: Graphic.com News, August 22, 2024
Food security in the West African subregion is a critical issue that needs collaborative efforts from the political actors and the scientific communities. As I said a collaborative effort is needed, and Ghana as a key player in the region, is well-positioned to take a lead role in such endeavour.
Ensuring food and nutritional security should be a fundamental priority any nation should strive to achieve. Just as the economists say, “money is the lifeblood of every economy” and so is food also the fuel for a healthy and active population. Without a well-nourished populace, no meaningful economic activities can take place, and hence a zero-sum game in game theory.
The other day, I found myself wondering whether crop growth depends solely on the availability of freshwater or specifically on rainwater. Of course, fresh water in any form, including rivers, lakes, streams, etc., is essential for plant growth. But when I came across the first, second, and third news reports, I couldn’t help but ask myself, has the same God cursed us? Farmers are counting their losses as the dry spell jeopardises their crop yields, despite the claim that the meteorological agency’s forecast predicts such weather conditions. The question is whether the farmers were not informed due to a failure in agricultural extension services, or if they were informed but chose not to believe in the predicted outcome.
In today’s world, we cannot continue to do things the way our grandparents and those who came after them did. We have access to tried and tested technologies that should empower us to make precise weather predictions over an extended period.
Although, I acknowledge some efforts have been made, however, we understand the metaphorical expression that says, “put money where your mouth is,” we would recognise that the current investment in the Meteorological Agency is woefully inadequate. In most parts of the world, one would have to check the weather conditions before going out.
The Bible in Luke 10:19 KJV states, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” We have been blessed with everything we need to conquer hunger, poverty, and unemployment. What we truly need is leadership—strong and effective leadership. It would be frustrating to keep asking your earthly father for help with something he has already empowered you to overcome. So I think it would be for God.
For all these years, the potential benefits from the annual spillage of the Bagre Dam remained untapped. As an agriculturist, I had read and believed the NPP’s 2016 manifesto promise of “1 district, 1 dam” as a potential game changer in boosting the country’s irrigational scheme– offering smallholder farmers much-needed irrigation opportunities.
That notwithstanding, I had hoped that the groundbreaking for the multipurpose Pwalugu Dam would finally put an end to the devastating effects of the Bagre Dam spillage. Unfortunately, it turned out to be nothing more than a phantom project.
Why do we continually allocate funds for relief items in anticipation of future disasters, rather than investing in solutions to prevent those catastrophes? We could draw inspiration from Henry Kissinger, the German-born American bureaucrat and 1973 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who once said; “There can’t be a crisis next week; my schedule is already full.” This mindset underscores the importance of proactive measures addressing problems before they escalate into crises. Again, why wouldn’t the Techiman Muslims in the Bono East Region muster the same determination to demand accountability from their leaders on the 1 District 1 Dam promise, instead of turning to Allah for propitiation?
We should not be pleased that the rains have started pouring down, as crop production follows a specific calendar period. I recall how my former District Director of Agriculture (DDA), Mr. Lovelace Kudoto, currently the DDA at Ketu North Municipality Assembly, Dzodze, would consistently press the honourable District Chief Executive (DCE) to release the Modernising Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) fund promptly. The timely release of budgeted funds was essential to ensure that the interventions outlined in the department’s work plan were implemented, enabling farmers to fully benefit from the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme.
When the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme began in 2017, subsidised fertilisers and seeds were sold to farmers at 50% of the original cost. However, even now, some farmers across the 216 departments of agriculture have not fully settled their debts, and the departments have not fully recovered the funds.
The farmers just refused to pay under numerous reasons, some cogent but majority refused paying because the inputs came from the government. Those debts are still sitting on the books of the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District (MM/D) Department of Agriculture. I believe this led to a policy shift in subsequent years, where private businesses were allowed to manage PFJ inputs while the various departments focused on providing technical assistance.
Fast forward, in 2024, as part of the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform (GhAAP) farmer registration, the ministry is distributing free inputs (fertiliser and seeds) to farmers in the various MM/D Assemblies at GHS1.18 billion, I think. If we can distribute free inputs to farmers today, why didn’t we do this long ago? And why now—could it be because we are in 2024? Although the government may intend well, the current delay in the rain is making it difficult for farmers to utilise those inputs effectively.
My advice to those planning to cultivate cereals now should consider using early-maturing seeds, such as Omankwa (maize), Jasmine 85 (rice), Bance (rice), Togo Marshall (rice). The list is not exhaustive, so consult your extension agent in your operational area for further guidance to maximise your chances of a successful harvest.
As a matter of urgency, we need policies that will boost crop production in the short to medium term. This can be achieved through two main approaches: expanding the cropped area and enhancing agricultural practices to increase productivity per unit area. Targeted subsidies can significantly improve production among smallholder farmers. However, we must also address the needs of experienced commercial farmers, who have often been overlooked in our agricultural policies.
It’s time to consider coupled payments for commercial farmers. While we encourage smallholder farmers to improve their practices to boost productivity per unit area, commercial farmers could be supported with coupled payments to incentivize them to expand their production. This balanced approach will ensure that all farmers regardless of their scale of production are empowered to contribute to national food security and economic growth.
The writer is a student Universitat Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany and an associate Research Fellow of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana.[email protected]
