The Business and Financial Times (B&FT) has achieved results following its inspiring story titled ‘Breaking the barriers of disability’. The feature highlighted Gangariba Kpawuu, a determined farmer in his 60s from Kunfaabiala, Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region.
Despite having his left leg amputated, Gangariba refused to let his disability define him.
Unlike the regular farmers, he pioneered innovative farming techniques, sitting to weed and harvest his crops.
His perseverance paid off when he was awarded Best Physically Challenged Farmer at the recent Farmers’ Day celebration.
“I am grateful for the kind gesture from the Agric Department and the assembly, I want to thank you for sharing my story with the public. I used to farm before this happened, and this help will aid my next year’s farming, though I am older and weak now.” Gangariba stated
Gangariba has one plea to the public: “If I get a place, please help me with a store and renovate my room so that I can rest as I am now old and weak”.
B&FT estimates that GH¢20, 000 will be enough to provide Gangariba with a container and provisions to sell by the roadside.
Gangariba was awarded with a bicycle, a pair of walking boots, a Knasack sprayer, two 50kg bags of NPK fertiliser, two cutlasses and a certificate.
At the 40th National Farmers’ Day, Wa Municipal Director of Agriculture, Vuozie Frederick Domah, noted that farmers faced a tough season. “Due to erratic weather patterns, including a prolonged dry spell in July and August, our farmers have faced a tough season, especially those growing yam, groundnut, soybeans, maize, vegetables and rice. With a high dependency on rain-fed agriculture, these climate issues impact both food security and nutrition.”
The Wa Municipal Chief Executive, Alhaji Issahaku Tahiru Moomin, also noted that the food production will be badly hit in the municipality.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is a well-known fact that the country’s food basket will be badly hit with long dry spell which has adversely affected food production within Wa Municipality and the country as a whole; hence, the need to build resilience for sustainable food security going into the future. With our high dependency on rain-fed agriculture, the 2024 cropping season has been a challenging one for the Department of Agriculture, its collaborating partners and other agribusiness firms and organisations,” he said.
He underscored the need for a paradigm shift from traditional method of farming. “This, therefore, calls for a paradigm shift from traditional method of cultivation and the way we do things, especially in this challenging time. It certainly cannot be business as usual.”
This year’s celebration was themed ‘Building climate-resilient agriculture for sustainable food security’.
