Minister for Food and Agriculture-designate Eric Opoku has indicated that government will engage land owners to release potential farmlands in a bid to increase the amount of land available for farming purposes through a land banks policy.
The policy is touted to significantly boost food production for both domestic consumption and export. According to him, the youth and women are key targets of the land banks policy, as government plans to make farming appealing for young people and women.
A study by the Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) indicates that young people under age 30 who are interested in farming, particularly in the cocoa sector, do not have access to land.
“We intend to acquire the land, prepare it for agricultural purposes and then hand it over to prospective investors in order to increase food production and drive Ghana toward food sufficiency.”
Studies have shown that the country’s food insecurity challenges are intense in rural settings where livelihoods are largely dependent on agriculture. In Ghana, land banking can be used to increase agricultural production by improving access to and providing reliable information about land.
Mr. Opoku highlighted that the new government will prioritise recruiting more agricultural extension officers to assist in managing these farms, as the current ratio of extension officers to farms is inadequate.
A lack of initiatives to make farming appealing to the younger generation remains a challenge, as many young people continue to seek white-collar jobs rather than pursuing careers in agriculture.
Agriculture Minister-designate Eric Opoku says the Mahama-led government aims at making the sector more attractive to Ghanaians, especially young people. One challenge that disincentivises the youth from taking up agricultural ventures is the complex land tenure system, which also hinders women also from taking up vocations in agriculture as they have no tenure security.
If this policy can be rolled out effectively, then we should see a marked shift with youth and women venturing into farming far more than is the case today. Demographically, women and youth make up the population’s majority – and such a crucial proportion of the populace cannot be excluded from tilling the soil.
