OUR FARMERS, OUR GOOD FORTUNE

By Dora Addy

If you ever want to learn the good attributes of virtue, farmers are the best examples to learn from.

Supporters of the national economy, farmers have fortitude and are very patient and tolerant; bearing all conditions of human life- both natural conditions that beset them, and the many social entanglements which express itself in the constraints of delayed plans and policies to expedite their efforts.

Since venturing on producing crops and livestock for national consumption, ask how many have abandoned their posts? Well, not so many, because farmers have adapted to the difficult terrain of their work and continue in their activities even after many disappointment; both natural and social.

On the average, farmers are the most persistent workforce anywhere; not giving up easily on their tasks as compared to other groups spread across the different sectors in the country. More so, they may be more disadvantaged than any other groups.

The attribute of laying down one’s best, so as to produce on a large scale for national consumption, has been an effort quite overlooked; for how many people consider the plight of farmers in the extreme locations of the country, and not given to much education about what they do, nor the necessary helps given on how to improve yields and create wealth for themselves as well. Most farmers have learned to adapt to the varied challenges and studied crop and land rotation processes without resorting to formal teaching techniques, as such helps may not be available.

Knowing that a greater majority of farmers reside in the rural regions, many people do understand the predicaments in those areas, yet little is voiced concerning the needs of farmers.

But farmers, who also provide a cushioning ground for food security, should be well represented and helped. They are a good sign that the economy is thriving, for much of our economic gains rests on agriculture; at least more that 70%. Kudos to our farmers, the country is the second largest exporter of cocoa; producing some 15% for the world market.

There is hunger is some countries because some farmers are turning to other means of economic survival. We must be grateful for the growing numbers of farmers in the country. Here in Ghana, both young and old are actively engaged to ensure the survival of the country through farming. The country is thriving and not dependent on anyone for food. That would be too shameful.

So in celebration of our farmers who have brought us good fortune through the continuous averting of hunger, we are grateful for all the hard work. The inclement is tough these days, and weather conditions, coupled with other challenges in animal husbandry, does not always allow the forecast yields of production. But do they give up? It should be considered very well that, not all these cases crop up. There are other bad cases in farming, which have not been reported.

Preceded by many challenges in export, we applaud our farmers for keeping the wheels of trade and export in agriculture, still running. Today, we can still have exports in cocoa and other cash crops that are exported for national income. Farmers today, face many challenges in the export duties, and do not often receive incomes as expected. Most have given up the idea of export, but although this has not told on their social improvement, persistence in farming has kept many going through the years.

The national economy is still running today, owing to the strong efforts and hard work of our farmers. While serving as breadwinners, many farmers today have independently created jobs and wealth for others through employment. Farmers in Ghana today, have grown from manual workers to using industrialized means of farming. Many who started very small have grown their farms to large scales which require other human helps to cultivate.

Agriculture employs over 53.6% of the total labor workforce in the country. It is said that a majority of rural dwellers are farmers. Not all of these people own lands or even farming equipment. Rather, people find themselves in business as employees of other farmers.

Consequently, farmers are helping to create a generation of other farmers through exemplary works and outputs in agriculture. Many youths today, both in the rural and urban regions, are looking to join the agricultural sector not only because they have identified possible ways of improving yields and making the sector attractive; they have learned from the examples of hard working farmers and would wish to add their quota. Many youths in Ghana are slowly joining the agricultural workforce.

Adding to the list of fruitful benefits of our farmers, we cannot deny that the challenges that farmers are confronted with. Some of these challenges have existed for many decades, while other spanning from the era of independence!

Farmers in Ghana, do not all enjoy the same pacts of freedoms and advantages in agriculture. Each locality has its own unique challenge. While some farmers stand to benefit more than others, it is observed that the core differences that puts others at a far greater advantage above others is mainly attributed to educational levels of farmers. Without doubt, farmers who have been educated to some levels are likely to perform much better than those at the opposite end.

Also wealth is able to bring advantages to farmers, considering that wealthy farmers can have access to some of the most advanced tools and equipment in agriculture, while employing knowledgeable persons on their farms for research and other productive advantages.

Also, through Government’s Youth in Agriculture program, most people have acquired some wealth while working in the agricultural sector.

Government partnerships may draw in other helps to provide interventions for farmers, but having the means sustain the interests of such workers is always important. For example, for practical purposes, those workers on a mission to impart agriculture knowledge, whether Government-employed or private cannot carry along such heavy machinery as tractors, harvesters, and so on and so forth.

IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE

There is still much to be done to improve infrastructure for the betterment of Ghanaian farmers. Infrastructural development in the agriculture sector began with Ghana’s first president, who understood the advantages within the agricultural sector. Today, many of the infrastructures that support high yields are fast deteriorating through overuse and low levels of maintenance, while needed infrastructure may not be present at all.

Storage and consequent marketing of yields has become a headache for most farmers. Silos and other storage facilities are quite difficult to put up for farmers, who have had to long deal with losses after harvest.

Since building our silos, many years ago, these storage structures have not seen any improvement. The current silos, built at Tema, are said to house cocoa to be shipped abroad. Meanwhile, it is discovered that those built around the Nkrumah era cost more than £ 8 million. High costs to put up silos is one great factor why food cannot be prevented from spoil and even stored for the future.

Meanwhile, feeder roads are still raising concerns while food supplies go waste on the way. Feeder road networks have not always linked rural areas very well, and where they have been linked well, most of these feeder road links have not seen repairs since construction.

Sleeping local factories must be awakened to productivity again. There are local factories that need a revamp to help increase productivity in the agriculture sector. Food processing plants should be considered on a large scale, so that waste is prevented through excess that remains on the market.

Can President Mahama encourage low imports?

ENCOURAGING LOW IMPORTS

Ghana is largely a net importer of staple foods, except for plantain. Global maize production is led by the United States, while most of our rice comes from the Asian counties, particularly Vietnam and Thailand.

Farmers should be encouraged through high patronage of their products. The wealth of farmers is at stake with high importation of agricultural products, which may be readily available on the Ghanaian market.

There is the need to also support the local agricultural sector.

The backbone of this nation is agriculture, but this sector also suffers badly from the imports being made. While the primary concern is to preserve this sector that serves the incomes of many across the country, there is a growing concern over the imports of such agricultural products which are also produced here.

Creating a stunted progress for many in the agriculture sector, there are many farmers losing out in a very big way.

Many farmers these days are discouraged by low patronage of their products. Poultry farmers bellow wildly at the huge poultry imports being made onto the markets, as a whooping majority of Ghanaians have stood strong on the scales of the bad import trade practices.

Now, the outlook on some of these agricultural products from abroad tells a lot on the preparedness to move the country from its state of dependency. It is sad because although this sector supports the economy largely, it is still crippling under the pressures of low patronage from the locals.

To add to the burden, let us also consider how many of our local farmers have to endure hardships in the attempt to export products overseas. In an attempt to grow fiscal value, farmers who attempt to export their products have often been faced with stringent export standards, and so have given up all hope of ever trading in export.

A STRONGER BACKBONE

The Ghana Commercial Agricultural Project (GCAP) was set up in 2012 under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. This project seeks to develop farming activities from the subsistence level to commercial scales.

The GCAP also aims at increasing access to land, finance, water, and agricultural inputs and outputs markets by smallholder and nucleus farmers in selected intervention areas.

In view of this, there have been major projects in irrigation at Kpong, in the Eastern Region, Tono, and Vea irrigation dams in the Upper East Region.

Through the GCAP, support is being offered to the Ghana Investments Promotion Center (GIPC) to develop a strategic plan for the agriculture sector to carry out research on those elements that impedes upon the sector, as climate change, and helping the need to develop human capacity within the GIPC.

Through the GCAP, more individuals who are interested in farming are gaining access to lands, by linking such persons to land-owning communities. Through its land interventions, it has developed key strategic concepts to back efforts in land access, such as the Model and Lease Agreement, to ensure easy and secure access to land for commercial farming purposes.

On many levels, government partners bilaterally to help develop the agricultural sector. Focusing on rural agricultural development, Government has set up a monitoring body, the Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition (GTLC) to monitor and advise, and make recommendations on agricultural growth. Through its findings, it has been discovered that some strides are being made, especially during 2014-2015, where food crops as rice and tomatoes were said to be in stable production conditions.

Through the GTLC, the Agro Barometer Index will be published, to assess the growth of agriculture and its challenges in the country, and this would help government formulate better policies in agriculture.

Government is still working to make the lives of farmers better.

… AND THE WOMEN TOO

Women in agriculture constitute 50% of the active labor force, and are strongly engaged in animal and crop production at subsistence and commercial scales.

Women are equally efficient as their male counterparts, and ought to be encouraged to do well in agriculture.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) women across Africa who are in agriculture, are less likely to own or operate land. Usually, women in agriculture are buffeted by cultural practices that often do not allow them to own lands while denying them access over resources, hence their ability to produce high yields.

Improving the level of access and tenure of women is needed for an overflowing bread basket in the agriculture sector.

Also the belief that women should not get closer to men, as practiced by some communities in the country, only deters social workers from having access to educate women on farming practices for crop and animal yields.