Agriculture employs more than half of Ghana’s population making it one of its most important economic sectors for the country and for its people. Unfortunately during the Ghanaian economic decline and drought in the early 1980s agriculture was the most heavily affected, causing a crisis for Ghanaian farmers. At that time Ghanaian farmers had been given little incentive from the government to produce, in addition to an unmistakable deterioration of the quality of soil and resources as well as an increase in the price of several inputs and fertilizers. The soil was becoming rapidly arid, due in part to the inefficient agricultural habits, fertilization methods and an increase in the amount farming. People were beginning to fall into an unfortunate and unavoidable dilemma. Their soil was becoming increasingly more uncultivable therefore providing them with less revenue, so they were unable to buy the appropriate expensive fertilizers in order to make their soil more bountiful and productive.
Since then, the Ghanaian government and various NGOs have become dedicated to increasing support for sustainable agriculture in order to reduce poverty levels and pull Ghana out of the economic decline. The government has spent considerable funds to increase agricultural infrastructure and crops (although most were exported crops) and attain self-sufficiency. Over the last 20 years their efforts have been very effective, as statistics have shown, the food supply and accessibility have grown faster than the population making Ghana able to reduce undernourishment from 34% in 1991 to 8% in 2003.
Although sustainable agriculture is a long term commitment and is still very much a work in progress, these efforts and the governments economic reforms have been a main reason for the upturn in food production and the enhancement of the Ghanaian agricultural sector. Using ecological methods in order to prolong the rapidly declining quality of the soil and the forest as well as trying to enhance the quality of life and create a self-sufficient country in terms of staple food production. This has become an interest recently for smaller Ghanaian societies because of the small-scale effects that it has, in addition to the large scale ones that the government is mostly concerned with.
African Initiatives, a social justice organization, in addition to local movements such as Zuuri Organic Vegetable Farmers’ Association (ZOVFA) and the Community Self-Reliance Centre (CSRC) are committed to making this goal a reality. They address the issue of sustainable agriculture, so far they have established such programs as Farmer Field Schools, and organizations developed in order to practice, teach and improve pest management soil and water conservation methods by integrating and implementing new ideas and local farming knowledge that has been passed down for generations. In addition they are educating the public about the health risks of using various chemical pesticides and insecticides as well as general education and training. This is a large effort with relative success so far, although it is gaining momentum and could possibly become a very efficient system.
Overall, Ghana’s successful agricultural upturn has been the result of sustained growth and education rather than a simple “quick fix”, this is a very inspirational beginning although it is still a very young movement and a challenge for the whole country. Ghanaian dedication to this issue is very admirable and could be a lesson for other countries suffering from the same issue, but hitting rock bottom should not be the only incentive to start sustainable agriculture. Efficient agricultural practices in order to satisfy the needs of the people and the export crops of the economy is an extremely relevant issue, because as we all know nothing lasts forever.
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