Agricultural Articles
Ghana has been facing youth unemployment for more than a decade. Statistics have it that 12 per cent of the youth are unemployed despite major investments by both the government and the private sector.
It is obvious that this challenge will intensify if job opportunities remain limited as it is now.
The agricultural sector, however, is deemed to be the engine of growth and job creation because it has the highest potential among the gamut of enterprises in this part of the world.
In this regard, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is working to make agriculture attractive to the youth and create decent employment opportunities through the greenhouse village and capacity-building centres, especially in our rural communities.
Read more: Tackling youth unemployment: Greenhouse technology holds employment potential
The implementation of new educational reforms in 2012 in Ghana led to the abolition of agriculture science as a single subject in basic schools and agriculture science course was subsumed into Integrated Science.
Concerns have been raised by stakeholders as to whether the reforms give room for adequate covering of agriculture needed in basic schools.
Agricultural education at the basic school level has been identified as vital for training young ones in the basic principles of agriculture, changing their attitudes towards agriculture and providing avenues for the development of their skills for sustainable agricultural development.
Read more: Agriculture colleges valuable tool for human resource development
Rice is an important strategic crop in the economy of Ghana which is cultivated as both food and cash crop. Rice consumption continues to increase due to population growth, urbanization and change in consumer habits. According to statistics from MoFA, between 2008 and 2020, paddy rice production was in the range of 302,000 MT and 987,000 MT (181,000 to 622,000 MT of milled rice) with large annual fluctuations The total rice consumption in 2020 amounted to about 1,450,000 MT which is equivalent to per capita consumption of about 45.0kg per annum.
Avian influenza (AI) is a disease of viral etiology that ranges from a mild or even asymptomatic infection to an acute, fatal disease of chicken, turkey, guinea fowl, and other avian species, especially migratory waterfowl.
History of Outbreaks in Ghana
The first HPAI H5N1 outbreak was reported in Ghana, in April 2007 in farm at Kakasunanka, near Michel Camp in the Tema Metropolis. This was followed by further outbreaks at New Dormaa of Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo region and Aflao in the Volta region. The disease reoccurred in the year 2015 and crossed to the year 2016 in six regions of Ghana namely Greater Accra, Central, Eastern, Western, Volta and Ashanti affecting 148,448 birds. In the June 2018, H5N1 outbreaks were reported at Bonkra and Atia in the Ashanti region as well as Nkawkaw in the Eastern region affecting 12,175 birds.
Soya Bean Production in Ghana.
Soya bean is a non-staple crop in Ghana and is predominantly used as livestock feed. Soya production is gradually attaining commercial status as more producers are becoming aware of the availability of market for the product.
With the introduction of the PFJ in 2017 yields began rising to 1.7 and 1.8 mt/ha. This remains below what the ministry of food and agriculture believes are achievable yields of 3.0 mt/ha given the needed attention.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has been implementing the Planting for Food and Jobs programme since 2017. The implementation of the programme targeted upscaling the production of Soya Bean. The efforts by government resulted in a substantial increase in yields and production of the crop.
The production of soya is currently being subsidized by government, is to ensure its availability for processing and use as animal feed by domestic livestock and poultry industry at a cheaper cost to boost local production in terms of Rearing for Food and Jobs module (RFJ).
In Ghana, about 90 percent soya is mainly produced in the Northern part of the country and transported to southern Ghana for processing. (Marty et al. 2020).
Read more: Boosting Soya Bean Production for Poultry Industry: Parliament passes Regulation 2020