We must achieve food security

Transforming Ghana's agriculture using home-grown solutions for food security was the pivot of discussions at the maiden edition of the Graphic National Development Series which came off in Kumasi last Tuesday.

Food security has been a topical issue in the country, as it translates into national security.

Food and national security intersect in various ways, including food security, food safety, and food sovereignty.

However, in this case, the focus is on food security, which relates to the availability, accessibility, and affordability of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for all people at all times.

To get it right requires a long-term plan for the agricultural sector, instead of the current ad hoc and short-term plans tied to political party tenure in office.

Over the years since independence, every government has come with its own plan for the sector, meaning that even if a government develops a beautiful plan, the moment it is out of power, that plan fizzles out.

It is in recognition of this and the importance attached to the agricultural sector that the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) created the platform for experts to proffer solutions to this burning issue of food security.

The dialogue in Kumasi was to diagnose and find workable solutions to the challenges in the sector and it came up that politicians use the agricultural sector to play politics, resulting in there being no national agricultural plan.

It was because of this situation that the panellists proposed that the sector be put under the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to insulate it from the influence and manipulation of politicians.

They believed that when the sector was put under the NDPC, more resources would be allocated towards the development of agriculture in the country.

The Daily Graphic supports this proposal because when the country gets it right with agriculture, our current economic challenges will become things of the past.

The NDPC has the capacity to develop a long-term plan for the sector and whichever political party is in power will have to toe the line.

For instance, if Col Acheampong’s Operation Feed Yourself policy of 1972 had been sustained, we would not be holding a dialogue now to find solutions to food security challenges in the country.

If we are able to implement what the panellists suggested at the dialogue, we can be sure that there will be policy continuity irrespective of the government in power.

Currently, as a country, we are up with cup in hand seeking financial bailout to help balance our books.

This is unacceptable because if the agricultural sector is well managed, the country can become self-sufficient economically.

To achieve food sufficiency, there are certain factors which require urgent response, for instance the issue of fertiliser.

This has become more critical, particularly so since 2021 when the issue of securing fertiliser, an important component for ensuring sufficiency in food production, came under scrutiny.

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the prices of inorganic fertiliser have gone beyond the reach of the ordinary farmer, compelling the country to look internally for a worthy substitute for this critical component.

Many farmers, especially smallholder ones, had challenges buying the commodity, prompting the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to liaise with local organic fertiliser producers to support them to produce enough to meet the demand.

As the discussion went on in Kumasi, it became obvious that home-grown policies, such as promoting the use of local organic fertiliser, were the way to go.

Currently, what we need as a country is to revolutionise the agricultural sector for a better outcome tomorrow.

For us at the Daily Graphic, we are excited that the GCGL recognises the importance of agriculture to national development, for which reason it began its development dialogue series with agriculture.

We need to revamp the agricultural sector to salvage our economy and we cannot continue to do the same things and expect different results.