Farmers in the Upper East Region are counting heavy losses due to the emergence of a weed, Striga, popularly known as witchweed, which has wiped out farms, with some farmers reporting the loss of more than half of their expected harvests before the crops mature for harvesting.
The parasitic weed, which attacks the roots of cereal crops and deprives them of water and nutrients, is increasingly threatening the production of maize, millet and sorghum in farming communities across northern Ghana.
During a field visit to farms at Gambibgo in the Bolgatanga East District, farmers told a group of journalists that the infestation had become a major constraint to their livelihoods, with some saying they had already lost about 60 per cent of their expected yields.
“I am happy you have come to the farm to see the situation for yourself.
You can clearly see the impact of Striga; some of the crops you see here cannot even produce any yield.
In effect, I have already lost about 60 per cent of what I would have harvested from this farm, and I am not alone,” a farmer, Bright Abentara, told journalists.
Another farmer, James Adoku, said: “People often underestimate the problem and ask why we do not simply spray, but as agroecologists, we understand the health and environmental implications of excessive chemical use. In our quest to feed the country, we must also protect the health of our people and the land.”
The visit formed part of a sensitisation programme organised by the Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR), in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), to build the capacity of journalists to report on Striga and its impact on food production.
The programme is being funded by the Awaken Trees Association of Austria.
80% Yield loss
The Executive Director of FONAR, Sumaila S. Saaka, said the scale of the problem required urgent and sustained attention because of its implications for food security in northern Ghana.
He said thousands of hectares of farmland, particularly in the Upper East and Upper West regions, could suffer yield losses of up to 80 per cent in seasons when Striga was left unchecked.
Mr Saaka described Striga as a “silent driver of hunger in Northern Ghana”, saying its impact was often overlooked because the damage started beneath the soil before the weed emerged visibly on farms.
He said the weed should not be treated merely as an ordinary agricultural pest, but as an indication of wider problems, particularly declining soil fertility and land degradation.
“Striga is not simply a farmer’s misfortune.
It is a signal, a signal that our soils are tired and a signal that our attention as a society has, for too long, been elsewhere,” he said.
FONAR has also identified declining soil fertility, continuous cultivation of cereals, loss of tree cover and climate variability among factors associated with the worsening problem.
Mr Saaka said FONAR was promoting a combination of approaches, including Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), climate-smart agroforestry, legume rotation and intercropping, the application of compost and manure, early removal of Striga before it produces seeds, and the use of tolerant crop varieties where available.
He said the organisation’s approach was to address both the weed and the condition of the land on which crops were grown.
“Where soil fertility declines, where tree cover is lost, where organic matter is stripped from the land season after season, Striga finds exactly the conditions it needs to thrive,” he said.
The Upper East Regional Director of Agriculture, Alhaji Zakaria Fuseini, said reports from agricultural extension officers across the region identified Striga as a recurring challenge confronting farmers.
He said the Department of Agriculture had been working with farmers through improved seed varieties, agronomic advice and the support of Agricultural Extension Agents.
Alhaji Fuseini urged journalists to go beyond reporting the existence of Striga and help farmers understand why it persists, how it spreads and what practical measures could be adopted to control it.
The Upper East Regional Chairman of the GJA, Albert Sore, also urged journalists to give agriculture sustained attention, rather than reporting when farmers were hit by floods, drought, food price increases or other major crises.
He said Striga was one of the agricultural problems that developed quietly but could have serious consequences for farming households if left unaddressed.
