Smallholder farmers critical to food security— GAWU
The General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Mr Edward Kareweh, has called for increased and sustainable investment in smallholder agriculture to ensure food security and nutrition.
“We are busy doing what we don’t need to be doing. We don’t need to go and sign
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He said such a vision should position smallholder agriculture firmly within integrated policies and strategies, that includes connecting smallholder farmers,
“The government has an essential role to play in addressing their specific constraints and
Smallholders
Smallholder farming is the backbone of African agriculture and food security. Of the two-thirds of sub-Saharan Africa’s population that resides in the rural areas,
The term ‘smallholder’ refers to their limited resource endowments relative to other farmers in the sector and their characteristics differ by country and farming system; farm size; allocation of resources to food and cash crops, livestock and off-farm activities, and their use of external inputs and hired
The majority of the 570 million farms in the world are small. Smallholders supply 80
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In addition, 70
A report by the
It recommends the promotion of a more enabling environment for smallholders that provides fair and transparent prices that adequately remunerate smallholders’ work and investments.
Need for sustainable financing
The Executive President of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana, Farmer Anthony Selorm Morrison, in an interview said sustainable financing of agriculture was key to the country’s economic transformation.
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He stated that all sectors in the economy and their sub-sectors needed agriculture to survive such that deliberate efforts must be made to ensure sustainable financing.
“There are countries that can sustain themselves on 60
He cited the farm bill model (an agriculture and food policy tool to keep farmers in production and ensure consumers have a dependable food supply), by countries such as the United States to grow the agriculture sector could be adopted by Ghana.
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“We must find our own means of financing and not rely so much on donors. Through the farm bill model