FAO commends Ghana for achieving MDG One
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has commended Ghana for achieving the Millennium Development Goal One ahead of 2015.
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In a statement read on his behalf at the commemoration of World Food Day in Accra yesterday, the Director General of FAO, Mr Jose Graziano da Silver, said Ghana had been able to reduce the hunger prevalence rate from 40.5 per cent between 1990 and 1992 to less than five per cent in 2013.
Such an achievement, he said, was commendable.
The number of undernourished people in Ghana has also been reduced from 6.16 million people from 1990 to 1992 to less than two million in 2013.
The reduction in the prevalence of hunger and undernourishment is based on the FAO’s estimates for 2013.
World Food Day
Throughout the world, family farmers played a crucial role in hunger eradication, food security and national development.
About 500 million of the world’s 570 million farms are run by families.
According to Mr Graziano da Silver, recognising the crucial role family farmers played in eradicating hunger and ensuring food security, the United Nations (UN) designated 2014 as the international year for recognising family farming.
He called on the government to put in place intervention measures such as accessibility to finances, modern technologies for farming, good infrastructure among other interventions to improve and sustain family farming.
The event was marked locally with a flag-raising ceremony in Accra.
Globally and locally, the day was celebrated on the theme: “Family farming: Feeding the world and caring for the earth.”
The Day focused on recognising, appreciating and redirecting the global attention to the contribution of family farmers, particularly to food security and sustainable development.
The annual celebration on every October 16 is aimed at reminding the public of the FAO’s continuous search for a lasting solution to the problems of hunger and poverty in the world.
The Day was instituted with the goal of ensuring that food for all becomes a human right (globally).
Family farmers
In his address, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Fiifi Faive Kwetey, attributed Ghana’s attainment of the MDG One to the relentless efforts of local family farmers to food production.
He said although about 90 per cent of farm holdings were averagely two hectares in size, family farmers produced about 80 per cent of Ghana’s total agricultural output.
It is estimated by the sector ministry that about 2.74 million household engage in crop farming or livestock rearing.
Mr Kwetey said family farmers, therefore, played a crucial role in addressing the needs of a growing local and global population.
He said family farming was a tool to poverty eradication and national development, and therefore, encouraged all families to venture into family farming.
Agriculture contributed GH¢19.97 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013.
For her part, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ms Sherry Ayittey, said recognising the efforts of family farmers to food security, to eradicating hunger and to national development among other contributions, was crucial to delivering a sustainable agricultural industry.
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According to her, promoting investment, technology and innovation in family farming was the priority of the government.
Writer’s email: Doreen.andoh@graphic.com.gh