Sustained actions needed to tackle climate change - Upper East GJA to stakeholders
The Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), William Nlanjerbor Jalulah, has called for sustained actions from the government, civil society organisations (CSOs) and the private sector, to tackle climate change to ensure food security in the country.
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He said there was the need for continuous efforts from the national, regional and community levels to deal with the devastating consequences of climate change, adding that “Such a move will push all the stakeholders to re-evaluate how they interact with the environment, manage natural resources and envision a future where the environment is well protected.”
Mr Jalulah was speaking during a public lecture on climate change as part of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the GJA in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region last Thursday.
The lecture was organised by the GJA in partnership with the Feed the Future (FTF) Ghana Policy LINK Activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
It was on the theme: “The effects of climate change on agriculture in Ghana: The case of the Upper East Region”. As part of the event, the third regional GJA awards slated for August 30, 2024, was also launched.
Ghana not spared
Mr Jalulah stated that being an agrarian country, Ghana had not been spared the effects of climate change, saying “Farmers who are the backbone of the nation’s food security are grappling with reduced crop yields, dwindling water resources coupled with the spread of pest and diseases which were previously non-existent”.
As a result, he mentioned that the livelihoods of countless farmers had been threatened since the foundation of agricultural sustainability had been undermined due to the consequences of climate change.
In the Upper East, the GJA Chairman said the story was pathetic as they continued to witness drastic reductions in rainfall periods and its attendant effects on food production and crop yields.
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Uncertain planting period
Delivering the lecture, a former Director at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Roy Ayariga, said lately, farmers could not determine the period to plant their crops to meet the rains but gambled with when to plant their crops as they did not know the exact period and month that the rains would set in.
He indicated that in the 1970s, farmers in the area used to plant their crops around April and May and harvest their produce between October and November, saying “Owing to climate change, the farming period has reduced from seven months to four months.”
Mr Ayariga, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Green Planet Consult, pointed out that some varieties of crops that were harvested in five months could no longer be planted in the region due to the reduction in the duration of the rainfall period to four months.
Insurance fund
The Country Lead, Feed the Future Ghana Policy LINK Activity, Yunus Abdulai, said the organisation was working on some initiatives to support climate change efforts in the country.
He announced that his outfit was collaborating with the National Insurance Commission (NIC), and private insurance providers to operationalise the Agricultural Insurance Fund (AIF) to cushion farmers.
He said, “This is a direct climate adaptation strategy that will contribute to helping smallholder farmers manage climate-related risk factors to positively affect food production and security.”
The Upper East Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, said there was a need for stakeholders in the region to have a critical discourse which would explore sustainable mechanisms to strengthen climate resilience.
The acting Vice-Chancellor of the C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (C.K.T-UTAS), Professor Albert Luguterah, who chaired the event, said the issue of climate change was very serious and asked everyone to be part of measures to deal with it.
Writer’s email: gilbert.agbey@graphic.com.gh.