Water quality crucial for food security- Stakeholders

Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have called for a holistic monitoring of the water sources used by farmers for irrigation on their respective farms.

They said the use of unsafe water, mostly wastewater, by farmers during irrigation on farm produce often led to food-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery and others, which have become a great concern in recent times.

According to them, most households only used water or salty water to wash farm produce, especially vegetables acquired from the market before consuming them, a practice they said did not entirely get rid of the toxins which were injurious to human consumption and public safety.

The stakeholders, drawn from academia, the Water Resource Commission, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), among others, made the call last Tuesday, when they converged on Accra to discuss and map out best farming practices to avoid the contamination of farm produce by unsafe water used for irrigation purposes.

FAO Project

They are expected to make inputs into the FAO’s water quality, irrigation and on-farm controls for global food safety and nutritional security project, which was launched at the function.

The project, which is being implemented in other countries, including Ghana, aims at developing a system for monitoring water and food quality that allows for the quick detection, prevention and management response of water used on farms.

The project also aims at building the capacity of farmers and other stakeholders through sustainable land, water and good agricultural practices for the production of safe, nutritious and high quality food.

Water pollution

The FAO Country Representative, Dr Ndiaga Gueye, explained that one of the world’s most recent concerns was increasing water pollution, which had a direct impact on health, economic development, food security and nutrition.

He noted that agriculture had been cited as one of the main sources of water pollution and on-farm practices such as application of untreated manure, adding that improper use of antimicrobials contributed to water pollution, especially surface water used for agriculture.

“The use of polluted water for irrigation and watering of plants could be a vehicle for transfer of pathogens to food, which impacts food safety and security,” he said.

For this reason, he said the FAO was spearheading the project with the government to help strengthen the country’s institutions for improved integrated land and water management practices.

The project is jointly funded by the United States Drug Administration (USFDA) and the FAO.

Food safety, he said, was a subject of global interest due to the potential hazards associated with consumption of unsafe food, adding: ”Food safety has great impact on public health, trade and economic development”.

He added that monitoring irrigation water quality would significantly enhance food safety from farm-to-fork, and provide opportunities for better management of pre-harvest risk factors to food safety.

Protection

The Director of Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Bentsil Quaye, said protecting consumers from water-borne illness throughout the food production chain had been one of the government’s agenda to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).