GARDJA seeks revitalisation of IV1D policy to improve agriculture productivity in Ghana

The Ghana Agricultural and Rural Development Journalists Association (GARDJA) is seeking the government to revitalise the One village, One dam policy to improve the agricultural sector.

According to the Association, the policy had not made much difference in the lives of farmers other than serve as a source of drinking water for animals. The government introduced the ‘One village, One dam’ Initiative to construct dams in some villages in northern Ghana to support the farmers to do dry season farming.

However, when they were eventually constructed, the dams did not meet the expectations of Ghanaians as they were poorly constructed. Mr Richmond Frimpong, President of GADRJA, in a statement called on government to revitalise the initiative for the benefit of farmers.

Prices of food

He warned of drastic hikes in the prices of food in the year 2022 unless urgent measures were taken. Mr Richmond said data from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture available showed that January and October 2021, had a hike in prices of maize, yam, cassava, tomatoes by 12 and 73 per cent.

“There is need for urgent action because the challenges with the hike in food prices we saw last year was a clear warning that unless drastic actions are taken, danger looms in 2022. Minus immediate bold interventions, 2022 is likely to come along with even more drastic increase in prices of foodstuff, deepening inequalities among the farming population and an increase in Ghana’s dependence on foreign foods, as well as loss of agricultural jobs. Immediate government action is needed now,” he said.

He however commended the government for the concept of providing farmers with irrigation facilities as it is a good move that must necessarily be pursued. The Ghana Agricultural and Rural Development Journalists Association (GARDJA) is an association of about 300 journalists and communicators working to promote issues of environment, agriculture and rural development in the media space. GARDJA is an affiliate of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), the world’s largest association of agricultural communication practitioners with membership covering more than 50 countries.