Journalists to focus more on Agriculture Reporting

Media Professionals in the Northern Ecological Zone have been urged to focus more on agricultural reporting to help boost production.

Mr Edward Ameyibor, a Media Consultant and a former Chief Supervising Editor of the Ghana News Agency, made the call in Bolgatanga during a Media Orientation Programme on Agriculture for Journalists.

The programme organized by the Market Development Programme for Northern Ghana (MADE) and funded by the DFID, a UK based organization, was aimed at empowering journalists to highlight the challenges confronting farmers in the area so as to inform policy makers and government to address their needs.

Among some of the challenges confronting farmers in the area include, marketing, accessing credit facilities, farm inputs and the effects of climate change among others.

The Media Consultant told the Journalists that they would be contributing to the growth of the Northern economy and the country as a whole if they devoted much of their time and space advocating the challenges facing farmers in the area.

He encouraged the Media Practitioners to venture into the rural areas to report on issues confronting farmers.

Journalists were also told to do more in-depth reporting by writing feature stories, documentaries and profiling of success stories of farmers among others

Mrs Caroline Tsikata, a Communication Specialist in charge of MADE, explained that the four year project would help facilitate in the areas of rice, groundnuts, onions, chilly, livestock, fruits and vegetables.

She said the ecological zone was not all that poor as it was being perceived and indicated that if farmers’ issues were brought to the fore it could help improve upon their economic status.

She stated that the area of crops had been carefully selected as they have the greatest potential of lifting farmers in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and parts of the Brong Ahafo and Volta Regions from poverty.

Mrs Tsikata said farmers would be supported and linked to sectors that would give them support to increase their production including the provision of information, knowledge, weather conditions, market and seeds.