Let’s not relent in our fight against galamsey; it’s a threat to food security – Soil Scientist

The National Treasurer of the Soil Science Society of Ghana, Dr. Kofi Attiah has stressed the need for Ghana not to relent in its fight against galamsey.

This he said is because of the threats galamsey poses to both Ghana’s food and nutrition security.

“So assuming these forests where these things that we harvest reside are depleted, where do we get them? We don’t get it.” He said.

Dr. Attiah further bemoaned the menace which has become prevalent in cocoa farms saying it is a big threat to Ghana’s economy.

“Now talking about 2% of our total land size that is earmarked for cocoa being destroyed, that is a significant threat because government goes with cocoa syndicated loan every year with the mindset that at the end of the harvest, this is the amount we are going to get and we are going to pay those who lend us the money. Now, if 2%, which translates to so many tones, has been lost, are you able to pay your loan? No. We are already struggling as a nation, so I think we should really join hands in fighting against galamsey.” He emphasized.

Dr. Attiah who is also a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Soil Science at the University of Cape Coast spoke to ATL FM NEWS when the Soils Science Society of Ghana (SSSG) joined other countries in the world to mark the 2022 World Soil Day (WSD) on the theme, “Soils: Where Food begin.”

He noted that the act of galamsey has become a big threat to Ghana’s Nutrition security as lands that are supposed to be in the prime stage have been degraded.

While highlighting the activities that affect the soil negatively

On his part, the National Secretary of the Association, Dr. Chris Phares said that in addition to the measures the government is rolling out to mitigate galamsey in the country, more education on the dangers associated with the menace must be given to people living in the communities where galamsey is known to be taking place.

According to him, doing this will empower the people to do all that they can to help fight the canker.

Dr. Phares who is also a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Soil Science at the University of Cape Coast indicated that activities such as inappropriate fertilizer application practices, and continuous cropping on the same piece of land among others negatively affects the soil and must not be encouraged.

Since 2014, World Soil Day has been held annually on December 5 as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.