Poverty affects participatory democracy- Abas

Tamale, August 23, GNA- The Northern Regional Coordinating Director, Mr Charles Abas has said that for real democracy to succeed in the country, Ghanaians must be freed from the shackles of poverty.

He noted that the only way Ghanaians could reduce poverty and participate effectively in democratic procedures was through economic empowerment of the people.

Mr Abas was inaugurating a 12-member Northern Region Research-Extension-Farmer Linkage Committee (RELC) in Tamale on Friday. The RELC, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), comprises representatives of research institutions, MOFA, NGOs0, Department of Cooperatives, the University for Development Studies (UDS), the Regional Coordinating Council and agro-business organisations.

The committee is charged with the creation of a forum for all relevant stakeholders in agriculture to meet, interact, and address constraints within the sector and plan for the way forward.

Mr Abas urged extension officers to approach their work seriously and empower farmers through dissemination of modern agricultural practices at individual, community, regional and national levels. He said: "It is disheartening to see that the farmer who produces the food to feed us is rather the victim of food insecurity", adding, "your focus should, therefore, be on achieving food security at the household level as a prelude to addressing food insecurity globally".

Dr Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, Coordinator of the RELC said the committee will collaborate with its development partners to train agricultural extension officers and farmers on problem identification using participatory approaches and planning.

Mr Don Scheer, Canadian Field Director of Farmers Responsive Mechanism-Extension-Research (FARMER) Project said the organisation was supporting RELC under the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Food Security Programme.

The five-year project, he said, would collaborate and support linkages between researchers and farmers to enhance agricultural production and food security in the Northern Region. A five-member sub-committee editorial board to develop handbook and other materials for farmers, agro-processors and marketing agents was inaugurated to facilitate information flow to farmers.