Former Executive Director of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Dr. Charles Nyaaba, has warned of a looming food crisis in Ghana due to the government’s failure to support farmers, particularly in the face of drought and poor irrigation systems.
“We are facing a serious crisis. The current drought has affected farming communities, and the government’s promises of support have not materialized”, Dr. Nyaaba said in an interview with Efia Tutuwaa Danso on Starr Today.
Dr. Nyaaba criticized the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs program, saying it has been a failure. “The only thing the farmer needed was land, but the government has not provided the necessary support. The fertilizer quality is not there, the timing is poor, and they have over-politicized the whole thing.”
He also expressed disappointment with the One Village, One Dam policy, saying it has not served its purpose. “The dams never served the purpose for which the project was launched. Farmers are disappointed, and I don’t want to talk about it because it will increase their blood pressure.”
Dr. Nyaaba called on the government to provide emergency support to farmers, including free inputs, mechanization, and roads, to help them bounce back from the drought. “It’s the government’s responsibility to ensure that we get more irrigation facilities to store water. They need to come in to support us.”
When asked if he had tried reaching out to the government, Dr. Nyaaba said, “Me and the government, we talk every day. Even this morning, I talked to them. They are aware of the problem, but the only thing they know is that they are working on something in the pipeline for farming. And that thing never reaches us.”
Dr. Nyaaba’s warnings come as the country faces a severe drought, affecting thousands of farms and leaving many farmers without the means to continue farming.
