Promote irrigation farming; Best Farmer appeals to gov’t

Mr George Amankwah, the 2014 National Best Farmer has appealed to government to promote irrigation farming in the country; so as to enhance food security.

He said climate change had made the rainfall pattern in the country to be unpredictable; explaining that this year’s rains were inadequate, which could lead to food shortage.

Mr Amankwah made the appeal in Accra during a public forum organised by Occupy Ghana, a socio-political pressure group, to mark its first anniversary on the theme “The Journey is the Destination”.

He said Ghana is endowed with huge water resources which must be harnessed by the government for irrigation purposes to ensure all year round farming.

He also appealed to government to ensure that the awards given to best farmers included packages for their farms.

The 2014 National Best Farmer said tree planting was essential in mitigating the impact of climate change globally.

He alleged that the Carbon Fund Facility, meant to support tree growers such as farmers, does not get to them; but rather it was being used to organise workshops for some few stakeholders.

He appealed to government and other stakeholders to ensure that farmers who planted trees benefitted from the Carbon Fund.

He said planting trees helped to reduce desertification and also absorbed carbon dioxide released from industries which cause global warming and climate change.

Mr Anis Hafer, an educationist, called on Ghanaians to invest in the education of young people, saying, “It is in our best interest to ensure that the best education happens to our young people.”

He further appealed to government to create a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning in the country.

He advocated that school children should be made to go through practical and on the field training experiences as part of efforts to prepare them for the real task.

Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, the Dean, School of Communications Studies, University of Ghana, urged media owners to ensure that journalists were well paid and provided with logistics such as means of transport to enable them to do their work well.

She condemned recent spate of attacks on some journalists in their line of duties, adding that “we cannot expect to have a strong media, if their rights are being trampled upon”.

Prof Gadzekpo urged the media to continue to defend the civil liberty of the people at all times.

She also called for the transformation of the Ghana Journalists Association into a union to position it well to seek the interest of journalists.