Workshop on Roles of Agriculture Project opens

Accra, Sept. 2, GNA - A two-day's workshop on Roles of Agriculture (ROA) Project opened in Accra on Tuesday with a call on the state to intervene to make agriculture less risky.

Professor Ernest Aryeetey, Director of Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), said the state was not urging farmers on to be pro-active and until this was done agriculture would continue to be perceived as "no man's job".

The ROA is a joint study by the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness (DAEA) and ISSER of the University of Ghana with the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to gather information on the roles that agriculture is playing with respect to Ghana's socio-economy development.

Ghana was chosen as one of the 11 case studies across the developing world to critically analyse the roles agriculture plays. Prof. Aryeetey said: "Ghanaians always want to be modern and eat modernised foods, but they are not considering putting up an institution that will help modernise the agriculture sector."

He stressed that agriculture could not play its role without being modernised.

Professor Edward Ofori-Sarpong, Pro-Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana, said the contribution of agriculture to the economic development of Ghana was great.

He said the sector had been recognised as a major player in the country's efforts towards poverty reduction, addressing the problems of environmental degradation and improving the incomes of the rural folks in particular.

Prof. Ofori-Sarpong said he hoped that their collective efforts would help improve agriculture in Ghana and the entire developing world.