Mr. Bernard Guri, the Executive Director for Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), has emphasized the need for a nationwide promotion of traditional, agro-ecological and organic farming for mitigation of the effects of climate change.
He expressed concern that climate change was causing depletion of the ozone layer, saying that had become a great threat to sustainable food production and security.
According to him rainfall was no longer predictable for farmers due to climate change, hence the need for the nation to encourage and provide the enabling environment for farmers to support the move for traditional, agro-ecological and organic farming for national interest.
Mr. Guri made the call when he spoke at the opening of a training on traditional, agro-ecological and organic farming for selected members of farmer groups including Peasant Farmers Association and Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) officials at Techiman in the Bono East Region.
The two-day training was organised by CIKOD, a Ghanaian non-governmental organisation with the main purpose of developing methodologies “to strengthen traditional authorities and civil society organisations to facilitate sustainable grassroots organisational development that gives voice to the poor and vulnerable rural families”.
It was funded by Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa and the 11th Hour Project at Techiman for more than 70 participants drawn from the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, to among others build their capacities to focus on traditional, agro-ecological and organic farming not only to mitigate climate change, but to promote food security in the country.
Mr. Guri charged the participants to seriously apply the knowledge acquired at the training and impart it to other farmers in their communities to contribute to achieving the objectives of the training at the community, regional and national levels.
As part of the training, a field trip was organised for the participants to some demonstration farms in the Techiman Municipality to observe actual agro-ecology and organic farming, which is environmentally friendly for indigenous farming, conservational agriculture and mixed farming.
A participant, Nana Ameyaw Manu who is the national vice president of the Peasant Farmers Association later in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, appealed for more support of MoFA extension officers to equip farmers with knowledge about modern agriculture best practices for production of healthy foodstuff for consumption and export.
