ActionAid Ghana and Agric Departments Honor Women for Agroecology Practices.

Lambussie: ActionAid Ghana has supported this year's Farmers Day with recognition of outstanding women farmers in the Lambussie, Jirapa, and Sissala East municipalities, who are practicing agroecology. It is to encourage and promote agroecology practices among farmers. Four women, including the best woman farmer in the Lambussie district, received items comprising push planters and wellington boots.According to Ghana News Agency, addressing farmers at the ceremony in Kpare community in the Lambussie District at the weekend, Madam Abiba Nibaradun, the Upper West Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid Ghana (AAG), said agroecology and the use of indigenous seeds helped build farmers' resilience against climate change. This year's Farmers' Day was on the theme: 'Building Climate-resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security.'The women's recognition was in line with AAG's focus area of promoting agroecology and food sovereignty under its Strategic Priority (SP) one of the Seventh Country Strategic Pape r to ensure a green economy and resilient livelihoods. It was also pursuant to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which sought to achieve 'Zero Hunger' by 2030. That Goal required that by 2030, 'End hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.'Madam Nibaradun said agroecology enabled farmers to have control over their farm inputs, including seed, which made them self-reliant, thereby enhancing food sovereignty. She said AAG was promoting agroecology among farmers as a means of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy.Madam Nibaradun explained that AAG had been partnering with the Agricultural Departments in their operational districts to support farmers, particularly women, to adopt agroecology practices including planting and nurturing trees on their farms, producing indigenous seed and composting. ActionAid Ghana recommended increased funding and investments in agriculture by the government, especially in supporting research institutions to develop more drought-resistant and early maturing crop varieties and promote sustainable farming practices among farmers.Madam Portia Dapilah from Sentu community, who emerged as the best woman agroecology farmer and received a push planter, said the equipment would impact her farming by reducing labor in planting and enabling her to increase the farm size. 'I see other women using it and wished I could also buy one, but I did not have money to buy it, today ActionAid has given it to me, it will help me a lot in my farming activities. I will no longer have to bend down to sow, and I can plant more in a day,' she said.The AAG's agroecology award winners expressed gratitude to the organisation for the recognition and said it would motivate them and other women to practice agroecological farming. Mr Nathaniel Zim-Meeweh Nambie, the Lambussie District Director of Agriculture, said the recent dry spell in the district affected 17,160 out of 28,980 hectares of cultivated farms. It affected 9,855 farmers in the district, comprising 4,600 women and 5,255 men.