Embrace Home Gardening for Sustainable Food Security.

Amasaman: Mr Clement Wilkinson, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ga West Municipal Assembly, has urged citizens to adopt home gardening as a sustainable solution for enhancing food security and resilience. He said embracing home gardening was a powerful and sustainable way to contribute to food security, especially as concerns over climate change, food shortages, and rising food costs grew. The MCE was speaking at the Assembly's celebration of the 40th National Farmers Day, which was held at the forecourt of the Assembly in Amasaman, Greater Accra Region.According to Ghana News Agency, this year's theme for the celebration was 'Building Climate-Resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security.' Unlike the convention where the day is celebrated on the first Friday of December every year, this year's event has been brought forward to November 8, 2024, due to the General elections which will be held on December 7. Mr Wilkinson said 'by growing your own fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even small livestock, one reduces reliance on commercial food systems that may be vulnerable to disruptions due to weather events, transportation challenges, or global crises.' He emphasised the critical role agriculture played as the backbone of Ghana's economy.He said food security was a shared responsibility, not solely the duty of farmers, and that every citizen had a crucial role to play in securing a sustainable food future. The MCE called on residents to embrace gardening, not only to feed their families but also to foster self-reliance and climate-resilient communities. He congratulated the day's awardees, commending their dedication and hard work toward building the nation's agricultural landscape.Mrs. Angelina Owusu Ansah, Municipal Director of Agriculture for the Assembly, said agriculture continued to play an important role in the socio-cultural and economic life of Ghanaians, such that it was the source of food, nutrition, employment and income. She said in the year under review, the Government commenced the imple mentation of the Planting for Food and Jobs phase II, introducing input credit as its core value as against input subsidy in the first phase. 'Four hundred and ten farmers have been registered so far in the Ga West Municipality,' she added.Mrs. Ansah said to support registered farmers, the Government distributed essential farm inputs to two hundred thousand farmers fully registered on the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform nationwide, with 97 of these beneficiaries from the Ga West Municipality. She said beyond the provision of inputs, the Department of Agriculture had been proactive in knowledge-sharing efforts, and that through home and farm visits, extension officers provided farmers with updated techniques and guidance on adopting climate-smart practices.Madam Agnes Oye from Ocherikomfo was awarded the Best Farmer in the Municipality, receiving a certificate, a television set, six cutlasses, six bars of soap, four knapsack sprayers, a deep freezer, four pairs of boots, two half pieces of clot h, and six bags of compost. Other awardees included Mr. Isaac Dodoo Otto as Best Crops Farmer, Mr. Samuel Osei as Best Livestock Farmer, Ms. Grace Adayalor as Best Woman Farmer, Mr. Alfred Borquaye as Best Physically Challenged Farmer, and Ms. Beatrice Bamfo as Best Agricultural Staff.