President Mahama champions year-round farming to boost Ghana’s food security

President John Dramani Mahama has renewed calls for the expansion of year-round farming in Ghana, describing it as a critical pathway to strengthening food security and increasing national food production.

Speaking at the Presidency during the presentation of credentials by H.E Diarra Dime Labille, France Ambassador-Designate to Ghana , President Mahama pointed to ongoing investments in agricultural water management as a game-changer for the sector, particularly the rehabilitation of dams across the country.

“It’s been a very helpful programme. Twenty dams have been rehabilitated and it allows farmers to do all-year-round agriculture,” he said.

President Mahama noted that Ghana’s dependence on seasonal rainfall remains a major constraint on agricultural productivity, leaving many farmers without work for extended periods each year.

“One of the major problems of food security in Ghana has been the fact that we have a rainy season of about six to seven months and then after that it’s dry throughout the rest of the year,” he explained.

“So we find that farmers grow and harvest within that rainy season and after that they have to sit for another six months doing nothing.”

He stressed that expanding irrigation infrastructure and improving water management systems would allow farmers to cultivate crops continuously, boosting output and stabilizing food supply.

“We believe that if we deepen all-year-round agriculture, we should be able to double food production and produce enough food to feed ourselves,” President Mahama stated.

The President also praised the Agricultural Water Management Programme, describing it as a vital intervention already delivering tangible results for farmers nationwide.