Introduce agriculture as a core subject to attract youth in farming – Comfort Acheampong

The Coordinator of the Ghana National Egg Campaign Secretariat (GNECS) Madam Comfort Kyerewaa Acheampong had called on government to reintroduced agriculture as a core subject to enable students to be fully involved in the practical aspect of farming to increase food security and sovereignty in the country.

” As a former agricultural science tutor, the subject was taught as a core subject in schools across the country challenging students to produce crops rear chickens that were sold or prepare as meals in the school kitchen” she lamented.

She said students must be encouraged to study agriculture as it was done several years in schools to enable them develop interest and explain that they must be sensitized at a very early age to make agriculture more attractive to them.

Madam Comfort Acheampong made the call at the commemoration of this year’s International Youth Day under the auspices of the World Food Forum Ghana on the theme, ” The Role of Students”, at Accra Academy Senior High School in Accra.

The programme is aimed at engaging students to harness their potentials and opportunities in the agriculture value chain by using innovation and technology to leverage agriculture for socio economic growth and development and the need to increase food production and productivity to meet future demands.

According to her, authors and writers of books on agriculture must use the faces of youth as illustrations for the cover page or banners saying such materials will attract the youth to venture into agriculture.

“The demand for poultry meat into the country is about 400,000 metric tons as against 57,871 metric tons of local production,” she said and indicated further that the level of importation poses a challenge to the local poultry industry.

For her part, the Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Akyaa Akosa said the growth of the country’s food systems lies in the youth, adding that the youth must venture into agriculture to support food challenges.

The Head of Public Affairs, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Mr. Bagbara Tanko said government have put in place the needed structures to support the youth in agriculture, saying the approach falls within the Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030.

Source: Ben LARYEA/johnawuniktv@gmail.com