GES urged to encourage re-establishment of school gardens

The former Head Mistress of Asuansi Farming Institute, Ms Irene Obeng, has called for the introduction of Ghanaian children to modern farming through school gardening.

She said despite claims that agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy, children are often not given the opportunity to experience practical farming through the school system for them to develop interest at an early age.

Ms Obeng said the situation was worsened by the wrong notion that farming is for the less educated and so some families discouraged their highly educated children from taking on farming as a profession.

She called on 4-H Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) volunteers to help spread the message and educate parents to appreciate that the fact that the highly educated equally had a role in farming.

Ms Obeng was speaking at a training workshop for 4-H Ghana volunteers drawn from the Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the District Assemblies from the Kwahu North, New Juaben and Akuapem North at Bunso on Wednesday.

The volunteers are expected to help train the future farmers of the country through the establishment of 4-H Clubs in schools and in communities for the members of the club to establish school gardens and community youth farms under the 4-H Enterprise Garden Project.

The Enterprise Garden project is a livelihood and skills development project, which aims at making agriculture more attractive and fun to young people and help reduce rural urban migration.

4-H Ghana, is affiliated to the National Council of 4-H with its head office in the United States of America and has branches in over 70 countries.

The Enterprise Garden Project is being funded by Dupont Pioneer and the Gate Foundation through the National 4-H Council of the USA

The Club is committed towards developing the youth into useful citizens through practical training.

It is currently helping to promote food security in Africa by training the youth to adopt high productive methods in agriculture through the adoption of effective agro practices and the use of high productive seeds on school and community farms.

Ms Obeng urged 4-H Ghana volunteers to engage the services of the self employed who had succeeded in their businesses to share their experiences with the members of 4-H clubs to enable them develop into useful citizens.

Mr. Francis Nii Clottey, Yilo Krobo District Crops Officer of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, urged the volunteers to motivate the women amongst them to contest for the positions of President and Vice Presidents in the various clubs.