Make urban agriculture attractive - National best farmer

Lemuel Kwashie Martey, the 2012 National Best Farmer and owner of Mannah Farms Limited in the Greater Accra Region, has appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to make urban agriculture attractive.

According to him, urban agriculture contributed about 30 per cent of the food consumed in the country, therefore, it needed to be supported to improve the living conditions of the farmers and also the quality of urban air.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Martey asked the Government not to give away all the state lands in the urban areas for real estate development but earmark certain areas for food cultivation.

He also advised the Government to acquire lands from families offering their lands for sale to create land banks solely for urban agriculture.

Mr Martey appealed to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to protect the Sakumo Ramsar site stating that the area was a viable agricultural resource that could be used for the cultivation of crops and animal husbandry.

He, therefore, called for the prosecution of all those who had encroached on the land to serve as a deterrent to others.

Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance, recognised globally due to the 1971 Ramsar Convention, which is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

The Ramsar Secretariat defines the wise use of wetlands as ‘the maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development’.

The best farmer advised urban dwellers to grow vegetables in their backyards to improve their livelihoods and also teach their children about the usefulness of agriculture.