Reconsider backyard farming - Agric Officer to Ghanaians

Ghanaians have been urged to reconsider backyard farming as a hobby to ensure food security for their immediate family and the community. With the high cost of living, backyard farming will cushion the family budget, if the majority of people reserve some small portions of their land for this activity. Mr David Kuatdzor, Director of Agriculture at Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese-District (AAK) told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the days when some retirees engaged in backyard farming did not only serve as good exercise for their bodies but also saved financial resources for them. He said growing what one ate devoid of chemicals was also very important to healthy living. He was of the view that backyard farming was an old farming practice that must be encouraged to gain prominence to support the family’s income. The AAK District Agric Director emphasized that there was no need to acquire a lot of space to produce enough food to sustain the diet of the family, but rather a small piece of land would do. He told the youth to engage in backyard farming since it could be a good source of income, particularly when crops grew out of season and to feed family and nature. Mr Kuatdzor pointed out that it was imperative people grew easy-to-grow crops such as plantain, pepper, cassava, vegetables, fruits, okro and many more to feed themselves. He expressed disappointment about Ghana’s inability to produce enough food despite having over 1.4 million farmers at work, adding that it must be a concern for all. He called for the reintroduction of Basic school farming as a measure to save develop the interest of the youth in farming and ensure food security for the country.