US National Farmers Union president to visit Ghana

The National Farmers’ Union of America President, Mr Roger Johnson, will visit Ghana to share farming experience with farmers at this year’s National Food and Agriculture Show (FAGRO) slated for November 12 in Kumasi.

Mr Johnson will make a presentation to energize Ghanaian farmers to reposition themselves in the farming business to increase yields towards food security.

The General Manager of FAGRO, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, told the GNA in an interview that Mr Johnson had a wealth of experience in farming.

She said he would seek to hammer the need for the, farmers and the youth to change their attitude to farming and see it as the main driver of the economy.

Nana Akyaa Akosa said the Farmers’ Union in the US saw farming as a serious business where people devoted their time and energies to it but unfortunately the situation was quite different in Ghana partly due to ignorance.

Mr Johnson’s presentation would touch on a range of farming issues particularly how farmers could differentiate fake chemicals from original ones and how to apply modern farming schemes and technologies to improve yields for food sufficiency.

Mr Johnson was elected as the 14th President during the Union’s anniversary convention in 2009.

Prior to leading the union, Mr Johnson served as North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner, a position he was first elected in 1996.

While serving as Agriculture Commissioner, Mr Johnson served on the state commission, the North Dakota trade office advisory board, and the state board of agricultural research and education.

From 2007 to 2008, Mr Johnson served as president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, past president of the food export association of the Midwest and a former chairman of the interstate pest control compact.

He graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in agriculture economics.

The National Farmers’ Union was founded in 1902 in Point, Texas, to help the family farmer to address profitability issues and monopolistic practices.

It has been working to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life of family farmers, ranchers and rural communities through advocating grassroots-driven policy positions adopted by its memberships.

The key to the success and credibility of the organisation has been its grassroots structure in which policy position are initiated locally.

The policy process includes the presentation of resolutions by individuals, followed by possible adoption of the resolutions at the local, state and national levels.

The farmers believe that group opportunities in production agriculture are the foundation of strong farmer and ranch families and strong farm and ranch families are the basis for thriving rural communities.

Vibrant rural communities, in turn, are vital to the health, security and economic well-being the entire national economy.