NGO wants agriculture institutions revamped towards food security

Tamale, Nov. 4, GNA - The Urban Agriculture Network (URBANET), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has called for the revamping of agricultural institutions to improve food security in the country. Mr. Zakaria Abdul-Rashid, Coordinator of the URBANET, noted that in the past, agricultural institutions collaborated and shared ideas to increase food production.

He was addressing a day's workshop on food security in urban areas, on the theme; "Promoting Food Security through Participation and Collaboration", in Tamale.

The workshop brought together about 50 agricultural experts in the Northern Region to discuss ways of improving food security. Mr. Rashid said urban agriculture, particularly in the Tamale Metropolis, was gaining grounds due to the production of livestock and vegetables.

He, however, expressed worry that urban agriculture was being hampered by population increase, scarcity of land and use of unhygienic water for irrigating vegetable farms, which could affect users of produce.

Mr. Kwamina Arkorful, Tamale Metropolitan Director of Agriculture of Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said food production in the Region could increase since land under cultivation had increased due to government's block farming programme.

Mr. Stephen Yakubu, Deputy Northern Regional Director of Agriculture, said food security was a multi-dimensional that involved agro-environmental, socio-economic and biological factors.