The Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA), as part of its 37th farmers day celebration has urged residents and local organisations to practice urban farming.
The celebration which took place at the Kwame Nkrumah interchange in Accra on December 2, 2022, was celebrated on the theme, “accelerating agricultural development through value addition”.
The Chief Executive for KoKMA, Mr Samuel Nii Adjei Tawiah, said the although the Municipality did not have farmlands to benefit from the several agriculture policies introduced by the Government, backyard and innovative forms of farming can be pursued.
He urged the youth and others who are interested in urban farming to venture into backyard and organic farming which did not require the use of chemicals and generous sizes of land.
Additionally, he encouraged people to venture into smart-urban agriculture where farmers explored open spaces for agriculture purposes.
We can also venture into small-whole livestock farming, where each household to rears livestock for cash and food.
He said he was optimistic that urban farming could improve the local economy of residents of the Municipality.
Mr Tawiah announced that the Assembly in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport was embarking on a beach project at the Osu Beach which included the building of Cold Stores, Ice-making facility, Premix Fuel depo, Water-Closet facility, Fish market and a generator plant house.
He said the project is 70 per cent complete and was expected to contribute positively to the economic development of the local people and beyond.
Zenator Agyeman-Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Klottey-Korley, pleaded with the assemblies to make provision for individuals and cooperative farmers to have pieces of lands to cultivate crops and rear animals within the urban centres.
“We all witnessed what happened during the pandemic, when vehicles could not come to Accra from the hinterlands at some point, and how it affected people’s ability to feed themselves. That must be a very recent reminder of the importance of being able to ensure that food supply is not interrupted by any means,” she said.
Mrs Sylvia Edem Agyeman, the Municipal Agric Director, the theme for this year’s celebration was very instructive and a revelation in the wake of prevailing global challenges as the concept of value addition in agriculture presented a particularly good opportunity for additional revenue generation, job creation, foreign exchange earnings, effective post-harvest management.
Mr Stephen Nartey was adjudged the overall best farmer, and took away a deep freezer, a wax print fabric, 2 aluminium pans, a knapsack sprayer, 12 pieces of cutlass and 2 pairs of field boot, while Mrs Joyce Badger won the best fish processor award and had a chest freezer, a half piece of cloth, 10 pairs of boots, 2 aluminium pans, 6 cutlass and a wheelbarrow as her prize.
