Director for West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), Professor Eric Danquah, has called on government and stakeholders to come together to ensure the actualization of resilience in crop plant to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 2.
According to him, despite the devastation caused by the COVID-19, it has taught “important lessons” on the need to innovate and incorporate the use of technology in agriculture. Professor Danquah explained that it is no brainer that globally, countries are facing unprecedent challenges due to human activity which is destroying the environment.
Speaking at the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa’s marking of Farmers Day scheduled for tomorrow, Professor Danquah noted that the projected population increase for Ghana in 2030 is likely to witness “7 million” additional mouths to feed.
“We need to address the problem of resilience because if we do not build resilience in our crop plants using modern technologies and methods that are efficient and effective in the short to medium term, it is unlikely that we will meet sustainable development goal 2. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, we can say that Africa was not on track to meet SDG 2. We now know that if we don’t innovate urgently to build self-reliant systems, we cannot change the course of the development of our agriculture in the country”.
Professor Eric Danquah
Touching on the valuable impact of technology on agriculture, Professor Danquah indicated that if the country does not transform its agriculture, driven by science, technology and innovation, for the “generation of a pipeline of products” that addresses farmers and markets needs, it is unlikely that it will meet expectations by 2030.
“This cannot happen without investments and well-trained scientists who can utilise effective and efficient methods in the breeding process to accelerate genetic gains for step chain in our agriculture in the shortest possible time”.
Pofessor Eric Danquah
WACCI commends AGRA on its achievements
Professor Danquah commended the sterling achievement of Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) for its“audacity” in establishing WACCI. He revealed that through the institute, old varieties have given way to “new varieties” through its “impact driven research”.
The West Africa for Crop Improvement, Professor Danquah emphasized, is by far one of the leading institutions for training PhDs in plant breeding in the world.
“Our graduates who are working in fourteen countries in Africa have released over 160 varieties for farmers. They have also attracted over $35 million to their research institutions. So, immediately, you can assess the value of quality education”.
Professor Eric Danquah
He noted that if his outfit’s efforts to transform agriculture is not “underpinned” by its service to turn out graduates who can innovate to turn the “fortunes” of the country, it is likely transformation project undertaken will be “truncated” because there will be a paucity in scientists to continue delivering the varieties needed.
The WACCI Director lauded AGRA for its support to the centre and expressed his commitment to the partnership to rethink AGRA’s new strategy.
“I believe AGRA’s new strategy is going to be well-informed and WACCI will be an important player in conversations which will lead us into 2030”.
Professor Eric Danquah
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