A group of agri-experts has disclosed that aggressive Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies dissemination is needed to increase production in the country.
According to the experts, the harmonization, mainstreaming, and upscaling of climate-friendly agriculture innovations to increase food production amid erratic rains, flooding, and drought caused by climate crises will save the country from food scarcity.
Dr. Isaac Kankam-Boadu, Lecturer at the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and Dr. Stephen Yeboah, an Agronomist, Crops Research Institute, CSIR, made these assertions in an interview at a climate change media training workshop in Accra.
Dr. Yeboah said there is a need to embark on a consistent drive to disseminate climate-smart agriculture technologies to farmers.
“Aggressive dissemination is needed to develop CSA technologies to increase productivity, adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure national food security.”
Dr. Stephen Yeboah
Holistic interventions needed to boost food production
Dr. Yeboah stressed that the government has to improve the transportation system in rural areas so that food from the farm gate can go to the market centers in the right form and time.
“We must also look at post-harvest handling and utilization to achieve food security. As such, a national strategic direction and coordination of policies and programmes are required to mitigate the impact of climate change on Ghana’s food systems. So, our interventions must be holistic; increasing the production and looking at how to preserve what we’ve produced and make sure that they get to consumers in the right state at the right time.”
Dr. Stephen Yeboah
Adding to the discussion, Dr. Kankam-Boadu, said that climate-smart agriculture would help with some mitigation and adaptation measures against the harsh effects of climate change, which affect food production.
“Planting early maturing varieties, drought-tolerant food crops, and conserving soil moisture through organic matter and mulching have become critical in ensuring food security and environmental sustainability. It is important to adopt new ways of addressing pest and diseases brought about by climate change, particularly by planting researched disease and pest tolerant crops, and applying neem extracts instead of chemicals.”
Dr. Kankam-Boadu
Climate change to reduce crop yield by half in 2050
Dr. Kankam-Boadu also noted that climate change impact is increasingly becoming severe, with long-term projections indicating that crop yields could fall by up to 50 percent by 2050, while net revenues from crops could drop by as much as 90 percent by 2100.
Applying climate-smart agricultural practices is the surest way to improve soil fertility and double-crop yields while reducing unwanted greenhouse gasses, Dr. Boadu noted.
“The move together with proper post-harvest management practices including safe transportation of food crops from farm gates to producers, the market, and consumers, would ensure food availability, supply, and stability of prices.”
The Agri-Experts
