Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, has called on Ghanaians to embrace sustainable farming techniques that preserve the environment and reduce the country’s overreliance on imported food.
Speaking at the launch of the “Status Seminar 2025” in Bonn, he underscored the economic and ecological toll of unsustainable agricultural practices.
The seminar, co-hosted by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), provided a platform for discussing solutions to Africa’s growing food insecurity.
Addressing the forum, the Minister revealed that Ghana currently spends more than GHS 3 billion each year on the importation of rice and poultry, despite having the capacity to produce these staples locally.
“We all need to act responsibly as people. We can’t engage in an agriculture system or process which destroys the land. Responsible agriculture practices or smart agriculture practices are very important”
Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology
According to the Minister, Ghana’s food import bill has ballooned from $500 million in 2016 to over $3 billion by the time the National Democratic Congress (NDC) returned to power in 2025. The Minister warned that this trajectory not only drains foreign exchange but also undermines job creation, economic growth, and local agricultural resilience.
“Once the land is destroyed, affected – food production will be affected, livelihood of people will be affected, the economy will not grow, the needed jobs will not be created and foreign exchange would be spent more on things that we have the capacity to produce”
Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology
Hon. Murtala Muhammed stressed that meaningful support to smallholder farmers is critical for transitioning to sustainable agriculture. He urged that harmful chemical use be curbed and that scientific research be harnessed to introduce safe and efficient alternatives.
The government, he added, is pushing for deeper collaboration between research institutions, academia, and the private sector.
“That is why we launched the first science and technology forum,” he announced. “We launched it today. We’d have the actual forum in August. It’s going to be a bi-annually thing.”
He explained that the initiative will allow stakeholders to apply existing research solutions while encouraging new research aligned with Ghana’s developmental needs. The Minister pointed to this model as essential to transforming the agricultural sector and ensuring long-term food security.
“Through research, you can come up with several means of smart farming. We are also engaging partners to come out with means by which we can reclaim those lands”
Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology
Highlighting the severe impact of illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, Hon. Murtala Muhammed emphasized that land reclamation must be handled scientifically. He noted that simple restoration is not enough, as galamsey operations often strip topsoil of its nutrients, rendering it infertile.
“Where galamsey activity takes place – even if you reclaim it and you don’t do it well – they can’t use it for farming because they would have taken up the topsoil, which contains the necessary nutrients. It needs a lot of scientific work to be done, and that is what we are focusing on”
Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology
According to the Ministry, the government is reviewing several proposals for land restoration and is actively seeking partnerships to implement them. Support has already been secured from international institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the African Development Bank.
The Minister praised the work of FARA, describing the institution as instrumental in strengthening capacity among Ghanaian agricultural workers and researchers. He said FARA’s work is key in training farmers to adopt methods that maintain soil integrity while increasing yields.
As the government intensifies efforts to cut Ghana’s food import bill and reclaim environmentally damaged lands, the Environment Minister has made clear that research-based smart agriculture will be central to national policy going forward.
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