The General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) has urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to implement an effective mechanism to deter encroachers from taking over lands meant for agricultural purposes.
According to GAWU, small-scale mining has taken a toll on food production in the country as a vast majority of lands hitherto allocated for farming are being converted into mining sites.
“It is necessary for us as a nation to protect and make judicious use of our land resources, especially those meant to promote agro-based activities. This cannot be glossed over given the high rate at which illegal small-scale miners were taking over agricultural lands, with their attendant negative consequences on the environment. Water bodies are being polluted, and the quality of our soil is being compromised due to the use of harmful chemicals by some of these illegal miners.”
Mr. Edward Kareweh
He lamented that achieving sustainable agriculture and food security are at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Ghana could miss out in realizing these targets without the availability of land.”
Mr. Edward Kareweh
Mr. Edward Kareweh, the General Secretary of the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union, made these assertions while addressing a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the GAWU in Kumasi. The event is designed to review and discuss the Government’s agricultural policies, programmes, and policies, he stated.
The GAWU, he said, would continue to provide the requisite support to the government for the effective implementation of agro-based policies.
Deforestation in Ghana at 135,000 hectares per year
In a recent interview, the Forestry Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-FORIG) pleaded with the government for urgent steps to reverse the rapid loss of Ghana’s forest cover to preserve the vegetation for the benefit of present and future generations.
The institute estimates deforestation in Ghana at 135,000 hectares per year, a situation it predicts may exacerbate in the wake of the changing climate.
Adding to the discussion, Dr. Gloria Djaney Djagbletey, Head of Forest and Climate Change Division, CSIR-FORIG, said in an interview that forests provide a host of vital goods, including food, fodder, medicines, mushrooms, timber, snails, and game, hence, they must be protected.
“There’s the urgent need to preserve and reverse the rapid forest loss to ensure sustainable production of the goods and services to benefit present and future generations. If nothing is done about the loss of the forest or vegetation cover, climate change effects may ruin the efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Dr. Gloria Djaney Djagbletey
Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has stated that matters of the environment and climate change should be devoid of partisan politics and seen as an existential issue for society and every living thing on the planet.
“This bears testimony to the statement once made by the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, that ‘saving the planet isn’t a partisan issue.’ No matter our political persuasion, it behooves all Ghanaians to join in the efforts to protect our environment and, by extension, save our planet.”
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin
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