Farmers Cry For Help

Farmers in Ghana are complaining bitterly about the various technological tools and materials being used for production. A survey conducted by Inform Ghana, a civil society group, has shown. This, according to the survey, has resulted in the decline of production. The survey noted that deficit in agricultural production was still a challenge. The lack of systematic policy to conserve and utilize ample rainfall in all parts of the country, Inform Ghana survey revealed was due to the choice of inappropriate technology for the farmers in Ghana. �Simpler and cheaper technologies for harvesting rains could yield Ghana immense benefits in agricultural productivity and poverty reduction,� it stated. �Rainfall is unreliable with regard to its onset, duration, intensity and amount, and can disrupt crop production,� the research added. According to the report, farmers are worried about threats being posed to some crops, adding �this is making production a great problem.� An equally important constraint, the survey pointed out, is the scarcity of affordable credit in agriculture. The civil society group says food crops still do not have adequate marketing and financial support. This, the research stated has resulted in a high-risk enterprise in a vicious circular relationship thereby making a high-risk field for its traders and bankers �The natural conditions unfavorably affect livestock and the fisheries sub-sector in various ways similar to crop production,� the survey indicated. The risks, the report identified in the agriculture-based strategy includes bushfires, post-harvest losses and uncertainties, storage, transportation and marketing problems. Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II), the report says requires that farmers continue to grow at the rate of 6% per annum over a 4 year period, with crops and livestock.