URBANET Cries for Farmers

By Stephen Zoure
Daily Guide:Sept.23/09/2010

RASHID ZAKARIAH, Programmes Coordinator of Urban Agricultural Network, an NGO says government’s quest to enhance Ghana’s food security will be an exercise in futility if small holder farmer based organizations (FBOs) are not involved in formulating the nation’s agric policies.
He observed that small holder FBOs in Ghana have made little contribution at consultative fora that seek to boost the nation’s food security and thereby called for a reverse of the situation.
Rashid Zakariah whose organization URBANET has been very instrumental in ensuring that urban agriculture is integrated into national policies raised this concern during an interaction with the media when he spoke on the topic “Enhancing Ghana’s food security-the way forward” in Tamale.
He complained that there has been too much political interference in the distribution of farming machinery and inputs to various political interest groups over the years and this in his estimation has worsened the plight of small holder FBOs in the country.
Rashid Zakariah disclosed that URBANET has since its establishment in 2003 created about 113 small holder FBOs and that they have gained access to the technical knowhow of using agronomic practices to improve their farming activities.
He commended Action-Aid Ghana for being URBANET’s major financier in the areas of providing credit facilities, skill training and direct marketing avenues for small holder FBOs in the northern region as a means of minimizing post harvest losses.
The northern region of which Tamale is the regional capital is described as the food basket of Ghana yet about 75% of the region’s population is very poor.
Despite the establishment of numerous poverty reduction strategies by successive governments and development partners like Action-Aid Ghana and URBANET to reverse the trend, the value remains the same.
URBANET was established in 2003 as a coalition of farmer based associations with the major priority of partnering with NGOs and government agencies to improve upon urban agriculture and food security in urban centers of the northern region.