Mr. Bismarck Owusu Nortey, the Executive Director of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), has observed that promoting Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Ghana could lead to commercialisation of the country’s food systems.
He said if care is not taken the country’s food systems would be in the “hands of superpowers,” who would control and direct how the country should manage its food systems.
Mr. Nortey made this observation in Wa during a stakeholder and community engagement on agroecology and food sovereignty as part of activities to mark the International Day of Rural Women (IDRW).
It was aimed to create a platform to deepen awareness and knowledge of GMOs and to discuss strategies for promoting sustainable agriculture.
Mr. Nortey said PFAG strongly opposed to the government’s decision to pass legislation that allowed for the commercialisation of GMOs in Ghana due to its potential impact on food production.
He saidL “In the country, we have our own farmer-managed systems, we have our own traditional food systems, traditional seed systems, we have our own varieties that we produce, which are resilient to climate change.
So, why don’t we rather promote what we have, the indigenous knowledge we have, instead of promoting a technology alien to the Ghanaian food systems.”
The Association also reiterated calls to the government to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining due to its grave toll on agricultural production.
Mr. Nortey indicated that aside from the destruction of productive farmlands, illegal mining also destroyed water bodies that are used for agricultural production.
“If we do not take decisive action against illegal mining, we will face a generational food crisis as a country.
Even though the government has announced some measures, we feel those measures are not sustainable enough,” he stated.
Mr. Justin Bayor, the Head of Programmes, Campaigns and Innovations at ActionAid Ghana, said food sovereignty and indigenous seed development also ensured people’s right to define their food systems, food varieties and food independence.
He added that promoting indigenous seed production guaranteed local food production, equitable access to resources, and empowerment of smallholder farmers.
“By prioritising food sovereignty, we can ensure that communities have control over their food sources, leading to more resilient and self-sufficient food systems and health issues”, Mr Bayor explained.
Mr. Daniel Banuoku, Deputy Director of the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), said the Ghanaian indigenous seeds were climate resilient and of different maturity periods to meet the farmer’s needs.
He, therefore, encouraged farmers to revisit the indigenous seeds to improve their lots in agriculture at a reduced cost since they did not require much fertilizer and were also climate resilient.
Pognaa Fatima Osman, the Queenmother of the Tabiesi community, who participated in the forum, said she had gained knowledge on GMOs and would extend that knowledge to the community to enable them to appreciate the importance of indigenous seeds.
Traditional leaders and farmers from some districts and municipalities in the region attended the forum organised by the PFAG in partnership with ActionAid Ghana and CIKOD.
GNA