“Ghana’s Agricultural cooperative System needs improvement” - Senior Lecturer

Dr. Simon Fialor, an Agricultural economist and Senior lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology says Ghana's Agricultural Cooperative system needs massive improvement to make it adequately relevant to farmers in the country.

This follows the emphasis being placed on cooperatives by the United Nations and its agriculture-related arms at this year's World Food Day Celebration which occurred last Tuesday.

The theme for this year's celebration was; “Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world”. It was chosen to highlight the role of cooperatives in improving food security and contributing to the eradication of hunger.

Dr. Fialor says though cooperatives in Agriculture play very significant roles worldwide, they should not be seen as ends in themselves in the fight against food insecurity.

He says cooperatives become relevant in developing countries where the individual farmers have small means and are not adequately empowered to cultivate large acreages, cooperatives become relevant in helping them acquire credit and knowledge to maximize production.

World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The aim of the Day is to heighten public awareness of the world food problem and strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with food security, including the World Food Programme.

-Bernard Buachi
Focus FM, KNUST