Leasing Ranches Could Help Avert Clashes Between Farmers And Herdsmen

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has urged government to consider leasing ranches to nomadic herdsmen as a solution to the clashes between farmers and herdsmen.

According to him, leasing ranches to these herdsmen will also indirectly or directly generate some income for local assemblies.

Mr Kufuor is worried that the issue of feeding for cattle has become a threat to national security in the country and has led to needless loss of lives and properties.

Speaking at a panel discussion on agriculture and nutrition at his Accra residence he said demarcating lands that are developed as farms for the purpose of feeding cattle will be the way to go.

“From time immemorial, the sub-region has lived with these people peacefully but now with overpopulation and with farmers wanting to modernize their farms, it has become challenging,” he said.

There was fresh trouble in Agogo in the Ashanti Region after two soldiers and a police officer were allegedly shot two weeks ago by the herdsmen.

A security task force dubbed Operation Cow-leg team was tasked to flush out nomadic herdsmen there and other farming communities.

The residents have in the past asked for soldiers to be used in pushing out the nomadic herdsmen because the police lacked the weapons and training to address the crisis.

Related: Fulani Community in Ghana wants compensation for over 1500 killed cattle

In the past few days, the team has doubled its efforts to stop the destruction of farmlands by cattle led by herdsmen.

But the former president is not convinced the strides made are sustainable.

To solve this problem, Mr Kufuor said it is time the country starts formulating policies to develop ranches to take advantage of climate changes.

“When the herdsmen are forced by climate change to come here, they know where to go to.

“There should be law enforcement so that they can be prosecuted when they violate the law.”

Mr Kufuor believes if the herdsmen are shepherded in that way, the farmers will also have the peace of mind to go ahead with their farming to avert the clashes currently being experienced.

Touching on issues of subsidies for farmers, the former President who is also the co-chair of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems For Nutrition said it would not be prudent to subsidise farm produce for farmers.

He said the country is better off empowering the farmers to produce and be able to withstand competition.

For his part, the former UK Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir John Beddington, congratulated Ghana on its commitments and achievement on nutrition.

According to him government's Planting for Food and Jobs programme is a testimony that it is committed to promoting food security.