Unseasonable Weather Pose Risks For Farmers

The Executive Director of GHANECare, Richard Kuunah has observed that even though agriculture is a key part of the Ghana's economy, the structure of the sector is vulnerable because it relies on rainfed agriculture.

According to him, droughts and other types of unseasonable weather pose risks for farmers, adding that under these conditions, irrigation development offers the promise of greater food security and the rural-area development by ensuring yearlong agricultural production.

He was speaking at sensitization workshop in Jirapa, the capital town of the Jirapa Municipal Assembly in the Upper West region.

The workshop was organised by GHANACare/ALD Germany under its project titled: Advocating for the enforcement of Ghana Irrigation Policy in Jirapa Municipality. The project is being sponsored by Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC).

The purpose of the dialogue was to share finding of research conducted on two irrigation dam facilities and its environment.

The Executive Director said despite considerable potential for development and the emphasis placed on irrigation development in many plans, less than two percent of the total cultivatable area in Ghana is irrigated.

He said it has also been recognized the world over, that any country that depends on agricultural production as basis for industrial development is most likely to fail if irrigation is not part of the agricultural development plan.

Mr. Kuunaah noted that, lack of reliable data on where irrigation currently exists, trends in its development, and opportunities and constraints within formal and informal schemes undermines consensus about how to build on what already exists in the sector