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Stakeholders advocating the adoption of agroecology, a farming system that seeks to protect the environment, has called for the provision of sustainable funding to support farmers in the sector.
The stakeholders, comprising farmers and proponents of environmentally-sustainable farming practices, appealed to the Government to “intentionally” invest in the sector to promote food sovereignty.
The experts made the call at a panel discussion as part of a networking event hosted by Innohub, under the Agroecology Venture Accelerator Programme.
The Agroecology Venture Accelerator is an initiative funded by The Schmidt Family Foundation and the 11th Hour project, implemented by Innohub.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations describes agroecology as a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems.
It seeks to optimise the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while also addressing the need for socially equitable food systems within which people can exercise choice over what they eat and how and where it is produced.
Mr Wilberforce Laate, Deputy Executive Director, Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development, said the excessive reliance on fertilizers for productivity was not sustainable and cautioned that the country could lose its food sovereignty in future.
He called for the creation of sustainable markets for agroecology products to create jobs and promote youth participation in the sector.
“We need to be intentional about promoting agroecology because it is the way out. We have a lot of initiatives but all are geared towards conventional farming that encourages the use of chemicals and that is what we are consuming,” he said.
Mr Prince Manu Yeboah, Founder, Ropryn Limited, urged farmers in the agroecology sector to be clear about the innovative strategies to deploy and the budget required to attract funding to execute their projects.
Madam Anita Sutha, Chief Executive Officer, Sungtaa Tietaa, appealed to financial institutions and investors to be considerate about women in the sector and provide support to empower women in the agroecology space.
She also encouraged farmers to prioritise book keeping and ensure that their accounts were intact to make a case for funding.
The networking event brought together financial institutions, partners and other key stakeholders in the sustainable agricultural ecosystem to establish a collaborative setting to advance sustainable agriculture in Ghana.
Ms Marigold Larbie, Project Coordinator, Agroecology Venture Accelerator Programme, said access to finance and markets was a major challenge facing young entrepreneurs, adding that the networking event would help bridge the gaps.
“We believe that by hosting such an event we will be able to bridge this gap, connecting them with the right partners to scale up,” she said.
Source: GNA
