Smallholder farmers make up the majority of Africa’s agricultural workforce. Smallholder farmers produce almost all of Ghana’s food crops, including maize, cassava, rice, and cash commodities like cocoa.
Prof. Irene Egyir, Dean of the School of Agriculture at the University of Ghana, Legon, has advised smallholder farmers to be innovative, creative, and inventive in order to achieve high-quality results in production.
She made the appeal to farmers at the African Smallholder Farmers Summit 2022 in Legon, Accra, with the theme: Transforming Africa’s Economy and Creating Jobs for Women and Youth via Agriculture Innovation and Technology with a Focus on the Impact of Climate Change on Smallholder Farming.
Although many smallholder farmers utilize traditional farming practices like as hoeing and cuttinglassing and planting their own seeds, a few of them also engage in small-scale commercial farming. The majority of the cocoa beans produced by smallholder farmers are for export, providing them a competitive edge in the international market; nonetheless, they must be imaginative and creative in order to modify their activities and reach high productivity.
She praised smallholder farmers’ tenacity in producing food for Ghana and Africa, but said they should do more to prevent hunger strikes on the continent.
She promised that the educational institution will provide human resources to the growth of farmers in order to enhance the sector.