The Department of Agriculture, under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture within the Akatsi South Municipality, has embarked on an exercise to assist Basic Schools within the area to set up gardens.
The exercise is to create more awareness about food security and enlighten them about career opportunities in the agricultural sector among basic school children.
The Akatsi South Municipal Director of Agriculture, Mr. Charles Grunitzky during a visit by a team to some selected schools, stated that “farming is no longer for school dropouts but the educated.”
Madam Lydia Akum, the Women in Agriculture Development (WIAD) officer, educated the pupils on good nutrition and gave insights about diets for growing minds. She also encouraged the girls to see farming as a business venture.
Mr. Kudiabor Richard, the Akatsi South Municipal Crops officer, gave highlights on the scientific methods of gardening- free from the use of chemicals, and the new organic farming system.
The schools visited, including Kingship Knowledge Academy and Zuta DA Basic, expressed joy to the officers for offering seedlings of various to them for free.
There was also some education on good agronomic practices such as choosing improved varieties of planting in line, and pest and disease management to increase yield, among others.
The move, with sponsorship from Modernising Agriculture in Ghana (MAG), the Government of Ghana in collaboration with the Akatsi South Municipal Assembly, offered the beneficiary school pupils to share the newly acquired knowledge with their parents, family members, and others.
It was also supported by the Akatsi South Municipal Education Service through the Nutrition Friendly School Initiative Programme.
The Nutrition-Friendly Schools Initiative (NFSI) is a school-based health and nutrition programme adapted to implement a set of school-based health and nutrition activities aimed at improving the school environment to make it more nutrition-sensitive.