Agricultural Educators and Trainees Association of Ghana (AETAG) has called for the formulation of new educational policies by government to address problems facing small-scale farmers as Ghana observes the 32nd Farmers’ Day celebration.
The association said policies being implemented by the Mahama administration in the agriculture sector do not favour small-scale farmers.
Speaking to Class News, President of the association, Eric Amoah said government should relook at agriculture as a vocation and business and put in right policies that encourage farmers to, at least, acquire basic education to resolve challenges confronting them.
“The policies on the ground do not seem to work well. I believe that as a nation, our orientation and our perception about agriculture should change. If we are able to put the right educational policies in place towards the field of agriculture, then we are doing something. We need to relook at agriculture not only as a science but as a business and as a vocation,” he stated.
“Let’s give the right orientation right from the primary schools, through junior high, SHS and then to the university. So even if they should encounter problems, they know where to go, how to go about it, who to refer the matter to and all that but in our situation, we just want those with the resources to enter into the field of agriculture but sometimes they don’t know anything about it, so they begin to engage in ‘trial and error’ and it comes with so many challenges,” Mr Amoah bemoaned.
In his opinion, therefore, “orientation should start from our educational policy towards agriculture”.
Meanwhile, president of the Concerned Farmers Association, Nana Obordie, has said government should put in place more irrigation projects to support farmers.
Source: ClassFMonline
