Agri National

GSICST – Breaking Old Methods of Agriculture through Aquaponics

By: Krobea Asante Tofepa Ntomentwene

President of Golden Sunbeam International College of Science and Technology, GSICST at Ayikuma in the Greater Accra region, Mr. Emmanuel Opare has said that, breaking the normal traditional method of food production is possible with Aquaponics.

Speaking to Rite FM’s Krobea Asante and Adobolor on Tuesday 21st March 2017 during a courtesy visit, Mr. Opare disclosed that, the country has long depended on traditional methods of staying long hours on the farm to do weeding, felling of trees, burning, planting, watering, spraying herbicides and applying fertilizer and chemicals for crop production.

This he said must in this 21st century be discouraged and eschewed since aquaponics combined both fish keeping and vegetable production amongst other crops such as maize. Agriculture today has diversified and produced many fields along its value chain, he added.

On student facilities, the President of the College noted that, the facility currently housed a total student population of 48 who are pursuing various pre – university courses, degree and nursing programmes. He however was optimistic of an increase in the students’ numbers indicating that a recent survey conducted by the school in some parts of the country including Somanya, Wenkyi, Akosombo, Kpong and other parts of the Volta and central regions showed that 433 Senior High School Students had interest to study various courses in the school.

At the time of the team’s visit, students were spotted learning in groups with some undertaking experimental projects. Staff of the College explained that, they were privileged to teach here as the school is well stocked with teaching and learning materials.

Mr. Amoah Takyi who is a staff member and a food technologist disclosed that, the subject of value addition amongst others was a key agent of transforming the country’s industrialization agenda hence the need for making it attractive to continuing students. Mr. Amoah who is also specialized in incubation machine fabrication added that, the country’s poultry industry could be given a new face lift by converting old fridges into affordable incubators for farmers.

For the past 6 years, he has been fabricating incubators for sale to farmers who are running commercial poultry farms, and said mosquitoes should not just be given room to breed in these rejected freezers as their economic benefits cannot be under- estimated.

Seven students including an Ivorian, Levy Kulibali, Hlorka Joseph Nathan and Sackey Laurencia have enrolled here to study aquaponics, hoping that the course will help them sustain land for future use by coming generations stating that the system did not require vast land for cultivation. Nathan on one hand had a three weeks old cucumber farm hoped to make good harvest.

18-year-old Hlorka is also a student studying aquaponics at the Golden Sunbeam International College of Science and Technology for its unique ability to combine so many other disciplines like construction, physics, science, technology, chemistry, biology and economics. He attributed his passion for his course to its neglect, seeing not much interest on the part of the youth and has therefore called for a strong focused advocacy on Agriculture modernization, since food cannot be substituted like other needs of humanity.

Lawrencia’s focus was however no different as she expressed her love for her field of study. She however expressed her frustration at how tough it has become for her as her parents to accept that the course can guarantee her a job, and that its study will not end her up on the farm. This according to her has been a discouragement to her, but her strong focus to become an agri – prenuer was a sure to materialize.

The team was obliged to be taken round to inspect the college’s poultry farm which reared geese and chicken. Mr. Amoah and Ethan, a U.S based student on internship who took journalists round recounted that everything produced at the College was organic, and always wholesome by all standards to go for export.

Mr. Ethan noted that, the systems in the school created opportunity for learners to combine many of the disciplines. This according to him meant that the school can produce enough food and tilapia from this small circumference of aquaponics system all year round without application of chemical components, he added.

Mr. Amoah further expressed the need to avoid contaminants during food value addition; calling on processors to use prescribed equipment and processes to help in the quest for consumer protection. He therefore demonstrated how this is impacted to students through the schools sow cow milk, and mineral water production unit.

‘Before one enters this unit, the hands are thoroughly sanitized and aprons and hand gloves put on,’ Mr. Amoah Takyi explained, adding that, this is intended to kill bacteria and other harmful pathogens and this must be checked and recorded in an entry log book.

President of the College, Mr. Emmanuel Opare posited that the aquaponics system and the freeze drier unit available in the school was a monumental blessing in disguise as they remain the only ones in Ghana and West Africa.

He has therefore challenged students in the country to apply for various courses available at the University, and appealed that teachers desist from using weeding as punishments, as this does not give a true reflection and image of the sector and tends to set low interests and esteem to young ones.

‘Agriculture today has become a multi-million dollar industry, waiting to absorb and sustain many youths to reduce the growing unemployment rate in the country’ Mr. Opare added and admonished that lands in use now belonged to the dead, the living and the yet unborn hence the need to adopt best economic and agronomic practices that tends to deplete the ozone layer through the emission of chemical compounds into the atmosphere and onto the land.

In a response as to who qualified to study at this great University, Mr. Opare established  that ‘passion’ is core demand and when this is met by an applicant, lecturers were ready to assist through capacity building, coupled with a co-efficient mentoring and nurturing.

He therefore expressed utmost interest to partner Rite FM in organizing short courses for interested persons who would want to sign up for courses in value addition in sow cow and yoghurt milk, aquaponics , poultry, rabbit, piggery, apiculture, fungiculture, post-technology and feed for profit.

Mr. Opare on the other hand also believed that the team’s visit was an important one, and advised that the media become circumspect and not malign agriculture debates into politics as this could plunge the nation into abject poverty and hunger.

Source: ritefmonline.org

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