The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Agribusiness says government must revive the school farms system which schools previously ran as part of the curriculum activities of the schools.
Farmer Anthony Morison believes that basic schools must reintroduce the agricultural science subject coupled with modern technologies to stimulate student interest in agriculture from the basic school level.
According to Mr. Morrison, luring the youth into agriculture should involve persuading them to appreciate farming through the lenses of modern technology.
“The youth are now very much interested in technology and so to lure them into farming, there is the need to reintroduce agricultural science as a subject with modern technologies including the use of drones, green house farming, drip irrigation, hybrid breeding, well-stocked agric labs established at the basic schools for research and practical works, etc.” he opined.
This is not the first time calls are being made for the revival of school farms as many stakeholders have called for the revival of farms operated by educational institutions.
School farms which were operated years ago helped schools to feed themselves and attracted the youth into agriculture.
The celebrated farmer who made the assertion in an interview with Omanba Kwadwo Boafo during the ‘Akuafo Sesen’ segment of the Rite Morning Ride Tuesday however noted that the subject must be modernized if it must be reintroduced.
“Agricultural science has been changed to integrated science for more than a decade and therefore going back to it as a subject must be approached with modern equipment,” he said.
According to him, Ghana has the necessary structures to train the trainers or the teachers on practical agriculture pertaining to production, manufacturing, processing, packaging, market evaluation, market segmentations, etc.
This he added would encourage students to appreciate the business values of agriculture from the basic level and thereby accepting agriculture as a serious business or a profession immediately after leaving or even whilst in school.
Farmer Morrison while regretting that agric officers had failed to put the study of agriculture into practice attributed the challenge to the study of theoretical agric without any practical exposures.
While maintaining that reviving the school farm system would help schools to be self-sufficient and not necessarily depend on the national buffer stock to provide them with food supply, he noted that the buffer stock could as well export its produce in exchange for foreign exchange.
According to the agribusiness tycoon, the move to revive the country’s school farms and agricultural science labs will enhance food security, sustainability, socio economic development and also reduce excessive importations of food.
The sustainability of a vibrant agricultural economy depend on the young generation’s interest in farming. A major worry for most farmers is the waning interest of students and the youth in Agriculture and the educational system must help by re-organising school curricula to include some farming activity.
Source, Prince Paul Amuzu/www.ritefmonline.org/princeamuzu667@gmail.com
