The Okyehemaa, Nana Adutwumwaa Dokua has appealed to the government and stakeholders in the Agricultural sector to educate pupils and students in the basic, secondary and tertiary schools, especially girls and women, about the importance of agriculture to whip up their interest in the area.

According to her, most of the time, pupils and students were often punished with weeding or farming, adding that many of them formed negative perception about farming and hence were discouraged from going into agriculture.

She stated that rather, weeding and farming should be encouraged as a pleasurable exercise as part of agriculture and students should be encouraged and their interest whipped up in agriculture to enable them engage in it and contribute to the development of the sector for their own benefit.

The Okyehemaa was speaking at the official launch of the 5th Women in Food and Agricultural Leadership Training Forum and the Gold in the Soil Awards in Koforidua on the theme: “Overcoming Barriers of Women in Agribusiness: The Role of Stakeholders,” was organised by Agrihouse Foundation in collaboration with Eastern Regional Women in Agricultural Development (WIAD), Eastern Regional Agricultural Directorate and National Farmers’ and Fishermen Award Winners’ Association of Ghana (NFFAWAG), the Canadian Embassy and Yara Ghana.

The forum, initiated by Agrihouse, was purposed to empower and train women in innovative ways that would feed into Ghana’s agricultural objective of achieving food security in the near future, while providing sustainable employment, creating markets and building resilience.

The Gold in the soil awards would reward women who have made significant strides in farming, and winners would be given equipment and machines to enable them improve their work for the benefit of society and country.

The Okyehemaa expressed worry over the lack of adequate jobs for the many graduates who completed universities across the country, and reiterated the need to encourage them into agriculture.

She called on government and stakeholders in the Agricultural sector to resource extension officers to go into the many schools in the country and encourage pupils and students into farming.

“They should also make it attractive to them, especially with the girl child, and give incentives to women and girls who would want to venture into agriculture,” she said.

The Okyehemaa thanked Agrihouse for such an initiative to encourage more women into farming and assured that as queen mother she would also use her platform to encourage more women into farming.

For her part, the Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyea said the forum and awards, through its sponsors Yara Ghana and Global Affairs Canada, has over the years made significant impact on improving the lives of women farmers and people with disabilities in the agricultural value chain through networking, sharing and mentoring among women-led agribusinesses, buyers, corporate entities and financial institutions.

She revealed over two thousand women farmers have benefited from the training and 75 women in agriculture including 20 persons with disability who were thriving in the area have been awarded.

She added that the Gold in the Soil Award also continued to strengthen women agribusiness enterprises whilst it motivated a paradigm shift in projecting, celebrating and recognizing women achievers in the sector.

“This year’s programme is the 5th Edition and the turn of Eastern region and would take place between July 26 and July 27,” she revealed.

From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua