Crop Scientists, farmers and policy makers have begun deliberations to seek new ways of making agriculture sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Stakeholders in the agriculture space have observed that traditional farming methods often produce harmful pollutants that contribute to climate change and health risk.

An initiative the Agroecology and Circular Economy for Ecosystem Services project, led by the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CRI-CSIR) is exploring innovative techniques that can reduce these pollutants while also improving the health of the soil and the crops.

Climate change wreaking havoc to farmers

Like Emmanuel Asare, most farmers at Mampong in the Ashanti Region have and continue to suffer the devastating effect of climate change.

The crop farmer has lost more than half of his maize and cassava produce on a 5-acre farm due to unpredictable rainfall pattern and pest invasion.

“The time we were expecting the rain, it didn’t fall, affecting the growth of the crops. At the same, some pest also invaded the farm and destroyed the little we planned to harvest”, he narrated.

The Ghana Country Climate Development Report indicates that without urgent climate action, an additional one million Ghanaians risk falling into poverty by 2050.

Already, most farmers are unable to get the expected yields due to climate change.

“If you go to the rural areas, you will realize that farmers are not receiving the effort that they’re putting into production. Most of them are now recording low yields and this threatens Ghana’s food security agenda”, an agricultural entrepreneur, Evans Kyere-Mensah observed.

Agroecology and Circular Economy for Ecosystem Services project

Realizing that agriculture contributes between 21 to 37 percent of Green House Gas emissions which brings about climate change, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition is funding agricultural scientists to come out with innovative, sustainable and environmentally friendly ways of food production.

Principal investigator of the Agroecology and Circular Economy for Ecosystem Services project, Dr Kwaku Onwona-Hwesofuor Asante indicated, “we use a lot of pesticides and fertilizers and these inputs end up affecting pollinators, soil, and biodiversity.

So that kind of agriculture has been environmentally degradative. We are hoping that we can adopt a new approach to agriculture, which is agroecology to ensure that we not only produce food sustainably but mitigate the effect of climate”.

The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ophelia Mensah pledged government’s support to the intervention.

“The ACE4ES project with its focus on agroecology and circular economy practices aligns with our vision for a greener and more resilient future. My team has taken note of the policy issues arising out of the engagement and we will deal with it appropriately”, she said.

According to a World Bank report, agriculture yields, and labor productivity would drop, and incomes could be reduced by up to 40% for the poorest households if climate change is not tackled.

Expectation

The 2-year project will focus on testing new farming techniques using natural fertilizers and reducing tillage, helping farmers adopt new practices to increase yields, and protect the environment by reducing the quantity of harmful pollutants such as methane and black carbon emission in rice and maize.

This is geared towards sustaining food security, enhancing the income of farmers and improving health outcomes.