Dr. Frank Ackah, Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast’s Department of Crop Science, has expressed optimism about the transformative potential of Ghana’s State Farm project and related agricultural initiatives. Speaking to The High Street Journal, he emphasized that full implementation will be key to addressing the country’s food insecurity challenges.
He believes the successful implementation of these initiatives could drastically improve the country’s food security situation within the next two years.
Dr. Ackah emphasized that while the government has launched several ambitious agriculture-related programs, the key determinant of their success lies in full and efficient implementation.
“We are all waiting for full implementation of the program because the food security situation in Ghana depends so much on these policies. Though the government has launched them, it needs to be fully rolled out for us to feel the real impact.” he noted.
At the heart of these reforms is the State Farm Project, a large-scale agricultural initiative aimed at boosting cereal and vegetable production across multiple regions. According to Dr. Ackah, this project is particularly significant because it targets high-volume production zones, such as the northern regions of Ghana areas historically known for producing staples like tomatoes and onions.
“When the State Farm project is implemented, it will target large-scale agriculture and cereal production. This is a strategic move. These northern and six other regions have always been central to food production. With the right support, their output could double or even triple.” he explained.
But Dr. Ackah also pointed out that Ghana’s food security must be approached from both short- and long-term perspectives. In addition to scaling up production, he stressed the importance of investing in infrastructure and storage.
“We shouldn’t only be targeting small silos, for long-term investment to succeed, we need to think big warehousing, transportation, and preservation facilities must all be part of the conversation.”He noted.
Another major component of the government’s food policy is the Feed Ghana program, which includes household food production through home gardening and urban farming. The idea is to decentralize food production and reduce urban dependence on rural food supplies.
“This is a brilliant idea. The Feed Ghana initiative focuses on home gardening and urban agriculture to help families grow their own food. But again, the challenge is implementation. Without the right expertise and collaboration, these ideas won’t move beyond the drawing board.” Dr. Ackah said.
He cited past examples where similar initiatives failed to produce tangible results, such as the FAO’s home gardening support program from three years ago, which, according to him, didn’t meet expectations due to lack of sustained implementation.
“It’s not the concept that failed it was the execution, individuals and NGOs are doing more in this space than formal government efforts. We need to fix that.” He highlighted.
Despite these challenges, Dr. Ackah remains hopeful. He believes that with the right policies, partnerships, and execution strategies, Ghana’s food security outlook could improve significantly in the coming years.
“In two years, it looks promising based on the policies that have been outlined. With the right mechanisms and teams in place, we’re going to see a full transformation of Ghana’s agricultural sector.” he concluded.
Policy vision is only as strong as its execution. As Ghana inches closer to the full roll-out of its agricultural reforms, experts like Dr. Ackah call for urgency, professionalism, and commitment to ensure that the seeds of transformation bear fruit.
