Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong has attributed the ongoing drought crisis in the country to climate change, stressing that the core issue is not irrigation but the shifting weather patterns.
Speaking to Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition, he said the Ghana Meteorological Agency had alerted government that the planting season had shifted by an entire month, a critical change that was not effectively communicated to farmers.
“This shift in the planting season, which is a fundamental change caused by climate change, disrupted our agricultural planning,” Acheampong stated.
“We invested heavily in inputs, training, land development, seeds, and fertilizers, but with this change, all our efforts were compromised.”
The Abetifi MP acknowledged that while climate change itself cannot be prevented, measures must be put in place to protect Ghana’s food systems.
He noted that irrigation is one such measure, allowing for year-round farming independent of rainfall.
However, Mr Acheampong clarified that developing irrigation systems requires significant investment and is vastly different from the small earth dams built under the government’s “One District, One Dam” initiative.
The Minister highlighted government’s efforts in expanding irrigation projects across the country, mentioning ongoing projects in areas like the Afram Plains, Tono, and Upper West regions, where 19 small irrigation projects are underway.
Bryan Acheampong also noted that there are 15 projects ongoing in the Northern Region, aimed at creating small earth dams or dugouts to capture rainwater for agricultural and livestock use.
He stressed that these dams, designed to hold rainwater during the rainy season, have largely been successful in serving their intended purposes, such as providing water for household use, livestock, and small-scale farming.
“We must always measure an initiative against its intended purpose,” Mr Acheampong said, defending the effectiveness of the projects despite criticisms of their scale and scope.
He concluded that while the government is committed to expanding irrigation, addressing the broader impacts of climate change on agriculture remains a pressing challenge that requires comprehensive planning and continuous adaptation.
Source: myjoyonline.com