The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is calling on traditional leaders to support agriculture by offering land to farmers as equity rather than selling it outright.
He believes this approach can help resolve long-standing land tenure challenges that continue to slow down the growth of the agricultural sector.
Speaking at the Manhyia Palace during a visit from the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, the Asantehene said the current practice of quoting high prices for land discourages farming and contributes to food insecurity.
“When farmers approach chiefs for land, they often quote figures for them to pay; I propose the lands be offered as equity for farming. In the olden days when there wasn’t civilisation, our forefathers were doing that,” he said.
Otumfuo also suggested that existing subsistence farmers be integrated into large-scale farming projects. He noted that such collaboration could benefit both groups, with subsistence farmers adopting the crops of commercial farms and contributing to production.
He stressed the importance of agriculture to national development, saying other sectors, including industry, depend on a strong agricultural foundation.
However, he raised concern over the lack of youth interest in farming, describing it as a major challenge to the sector’s future.
In response, the Minister announced the launch of the ‘Feed Ghana’ initiative, which will promote home gardens and institutional farms to reduce food imports.
He revealed that some public schools have already applied to start farms, including one seeking to provide eggs to students through poultry production.
The initiative also includes partnerships with the military, prisons, and National Service Secretariat to scale up farming efforts nationwide.