Country Representative, Solidaridad Ghana, Bossman Owusu has urged the general public to embrace home gardening as it gives each household the opportunity to feed itself and consume safe and nutritious foods.
He made these remarks while speaking the launch of home garden initiative in Accra on Friday.
Mr. Owusu said "For us to feed the world we should be able to feed ourselves first. Home gardening gives each household the opportunity to feed itself and consume safe and nutritious foods"
He also added that the interruption in the supply chain owing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has taught Ghanaians that it needs to take its food destinies into its own hands and grow what it eats.
"Solidaridad strives to find the right balance between our supply chain work and resilient local food system. Thus, our work focuses not only on improving the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa and oil palm farmers but also helping build more resilient and food secure households and communities through the Home Gardening Initiative"
He stresed that besides consuming healthy foods, home gardening provides therapeutic value and creates a learning opportunity for children to be familiar with plants and animals that are raised at home.
Mr. Owusu added that it also supplements the cash needs of households as excess produce can be sold.
This launch event, he explained encouraged everyone to grow their own vegetables, hence the slogan, 'Wonso Dua Bi'
"Solidaridad is partnering Home Gardening Ghana, an online platform with more than 280,000 Facebook followers, to deliver direct training to prospective home gardeners so they can successfully crops and raise livestock"
"Following the launch, Solidaridad will sustain the advocacy through strategic media engagement and stakeholder collaboration that allow more communities to benefit from hands-on training"
He revealed that commercial vegetable growers are also targeted to receive support to produce safe and hygienic vegetables.
"The launch was expected to take place in other parts of the country in the coming months"
"The Home Gardening agenda is implemented as part of the Acting Now programme, a food security and resilient initiative, funded by the Government of the Netherlands"
Other speakers commended the initiative and urged Solidaridad to organise such trainings in various Tertiary Institutions and various regions in the country.
Some experts who partook in a panel discussion underscored the need for every household to practice home gardening.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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