Heaving Sobs over School Feeding Food Shortage a Shame
Although the Anchor perceives Ghana’s current economic troubles as legion and worrying, we see the nation’s shrill cry over school feeding food shortage as affront to national value, and dignity as Ghanaian and African and, argue same as result of long neglect of priority of national necessity.
We charge that if the nation has set its priorities well, as far as, making agriculture its pivotal sector, availability of food wouldn’t have become such big an issue for the whole nation, let alone, the feeding of its schools. But today our common staples are nowhere to be found on the market and the little one finds in the market, costs beyond the ordinary man’s whole month’s salary.
When the paper regrets the sordid situation we find ourselves in, we recall also when some years past, Ghanaian schools competed to outdo each other in annual “agricultural shows”. Indeed, those were the times when agriculture and indeed, farming was encouraged in our elementary schools.
Today any head of school that attempts introducing farming, could be crucified, because, it is ‘proscribed’ as either “forced” or “child” labour, punishable, first, in the court of public opinion and, second, possibly through the law court.
The Anchor is far from being a devil’s advocate, though; we believe it is not too late to pursue strong agrarian revolution, for our own better future.
It was about time Ghana made a policy to effect that, each of her over 115 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) charged to produce a stated quota of food – in crop, fish stock or and livestock, every year; supplied with the necessary machinery peculiar to choice of cultivation of each, rather than being given a cash revenue quota (also necessary though), to ‘squeeze water from rock’.
Let us not also forget to revisit the school farming scheme that, once upon the time, churned our variety of produce in crops and livestock; to once again revamp the spirit of competitiveness in agriculture even in our elementary schools and, with award scheme. The paper trusts we could soon be experiencing bumper harvests if we do.
“Catch them young” had been an encouraging phrase; today we do not teach our children, especially, pupils and students, the age-old art of survival, when they are taught in early age how to till the land for crops, exploit the waters for fish and pastures for livestock. The new system, unfortunately frowns over these. But this, we note has contributed to shooting ourselves in the foot as far as the availability of food was concerned.
The current generation of youth obviously oblivious to what mother earth is able to give in wealth, apart from illegal mining (galamsey) of gold, diamond and silver, have been deserting the eco-green-rich countryside for deceptive city life, therefore, leaving behind the tired-limb old folk who might have been at their wits end after long years of illustrious toils to feed the nation through farming, fishing and livestocking.
The Anchor also makes a shout out to the country’s overwhelming number of great churches; the sanctuary of the youth. The religious entities are late in being worthwhile. The paper believes the churches and mosques are moral tools, powerful enough, to easily mobilise their teeming youth seeking spiritual answers to life, into viable and profitable agriculture for the benefit of humanity.
The Christian and indeed, the Islamic youth need to be counseled into significance of agriculture, to a nation; for the betterment of their own future and that of their children. Indeed, Christ Jesus and holy Prophet Muhammad would have been smiling upon us, as true and visionary followers.
The paper acknowledges bountiful nature of arable lands around the country – from north to south; east to west. Yes; Ghana is blessed with a huge bevy of virgin lands proposing to be defiled and continuously raped, for the needed procreation, and we regret why we should fail ourselves and fail the nation.
When the government won’t hesitate giving out its lands for this good cause, the paper can also vouch that traditional leaders would also stand convinced and ever-ready to dole out lands if the nation really choose to wage the agrarian war.
It is indeed, a shame unto us, as humans, a people and a nation, in fact, leaders with all the needed resources including human, to thrive; but trying to shift the buck, when our young ones trained only in urbanized lifestyle cry over staples’ shortage; and we become confused and throw our hands in air in despair. It’s very shameful.
Source: theanchorghana
