Disputed Impact of ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ Policy on Ghana’s Agriculture Sector

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Planting for Food and Jobs
Planting for Food and Jobs

Former President Nana Akufo-Addo, in his final State of the Nation address on January 3, 2025, proudly highlighted the success of the ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ (PFJ) initiative, emphasizing that under the program, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) distributed over 2.7 million bags of fertiliser.

According to him, this distribution, along with improved seedlings, significantly boosted crop yields, strengthening Ghana’s food security potential. He reported a dramatic increase in production, claiming that maize output surged by 110%, rice by 48%, and soybean by 150% between 2017 and 2023.

The former president also cited the establishment of 140 agricultural mechanisation centres and the rehabilitation of irrigation schemes as key components of modernising farming practices and reducing Ghana’s reliance on rain-fed agriculture. These measures, he suggested, were transforming the sector, improving productivity and ensuring food security for the country.

However, the claims made by Akufo-Addo and his administration have been contested by agricultural stakeholders, including the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), which has been advocating for a performance audit of the PFJ policy since 2019. Critics argue that the benefits promised by the program were not fully realized by the farming community, with allegations of mismanagement, hoarding, and corruption hindering the policy’s intended impact.

Dr. Charles Nyaaba, former Executive Director of PFAG, pointed out that much of the fertiliser distributed under the PFJ did not reach the farmers who needed it most. Instead, he claimed, it was hoarded for political gain. According to Nyaaba, substandard inputs were often provided by distributors who were awarded contracts without sufficient oversight or quality control, undermining the program’s effectiveness.

Moreover, the programme’s success in modernising farming practices has been questioned by the World Bank, which noted that despite claims of reduced dependence on rain-fed agriculture, only 3% of Ghana’s cultivated land is adequately irrigated. The World Bank emphasized that Ghana has significant potential for irrigation development, with estimates suggesting the country could irrigate between 360,000 and 1.9 million hectares of land. Yet, the country’s agricultural practices remain overwhelmingly dependent on unpredictable rainfall.

Data from the World Bank further revealed that Ghana’s existing irrigation systems are largely underutilized, with 98% of the country’s 104 central pivot irrigation systems non-functional. In comparison, neighboring countries like Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria are performing better in terms of irrigation coverage. The Bank has called for urgent action to prioritize irrigation development, noting that the country’s agricultural sector cannot reach its full potential without it.

The impact of the policy on crop yields has also been undermined by environmental challenges, particularly droughts and dry spells. According to the Ghana Grains Council (GGC), 1.8 million hectares of agricultural land have been affected by these conditions, leading to crop revenue losses of approximately GH¢22.2 billion between 2023 and 2024. The Northern and Savannah Regions, which are key producers of crops like maize, millet, sorghum, and rice, were the hardest hit. Maize yields fell by 35%, rice production dropped by 25%, and yields of millet and sorghum declined by 20% during the same period.

The GGC’s data highlights that while government policies like PFJ may have made some strides in addressing food security, broader structural issues such as irrigation infrastructure, quality inputs, and environmental resilience remain critical challenges for Ghana’s agricultural sector.

As the debate continues, it is clear that while there have been some successes in increasing food production, significant improvements in infrastructure, quality control, and sustainability are still needed to ensure long-term agricultural growth and food security for Ghana.

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