National Farmers’ Day is on Friday, December 3, 2021. Ghana will once again celebrate the hardworking farmers who continue to serve as the backbon
National Farmers’ Day is on Friday, December 3, 2021. Ghana will once again celebrate the hardworking farmers who continue to serve as the backbone of the nation’s food security, nutrition and contribute significantly to the country’s GDP. The sector contributed about 18.7% of Ghana’s GDP in 2020 and employs about 36.1% of the country’s population (GSS, 2016).
To celebrate farmers, the government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), undertakes a process guided by a set of criteria to identify and award high performing farmers at the district, regional and national levels. The climax of this process is the awards ceremony for the National Best Farmer, which is held annually on the first Friday in December, and the day is deservedly observed as a statutory national holiday in Ghana.
National Farmers’ Day
As National Farmers’ Day approaches, we look back 20 years down the line to bring you some insights on past award winners and examine what initiatives can be employed to make the awards a platform to advocate and drive greater participation, investment, and innovation in the sector to provide employment opportunities for unemployed youth and increase income levels for smallholders who are already involved in the sector.
1. National Best Farmer Award Winners (2001 – 2020)
A list of past winners from the beginning of the 21st century is presented in the table below;
Year National Best Farmer
2001 Nana Mathew Akwesi Bonsu
2002 Abudu Takora-Tubu
2003 Kwabena Adjei Twum Bandoh
2004 Madam Afua Frimponmaa
2005 Edward Osei Nsenkyire
2006 Mohammed Tetteh
2007 Alhaji Abdul Salaam Akati
2008 Dr. Simon Saku
2009 Davis Naa Korboe
2010 Benjamin Adjetey Adjei
2011 Ignatius Agbo
2012 Lamuel Quarshie Martey
2013 Alhaji Awudu Karim
2014 George Asamoah Amankwah
2015 Ibrahim Musah
2016 Robert Crentsil
2017 Philip Kwaku Agyemang
2018 James Obeng Boateng
2019 Charles Gyamfi
2020 Solomon Kwadwo Kusi
The data on the award winners for the past 2 decades shows that the awards have virtually been won by males, as only 1 out of the 20 award winners for the time period under consideration is female. Madam Afua Frimponmaa won the award in 2004. Incidentally, Madam Frimponmaa was the oldest of the 20 award winners, at 75 years old at the time of the award. The youngest award winner was Davis Naa Korboe, who was 36 years old when he won the award in 2009. The average age of all the award winners is 53.
The male/female disparity is not only peculiar to the awards but is also a reflection of the gap in terms of male/female participation in the agricultural sector including farmers and other value chain actors. The Ghana Census for Agriculture (GCA, 2017) for instance shows that male agricultural holders are 2.6 times as high as females.
2. Regional Distribution of Award Winners (2001 – 2020)
In terms of regional distribution of award winners since the turn of the century, 7 out of the 10 (hitherto) regions had award winners. The Brong Ahafo region had the highest number of award winners with 5, and the Upper East had the least with just 1 award winner. The distribution of the awards across the 7 winning regions is presented in the chart below;
3. The Grand Prize of the National Farmers’ Day
Aside from the recognition and reputation that come with the National Best Farmer award, an awardee also receives other prizes. This is mostly a house or its cash equivalent. About 60% of the awardees have received 3-bedroom houses and other prizes. The last three award winners have received cash prices to the sum of approximately $100,000.00 together with other items.
4. The Selection Criteria for Awards
The activities of the farmers are monitored and assessed by Agricultural Extension Agents over the farming season. A preliminary selection process is undertaken at the district and regional levels using the following criteria.
Diversified and integrated farming operations
Scale of operation
Knowledge of husbandry practice
Environmental awareness and relevance practices
Identification of farming problems and innovation
Records keeping
Adoption of new technology
Farmer’s role in his or her community
General impression of farmer and farm
The national selection is thus based on the assessment of the selections that have been made by the respective regions.
The national farmers day on 3rd of December is expected to bring the usual pump and pageantry and some relief from work for Ghana’s workers who will take time out to enjoy the holiday.
By:Ahafonews
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