The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) is collating the views of its members to develop a manifesto of what it expects the next government to do to improve the small-scale agricultural sector.

The project dubbed: “Developing Farmers Manifesto for 2012 Elections,” will also see PFAG engage alongside its members, political parties to present their agricultural policies for farmers to determine which one is in their best interest.

PFAG, which is undertaking the project in collaboration with Oxfam GB-Ghana, has therefore scheduled three consultative meetings to take place in the northern, middle and southern zones of the country.

The outcome of the meetings will be presented to the political parties for consideration in their manifestoes for Election 2012.

Speaking at the first of the consultative meetings in Tamale on Tuesday, Mr Mohammed Adam Nashiru, President of PFAG, said the time had come to increase investment in the small-scale agricultural sector to ensure food security and improve the livelihoods of farmers in the sector.

The meeting was attended by peasant farmers from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions, officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, civil society groups and representatives of the New Patriotic Party, Convention People’s Party and the People’s National Convention.

Mr Nashiru said government must redeem its commitment to allocate 10 per cent of the national budget, as agreed under the Maputo Declaration, into supporting the country’s agricultural sector.

He said the small-scale agricultural sector, which most Ghanaian farmers engaged in, was bedeviled with a lot of challenges demanding urgent attention in terms of pragmatic policies, hence the need to develop a farmers’ manifesto.

“We are calling for commitment of our politicians to agricultural transformation and improved livelihoods for small-scale women and men farmers. This commitment can only be shown if the farmers manifesto is considered in their manifesto for 2012 elections,” he said.

Mr Nashiru also used the platform to call on the citizenry to cherish and nurture the peace of the country.

“We are calling on all political parties, party supporters, all ethnic groups from all regions to exercise restraint before, during and after the elections.”

Mr John Akaribo, Board Member of PFAG observed that, policies of governments had failed to nurture agricultural opportunities for small-holder farmers.

He called for rigorous investment in the small-scale agricultural sector to drive economic development, reduce poverty, increase rural incomes and improve wealth creation.

Mr Kwamina Arkorful, Tamale Metropolitan Director of Agriculture, called on farmers to demand clear-cut and specific policies from politicians, aimed at improving the agricultural sector.

Mr Mohammed-Anwar Sadat Adam, Agriculture Advocacy Manager of Oxfam GB-Ghana, said the farmers’ manifesto was timely since it would come out with alternative policies for political parties to incorporate it into their agenda.

He called on PFAG to devise mechanisms to track progress of implementation of the manifesto.**