Regional News of Friday, 5 February 2021

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Savannah: Farmers threaten abandoning farms to fell trees due to herdsmen activities

Some farmers working on their land (File Photo) Some farmers working on their land (File Photo)

There is a danger of farmers in Broto, a farming community in the Damongo Municipality, turning away from tiling the ground, to felling trees for the production of charcoal, should activities of some Fulani herdsmen continue to destroy their farms.

According to a report on nkilgifmonline.com, some farmers worry that their hard work will continue to be hampered by the blatant disregard for all the toil they put in getting their farms productive, by some herdsmen who continue to direct their cattle into their farms, destroying crops.

Salia Sissala, one of the formers, told Nkilgi FM that he might just turn his energies to charcoal production should the trend continue, adding that he can be rest assured of productivity in that because animals do not eat charcoal.

He also expressed his disappointment in the traditional authorities who, he said, always favour the Fulani herdsmen anytime they are brought before them in the palace for destroying their farms.

Salia Sissala who has been in the community since the 1960s, when his father brought him there during the reign of Yagbonwura Awusi, still doesn’t meet up the status as an indigene, to be able to unilaterally sack the herdsmen.

He is appealing for immediate help from authorities to safeguard his farms, as well as seeking help to completely stop these destructive activities of the Fulani herdsmen since majority of the Broto community are farmers.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Broto, Naa Dasah, has confirmed the destructions being caused by the herdsmen, adding his voice for help to stop their activities that continue to affect the work of his residents.

According to him, even households are feeling the pinch of these activities as they get very little foodstuff to feed.

He said that he has however summoned the leadership of the Fulani communities to warn them against what he termed a deliberate attempt to sack his people back to the Upper West region through the destruction of their farms.

He was also optimistic that soon, this phase of their lives will be a thing of the past.

Over the years, the Broto community has been seen scuffling between the village folks and the Fulani living around the community. In some instances, such scuffles have led to the shooting of cattle by farmers, on their lands, in retaliation.