Consumption of soybean can prevent and cure cancer, Ms Ellen Owusu Adjei, Asutifi District Director of Women in Agricultural Development (WIAD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), has observed.

She explained that soybean contained Ammonium Acid that assist in the fight against many diseases and had high nutritional value for the body.

Ms Adjei made the observation at a food fair organized at the end of a one-week training workshop for 32 small scale farmers from five communities in the Asutifi District at Kenyasi to show case the knowledge acquired.

The fair jointly organized by Action Aid Ghana, Centre for Maternal and Community Empowerment (CMCE), Asutifi Farmers Network and MoFA, was to create market opportunities for small scale farmers.

It was also to showcase their produce that could be utilized in various nutritional forms.

The participants were taken through different methods of using soybean, plantain and rabbit in food and drink preparation.

Ms Adjei noted that soybean had less saturated fat and essential ammonium acid that assisted in the fight against cancer and many other diseases.

She pointed out that most fatty foods and meat intake had become a great challenge to the health sector in fighting against obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

Ms Adjei said soybean rich in vitamin E was good for diabetic patients to improve on their health.

Ms Christian Amarchey, Programme Manager of Action Aid Ghana, said it was collaborating with farmers to reduce poverty among small scale farmers and promote access to marketing centres.

“Action Aid Ghana has been working with farmers, and other stakeholders to ensure hunger free society and ensure opportunities are created for farmers to generate wealth and reduce poverty, “ she added.

Ms Amarchey announced that Action Aid Ghana had implemented projects to support small scale farmers to increase access to and control over land, seeds and biodiversity, to influence agricultural policies such as those governing trade and agricultural extension for people to realize their right to food.

She observed that agriculture accounted for about 66.4 per cent of the economically active population in the Brong-Ahafo Region prepared to improve productivity.

Ms Amarchey said access to inputs, extension services, credit, market, transport, infrastructure and climate change were some of the challenges facing farmers.

She stressed the need for smallholder farmers to be supported to create enough income to sustain their household.

Mrs Eunice Konadu, in-Charge of Livestock at MofA, urged the public to consume rabbit meat because its fat did not have any health implications and was affordable.

She noted that rabbit meat had high nutritional value and good for the growth and development of children.

Mrs Konadu said rabbit rearing was easy and could multiply faster than other animals and advised families to begin practicing it to improve their nutritional status and supplement their income.