The household food security is an issue government; both past and present talked about and tried to improve in the three northern regions and other parts of the country. It is of supreme importance to many millions in these regions and other part of the country where many people are suffering persistent hunger and under nutrition. Food security issue has been widely debated in our parliament but is still a much confused issue to the ordinary person on the street man when it comes to finding pragmatic solutions.

Food security as many experts have defined is basically access by all people at all times to food needed for healthy life. The situation in the northern regions is chronic in terms of food insecurity. Poverty is major indicator of food insecurity and these regions have about 90% of the population classified as poor. This situation makes most of the able young men and women migrate to the south to look for work and therefore depleting the human resources base of the area and make the situation cyclical.

Achieving a sufficient food supply a necessary condition, for food security and most importantly making it sustainable, ie keeping pace with growing food need, remain a national challenge and should be the topmost priority of the current government. The situation is in a dire state of affair and must be tackled head on. The macroeconomics policies and development strategy should be human centered to be in line with social democratic ideology of the NDC. President Mills’s policies in relation to food security should be beyond food and agriculture related policies and encompass non agriculture and economic wide policies which have implication on food prices, income and employment for our poor brothers and sisters in these regions.

Efforts should be made to improve the storage technological knowhow of the farmers. Price stabilization should also be tackled. Our poor farmers should know what they are actually going to sell their goods for so can plan ahead. Production methods in these areas should be improved, assess to good seeds, fertilizers and technical assistance must be made available to farmers. Field officers should be motivated to do their work well. Other areas like credit access to our farmers should not be over looked.

The aim of President Mills’s government for effective food security policy must be to ensure that all households have adequate access to food and can acquire it without hindrance.

The availability of food and access to food are the two essential determinant of food security. Our policy makers should note that the first does not necessary ensures the latter, as we see in Ghana. Mr. President, you must remember that Mamumatu in Nangode or Mawusi in Ohawu, not forgetting Akwele and Maame Kyerewaa in Musuko and Santasi respectively will not tolerate and any big big economic jargons when they don’t know when the next meal will be coming from.

Long live Ghana

By Asigri Bagura