Tema, Sept.29, GNA - Farmers and other stakeholders in agriculture on Thursday attended a day's sensitisation workshop in Tema, to be educated on the major challenges facing the sector. The programme dubbed: 93Striving towards food self-sufficiency: a case on land tenure and financing in the Greater-Accra Region," was organised by the Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition, a non- governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with the Abibiman Foundation, a Human Rights Advocacy Group. It was aimed at educating farmers on the acquisition of land, land accessibility, renting, encroachments, including laws and regulations governing land.

Mrs Ama Yira, Executive Director of Community Land and Development Foundation, an NGO, advised the farmers to follow the right procedures in acquiring land. Mrs Yira pointed out that it was necessary for farmers to team up with traditional leaders to establish land administration to record land transactions. This, she said, would help both farmers and the traditional leaders to address the battle of land security in relation with the land tenure system in the country. She advised the public to manage land litigation issues out of the law courts. Mr Philip Abayori, President of the National Farmers and Award Winners Association of Ghana, who spoke on the topic: 93Financing Food-crop farming towards food sufficiency- challenges and the way forward," observed that lack of storage systems, poor road network, poor market access, and low cost of yield, were the major setbacks of farming in Ghana.

He stressed the need for the electorate to hold politicians accountable, for not fulfilling their campaign promises in projecting Agro-businesses. Mr Abayori suggested the need for an Agricultural Fund be set up by government, to help provide farmers with farm inputs at subsidised prices. He also called for long-term low interest loans from the banks, to help farmers acquire agricultural equipment, such as tractors, and harvesters.