Ghana commits to improving food systems

Ghana is convinced that improving food systems will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said Yaw Frimpong Addo, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, on Wednesday.

The government was therefore determined to adopt global actions and ensure that the results of the United Nations pre-summit on food systems, which ended on Wednesday in Rome, are integrated into policies and development plans, and actually implemented, he said.

Contributing to the three-day summit, Addo, who joined virtually, said Ghana was very attentive to the global and continental frameworks, which it had integrated into the development framework at the national level.

“Ensuring food security, better nutrition and optimal overall health for Ghanaians is a step towards achieving the SDGs, Agenda 2063 of the African Union Commission and the Malabo Declarations,” he said. he declares.

Commenting on the country’s current food systems, Addo said that although Ghana was among the most food-secure countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as the 2017 Global Food Security Index indicates, the country was still plagued by the double burden of malnutrition with stunting rates at 19% in children under five and obesity at 29.3% of the population.

He said other key food security challenges in the country included sub-optimal basic food production, characterized by changing agroecology and unpredictable rainfall patterns, as well as reduced rainfall and declining soil fertility.

Therefore, in the short to medium term, the country intended to focus on reducing levels of food loss, stunting, nutritional deficiencies, overweight and obesity, the deputy minister said. .

It would also be necessary to promote resilient production systems of various nutritious crops, livestock and fisheries through sustainable and land-efficient strategies and measures that ensure food security, he said.

Building strong and resilient food supply chains and improving the implementation of policies and regulations and cooperation between actors, as well as promoting the extensive use of digital technologies that improve access to extension, financial and mechanization services, as well as markets would be explored, Mr. Addo mentioned.

He said smallholder farmers, women and youth should be empowered to produce more efficiently with better access to land and tenure security, while targeted social safety nets would be provided to protect livelihoods in the face. risks associated with climate variability, conflict and other shocks. like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country would strive to improve the nutrition of schoolchildren through the effective implementation of the school feeding program, increase consumer awareness and education on healthy eating, and strengthen the development and integrated policy coherence, intersectoral collaboration and private sector engagement for food systems transformation, says Addo.

He said Ghana should enforce regulations to increase consumer confidence and access to regional markets.

Regarding the key milestones the country will be working on, Addo said that the production of climate-resistant varieties of various crops, especially vegetables and legumes, using sustainable agricultural practices, should be increased by 40% of by 2030.

“We will need to ensure a 50% reduction in post-harvest losses through increased investments in affordable on-farm storage, material handling technologies, transportation and logistics systems, as well as increased investments in technologies to added value, ”he said.

“We will ensure food waste management that involves converting organic waste into products such as fish feed, bio-based products and bioenergy by 20% by 2030.”

The country would also implement food-based dietary guidelines to improve and increase household dietary diversity scores by 30% and improve the nutritional value of meals for school feeding programs by 2030.

At least 40% increase in access to affordable food for the poultry and aquaculture industries by 2030, and a 20% increase in the Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index by 2030 would be insured, said Addo.

Ghana will also need to ensure a 30% increase in the number of youth-run businesses engaged in nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food processing by 2030, he added.