As the world marks World Food Day under the theme “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow”, women farmers in Forikrom, in the Bono East Region, have added their voices to the global call for action, urging Ghanaians to eat local, support rural farmers, and push for policies that strengthen food security.
The international day, an initiative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), comes amid growing pressure on global agrifood systems, with over 36 million people in West and Central Africa still struggling to access sufficient food.
In Forikrom, the day was marked by a mini local food Durbar at the training camp of the Abrono Organic Farming Project (ABOFAP), organised in collaboration with the Rural Women Farmers Association of Ghana (RUWFAG).
The event brought together women farmers, agricultural extension officers, nutrition experts, and traditional leaders to celebrate Ghana’s local foods and advocate for sustainable farming.
Executive Director of ABOFAP, Nana Kwao Adams, encouraged participants to prioritise locally produced food and to work harder to produce enough food for the country.
“We should eat our own food and keep working harder to produce the needed food for the country. It is time we look at policies that will empower rural farmers so that farming becomes sustainable,” he said.
Chairing the function, Forikromhemaa Nana Sakyiwaa Abanaba, admonished Ghanaians to embrace the consumption of organic foods, which she described as healthy and beneficial.
“I urge everyone to consume organic foods. They are healthy for our bodies and good for our well-being,” she stated.
Anita Suntaa, National Coordinator for the Rural Women Farmers Association of Ghana, called for policies that will help women farmers produce enough food.
“We need policies that will help women farmers produce enough food. This includes the establishment of irrigation systems to aid all-year-round farming, particularly in the Upper West Region,” she said.
Festus Addai, the Techiman Municipal Agric Extension Officer, noted that despite available resources to produce more food, it is quite unfortunate that many people still go hungry.
“With available resources to produce more food, it’s quite unfortunate that a lot of people still go hungry. More needs to be done to address this,” he emphasised.
Faiza Issah, Nutrition Officer at the Forikrom Health Centre, admonished participants to consume local foods that contain the four-star diet—a nutrition framework promoting a balanced intake of different food groups for good health.
“I admonish us all to consume our local foods that contain the four-star diet for our good health,” she advised.
This year’s World Food Day commemoration in Forikrom served as a reminder that sustainable food systems begin with supporting those who produce our food—especially rural women farmers—and with a collective commitment to eating what we grow.
As the world reflects on the challenges facing global agrifood systems, the message from Forikrom is clear: empower rural farmers, invest in irrigation, promote organic and local foods, and ensure that no one goes hungry.