The Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly’s Department of Agriculture, under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, has initiated a school gardening project in selected institutions in Somanya.
The goal is to teach students basic agricultural skills, such as gardening, watering, and pest control, and expose them to various career options within the agriculture value chain.
Dr Francis Nii Clottey, the Yilo Krobo Municipal Director for the Department of Agriculture, emphasised the need to break the stereotype that farming was only for underprivileged individuals, and highlighted how modern technology enabled efficient plant cultivation even in small spaces.
The programme, which engaged schools like the Somanya Methodist Primary and Junior High School, Sra Presby School, and Somanya M/A, sought to utilise the provided seeds effectively to achieve its objectives.
Mr Eric Tetteh, the Municipal Chief Executive for Yilo Krobo, praised the initiative and urged young people to explore the numerous opportunities within the agricultural sector.
The schools received seeds of crops, including watermelon, okro, maize, cowpea, pepper, carrot, and lettuce.
Mr Peter Atta Bilson, the Yilo Krobo Municipal Director for Ghana Education Service, also encouraged students to take the initiative seriously, emphasising the growing profitability and potential for a successful career in agriculture.
He said it would have a significant impact on their lives, saying, “Agriculture has become profitable and will continue to grow, so embrace it wholeheartedly and work towards it.”
Countries like Kenya and Tanzania were cited as examples of nations that had profited tremendously from backyard gardening.
The schools received seeds of watermelon, okro, maize, cowpea, pepper, carrot, lettuce, and other crops.
Somanya is well-known for producing mangoes, vegetables such as bell peppers, cabbages, garden eggs, and carrots.
