Nine (9) individuals in the Bolgatanga Municipality have received awards for their respective roles in the agriculture value-chain as the country holds the Farmers Day Celebration.
The Overall Municipal Best Farmer went to Simon Apuko Adongo. He took home a tricycle known as motorking, 1 Cutlass, a pair of Wellington boot, 1 piece of GTP cloth, 1 Knapsack sprayer, 1 bar of key soap and a certificate.
A woman, Gifty Mbanky, became the first Runner Up. Her award came with 1 motorbike, 1 Cutlass, 1 pair of Wellington boot, 1 piece of GTP, 1 Knapsack sprayer, 1 bar of key soap and a certificate.
For her award as Best Municipal Female Farmer, Awia Abeleyine took home a fridge, 4 Cutlasses, 1 Knapsack sprayer, a pair of Wellington boot, 1 piece of GTP cloth, 2 bags of NPK, 2kg fertilizer, 1 manual sheller, 1 bar of soap, raincoat and a certificate.
Others who received recognition are Issahaku Ayamga, Municipal Best Crops Farmer; Ayisha Mohammed, Municipal Best Livestock Farmer; Atoya Adombila, Best Physically Challenged Farmer; Agnes Apambila Abalara, Best Conservation Agriculture Farmer; Adingyele Adolebiringe, Best Sheanut Picker and Alazoe Courage, Municipal Best Agri Extension Officer.
In all four women took awards in the Bolgatanga Municipality as part of this year’s Farmers Day Celebration held under the theme: “Building-Climate Resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security”
Speaking at the ceremony, the Municipal Chief Executive for Bolgatanga, Rex Asanga, urged farmers to view agriculture as a business that responds to the economic needs of the citizenry.
Mr. Asanga also called on residents of the Municipality to conduct themselves responsibly ahead of the major elections.
“We are all well aware of the challenges that come along with elections such as conflicts and other forms of violent extremism.
I therefore wish to emphasize on the need for us to be tolerant before, during and after the elections. Thus, everyone should ensure that the electoral process is conducted peacefully and in a fair manner to enable us exercise our voting rights peacefully”.
Mbanky Gifty, the 1st Runner Up Municipal Best Farmer, shared her excitement about the award.
She adds that farming as a woman is more challenging considering the land ownership system in this part of the country.
“As a woman, you don’t have access to land unless your husband or any man from your house helps you get one. Even getting from someone, you have to follow a man there if you alone go there, they’d just look at you to be funny. (They) don’t see why you just come and say ‘I want a land to farm’. They just consider farming (to be) for only the men,” she said.
At a similar event in the Nabdam District, the District Chief Executive for the Area, Agnes Anamoo called for collective action to combat climate change.
