CADMA AgriSolutions, an organization founded on the vision of spearheading an agricultural renaissance in Africa, has called on government to encourage and support the development of crop insurance schemes for farmers.
This comes in the wake of the recent spillage of the Akosombo Dam which has led to the loss of investments and livelihoods of thousands of farmers across Volta, Oti, Eastern, Bono East, Savannah, and Northern regions of the country. The flooding has impacted over 5,000 acres of farmland and destroyed crops worth millions of cedis, becoming a devastating blow to the affected rural communities who rely on farming as their primary source of income and food.
In a press statement, CADMA AgriSolutions urged government to take swift and decisive action to provide urgent assistance to the affected regions. “The assistance should encompass crop compensations and support for essential infrastructure repairs or loss,” it read.
The organisation have also called on government to implement programs to assist farmers in recovering their farmlands, re-establishing their crops or fishponds, and restoring their livelihoods.
“These programs,” according to them, “could include access to seeds, fertilizers, and training to help them transition to alternative farming methods.”
Recognising the critical role the Dam plays in Ghana’s infrastructure, CADMA AgriSolutions also called on government to “work towards enhancing the monitoring and improvement of the Akosombo Dam to prevent similar incidents. It must collaborate with other stakeholders to develop comprehensive disaster preparedness plans and invest in initiatives that promote the resilience of farming communities.”
The Volta River Authority (VRA) began a controlled spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on September 15, 2023, due to a consistent rise in the water level of the Akosombo reservoir. Thousands of residents along the Volta Lake have had their homes and farms submerged as a result.
According to CADMA AgriSolutions, the spillage of the Dam has highlighted the need for crop insurance schemes for farmers. They believe this devastating period presents the perfect time to encourage and support the development of crop insurance schemes for farmers. The scheme will provide farmers with a safety net in times of unexpected natural disasters, the statement concluded.
CADMA AgriSolutions stands in solidarity with Ghana’s farmers and rural communities and remains committed to helping them recover and rebuild for the future.
Read the full statement below:
