Queen mothers in agriculture to meet in Accra

Greater Accra Region is set to witness for the 6^th year running a gathering of over two hundred and seventy-five queen-mothers and women in agriculture across the sixteen regions of Ghana, on Thursday, February 29, 2024 at the GNAT Hall.

In a statement, the Founder and Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, said this year’s event, to be held under the theme ‘Seeds of Change: Cultivating Gender Equality in Agriculture and Honouring Women’s Advancement’, is expected to delve into issues on gender and its influence in advancing and building sustainable women farmers across the regions of Ghana.

She added that the half-day programme will also dive deep into the queen-mothers and detail their individual roles in spearheading agricultural growth, development and change across their respective regions.

Also, as part of the activities for this year, we get to celebrate women who have stood and fought positively for gender advancement for many years while advocating for meaningful policy interventions and support systems that promote gender equality, she said.

Over the past five (5) years, the Gathering of the Royals event has established itself as a cornerstone interventional initiative, providing a vital platform for Queen mothers in farming and other agribusiness value chains to engage in meaningful conversations.

Together, they tackle pressing issues peculiar to their communities and regions such as access to resources, market challenges and the imperative for sustainable practices.

Through collaborative brainstorming and feedback with public sector, corporate bodies and financial institutions, they seek innovative solutions to foster a thriving and inclusive agricultural landscape.

The event, which has since its inception brought together over 2,973 queen-mothers, women in agribusiness, processors, political leaders, women farmers, assemblymen, DCEs, community leaders and stakeholders across the agriculture value chain, has also been able to successfully facilitate the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to further extend extension support to some of the farming areas within communities that were previously deprived of extension support.

Also in 2021, an Agri-booster module was introduced, where Queen mothers serve as entry point for companies to offer training to farmers, soil sampling and testing, and provision of input to beginner and growing farmers to kick-start or expand their farming activities.

So far, over ten communities in the Oti, Upper East and Upper West Regions have benefitted from this agenda.

Through the Gathering of the Royals, community watch policing was initiated and set up with the support and advice from the Ghana Police Service to promote Agri-peace in the farming communities.

Furthermore, the interventional initiative, with the support from private sector companies, supplies basic inputs, garden starter packs and fertilisers to farmers, women and persons with disabilities within various communities in our effort to contribute to enhanced nutrition.

By this, over 300 people have benefitted from starter packs to establish backyard gardens, under the 1 household 1 garden initiative.

The Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation also added that the half-day event, being held on a leap day in a leap year and an election year in Ghana, is very symbolic. Agrihouse Foundation desires, above all, a country of cooperation and development of sustainable farming, with peace and security as the bedrock; and is  hopeful that together with the stakeholders who will be participating across the various sectors, we can call for and pledge our collective commitment to fervently strive for peace at all levels and in our farming communities.

The sixth Gathering of the Royals, slated for Thursday, February 29, 2023, promises to be a day filled with insightful discussions and valuable networking opportunities, influencing policy directions, fostering stronger partnerships among traditional leaders, and driving holistic growth in the agricultural sector.

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