By Enock Akonnor enockakonnor2013@gmail.com
Personell with agric background deployed unto the 20,000-acre Sekyere Kumawu Economic Enclave Project (SKEEP) to undertake their national service have shared exciting experiences.
Owing to the laborious nature of farming, most Ghanaian youth have a declined interest in embracing the profession, insofar feeling uneasy when posted to do their national service within Agric related fields.
The inclusion of a mechanised system of farming plus other interventions into SKEEP as a way of deflating the above challenge have amplified the interest of personnel.
A UTV Agric programme which is focused on the Scheme’s farm project, dubbed “Ayekoo” brought to light a good number of service persons sharing amazing testimonies on the gains they have tapped by doing their service under the project.
Michael Agyeman; a former SRC President for Kwadaso Agric College shared that when he noticed he has been posted to the area, he felt uneasy at the initial stage.
He explained that considering the nature of Africa’s style of farming, he thought he was going to do more of a manual and tedious work.
After responding to the posting, he said he noticed that NSS’s approach to farming was different from other areas.
“…because it doesn’t involve much of manual work but more of a modernised and mechanised system of farming”, he indicated.
“In fact we have been empowered and enlightened so much by the number of training and knowledge gained on mechanised system of farming.
I have now embraced farming so well and have settled on utilizing every knowledge and experience I have acquired.
I hope to do so well in farming so as to get my name enlisted among the top 10 best farmers in Ghana within the next ten years”.
Baah Teresah Gyamfuah prior to her reposting unto SKEEP was offering her service at COCOBOD, Accra.
“When I gained my reposting to Kumawu, I was a bit distressed after considering Africa’s way of farming.
This is because I did Agric at KNUST and at KNUST I was not taken through much practicals.
So I was troubled because I thought I was going to do rigorous work or a manpower kind of farming.
When I came here, I was relieved that mechanised system of farming is what is used here.
Since I commenced my service here, I have come to know that farming is highly profitable and generates so much money for the farmer.
I have also learnt that application of mechanised system of farming boost productivity”.
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ABOUT SKEEP
The SKEEP, which started last year, is in line with the NSS’s new strategic direction to create a viable ecosystem for the youth to engage in commercial farming focusing on maize, soya beans, rice and poultry production.
Being, arguably, the biggest farming project in the history of the NSS, the project seeks, among other things, to support import substitution, ensure food and nutritional security and attract and retain graduate youth into commercial agriculture and its value chain.
Source; www.leakyghana.com
