The Food Discourse kicks off its Bodawuro Project in Vane

The Food Discourse, a youth-led initiative and community platform, has kicked off its Bodawuro Project with an engagement with farmers in Vane, in the Ho West District of the Volta Region.

The project is in line with its objective of promoting sustainable food systems, agroecology and climate resilience in Ghana and across Africa.

It aims to highlight grassroots food and climate stories from farmers, identify their challenges and propose possible solutions across five selected regions of Ghana.

Vane, the gateway to Avatime, lies at the base of Mount Gayi in the Ho West District of the Volta Region.

The majority of residents rely on farming, cultivating crops, among other activities, to support their livelihoods.

However, climate change, the high cost of agro-inputs and urbanisation, among other factors, are affecting the farming activities of these rural residents. They also highlighted the difficulties of accessing their farms and transporting farm produce, among other challenges.

In effect, The Food Discourse is implementing its Bodawuro Project in the area, hoping to promote climate-resilient practices among farmers and the younger generation to sustain the food system.

The farmers were introduced to an eco-friendly solar food storage system and digital extension services in a bid to sustain the system, ensuring access to extension services and adopting measures to prevent post-harvest losses so they earn enough from their yield.

They were also introduced to fish farming as an alternative livelihood to sustain them during periods when the climate is not favourable for crop farming.

They were trained in setting up a simpler model of a canopy fish pond using easily accessible materials.

The Founder of the Food Discourse, Gloria Agyare, said that they aim to protect the food systems at the local level to sustain livelihoods.

“They talked about so many challenges, and I closely paid attention. Then I asked them, Why are they still doing this farming thing? Because in their challenges, you have to leave it.”

“But all of them said, How will we eat if we stop this work? This highlights the importance of our food system to sustain every life on it. So there's a need to shape the way the food system is to ensure that we create a balance for people to find jobs and create jobs in it," she said.

She added that the Bodawuro Project was also designed to ensure a transfer of knowledge of the food systems and agriculture knowledge from the older generation to the younger generation.

“We are trying to amplify the stories at the grassroots. the indigenous knowledge and bring it to the forefront”, she said.

The Paramount Chief of the Avatime Traditional Area, Osie Adza Tekpor VII, lauded the initiative, emphasising its focus on saving the climate.

“We have a forest; we have trees, so there's no need for us to even go into free planting. They forget that as you cut the tree, you are destroying the forest, and as the saying goes, when the last tree dies, the last man dies."

“So, we need this constant awareness. On behalf of the committee, we welcome the project. We will do everything within our capacity and capability to make sure that at least 20 people will start this project this season," he stressed.