News

Give women lands to Farm, Wa Municipal Female Best Farmer

• By Digme Kantayir
• December 08, 2018
• 38

49 year old Salia Laticia yesterday received the Best Female farmer award at Yebile here in the Wa municipality.

Kperisi, Busah, Charingu, Nakori, Jonga, Sanchiga, Loguporo and Kpaguri and other farmer communities, had several harvests at the stands. Maize, groundnuts, banana, dawadawa, rice, yams, potatoes, dry okro, beans and livestock were on display. 

A total of 23 farmers received awards from several categories including the overall Best Farmer Award which went to Alhaji Isahaku Idris. He took home a tricycle motor and other inputs.

Madam Laticia Salia, took home a Lujia motor bike, and a certificate as the Best Female Farmer. She is a proud owner of a 5 acre maize farm, 3 acre groundnut farm and over 1 acre of cowpea.

Laticia however attributed her achievement to some gender based groups in her community for the success. She said the groups make farming so easy and less expensive for her and feels motivated to do more.

The woman who received her award from the Municipal Fire Officer and praised for her fight against bush fires in her community said, her desire for farming makes her fight bushfires.

‘Our farm produce can be destroyed by the fires and our toil would be in vein’ she said with a broad smile.

The physically disabled woman was however grateful for the awards and also bemoaned the situations women face in farming in the Northern part of Ghana. She lamented how male farmers treated her sometime back as a female farmer.

‘You as a woman on the farm is perceived to be stubborn and they start to gang up against you. Some even don't mind to make denigrating comments about you’

She disclosed that 3 years ago, the chief of Zingu in the Wa Municipality made a statement that improved the situation for women in her society. “Our Chief made it clear that, women should be encouraged by making lands available for any woman desirous of farming” Laticia said.

‘He(chief) told us, women can help build homes so the men should support us 3 years ago. Today I am an example other women can be encouraged to emulate’ she added.

Madam Laticia called on authorities in other communities to emulate the chief of Zingu to lessen the challenges of female farmers in the municipal and beyond.

Madam Salia Laticia also called on government to create avenues to transport their harvest more easily as it turns to be the challenge of most farmers. ‘Our farms are faraway, I can't carry the load home myself. I usually have to engage individuals which is much expensive. A tricycle can do it at a cheaper cost’ she added.

Source: UWR/Ghana/Watchghana