A policy that sought to give a boost to mass farming activities within all garrisons of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) some years ago, is being revived for the second time by officers of GAF which will from now on, remain a special feature on the armed forces’ calendar of activities.
Many would wonder why the GAF is turning attention to a non-core activity like farming since the agency is noted for security related operations where it has performed creditably over decades.
But at a brief ceremony to re-launch the GAF farming unit activities for garrisons in the Northern Region including 6th Infantry Battalion and Airborne Force, Air-Vice Marshall Michael Sampson-Oje, Commander of the Airborne Force, reminded Ghanaians that some decades ago, the GAF was in the forefront of national food production, evacuation and distribution in this country under the code-name ‘Operation Feed Yourself’.
According to him, the result of that programme saw the GAF and its units/stations running a number of food crop farms, animal husbandry, poultry, fish ponds and among others, as their contribution to the national food basket generally. Adding, “During those days, the military had a special unit devoted to agricultural production called Ghana Armed Forces Farms (GAFF) whose operations spread across the garrisons where high commercial agricultural turnovers were achieved”.
Air-Vice Marshall Sampson-Oje, explained that the GAF high command being aware of the security challenges that come in the wake of any food shortage, has therefore, decided in the 2011 cropping season to revive unit farming and the promotion and development of agriculture in all military garrisons nationwide.
The objective of the policy, he stated, is to support food production in the country, to complement the efforts of the country’s subsistence farmers. “It is also an alternate means of providing food and meat, as extra messing for service personnel as well as a way of generating additional income for the military units”, he added.
The military commander further expatiated that, the effort is deemed as the military’s modest attempt in helping to achieve the UN’s Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1); that is “eradicating or at least halving poverty and hunger by the year 2015”.
The focus of the policy is to engage in practical agriculture with the view to increasing production in local staples, commercial crops/plants, and breeding of animals, birds and fish in commercial quantities.
For instance, the farming activities would cover areas such as cassava, plantain, yams, maize, sorghum, millet, rice, beans, potatoes, groundnuts, mushroom and vegetables.
Others are oil palm, coconuts, pineapples, cashew, mangoes, oranges and animal rearing in such areas as cattle ranches, goats and sheep, poultry, piggery, rabbits, grass-cutters, snails and bee-keeping.
The rest include fish farming, food processing, aqua culture in general and afforestation programmes on vacant armed forces’ lands.
Meanwhile, it is expected that, the revival of the GAF unit farming activities would provide practical lessons/training to prepare troops for their future engagement as commercial farmers or backyard gardeners during their retirement. Besides, the programme also stands to offer technology transfer and entrepreneurial development skills in rural agro-business to retirees.
Air-Vice Marshall Sampson-Oje thus, charged all unit commanders take charge of all farms on its premises and seek technical advice from agricultural extension officers, soil and weather scientists, veterinary officers and practitioners already in the field of production, marketing and other areas, to determine the most feasible options.
He said the projects are to be viewed as enterprises that the units have initiated and they are to show determination in ensuring success at all cost by putting in place management committees to oversee and account for farms/projects.
Many would wonder why the GAF is turning attention to a non-core activity like farming since the agency is noted for security related operations where it has performed creditably over decades.
But at a brief ceremony to re-launch the GAF farming unit activities for garrisons in the Northern Region including 6th Infantry Battalion and Airborne Force, Air-Vice Marshall Michael Sampson-Oje, Commander of the Airborne Force, reminded Ghanaians that some decades ago, the GAF was in the forefront of national food production, evacuation and distribution in this country under the code-name ‘Operation Feed Yourself’.
According to him, the result of that programme saw the GAF and its units/stations running a number of food crop farms, animal husbandry, poultry, fish ponds and among others, as their contribution to the national food basket generally. Adding, “During those days, the military had a special unit devoted to agricultural production called Ghana Armed Forces Farms (GAFF) whose operations spread across the garrisons where high commercial agricultural turnovers were achieved”.
Air-Vice Marshall Sampson-Oje, explained that the GAF high command being aware of the security challenges that come in the wake of any food shortage, has therefore, decided in the 2011 cropping season to revive unit farming and the promotion and development of agriculture in all military garrisons nationwide.
The objective of the policy, he stated, is to support food production in the country, to complement the efforts of the country’s subsistence farmers. “It is also an alternate means of providing food and meat, as extra messing for service personnel as well as a way of generating additional income for the military units”, he added.
The military commander further expatiated that, the effort is deemed as the military’s modest attempt in helping to achieve the UN’s Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1); that is “eradicating or at least halving poverty and hunger by the year 2015”.
The focus of the policy is to engage in practical agriculture with the view to increasing production in local staples, commercial crops/plants, and breeding of animals, birds and fish in commercial quantities.
For instance, the farming activities would cover areas such as cassava, plantain, yams, maize, sorghum, millet, rice, beans, potatoes, groundnuts, mushroom and vegetables.
Others are oil palm, coconuts, pineapples, cashew, mangoes, oranges and animal rearing in such areas as cattle ranches, goats and sheep, poultry, piggery, rabbits, grass-cutters, snails and bee-keeping.
The rest include fish farming, food processing, aqua culture in general and afforestation programmes on vacant armed forces’ lands.
Meanwhile, it is expected that, the revival of the GAF unit farming activities would provide practical lessons/training to prepare troops for their future engagement as commercial farmers or backyard gardeners during their retirement. Besides, the programme also stands to offer technology transfer and entrepreneurial development skills in rural agro-business to retirees.
Air-Vice Marshall Sampson-Oje thus, charged all unit commanders take charge of all farms on its premises and seek technical advice from agricultural extension officers, soil and weather scientists, veterinary officers and practitioners already in the field of production, marketing and other areas, to determine the most feasible options.
He said the projects are to be viewed as enterprises that the units have initiated and they are to show determination in ensuring success at all cost by putting in place management committees to oversee and account for farms/projects.
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