Severe drought in Northern Ghana sparks fears of food insecurity

Northern Ghana is currently grappling with a severe drought that has sparked widespread concerns about food security and the livelihood of thousands of farmers.

The region has been without rain for over two months, with the extended dry spell stunting crop growth and leaving farmers with little hope for a successful harvest.

Huge losses have been recorded with staples such as rice, maize, groundnuts, and millet withering due to the lack of rainfall.

The prolonged drought has led to a sharp drop in food production, raising alarms about a potential food shortage and a looming famine.

Some farmers who spoke to Channel One TV expressed fears that it may be too late to reverse the damage caused by the drought should the rains come in the near future.

“We would have harvested a long time if there had been rain. The corn would have been ready for us to harvest but I think this is a disaster for us because you can see what is happening here. We are currently hopeless,” one farmer lamented.

Alhaji Mashoud Mohammed, the 2021 National Best Farmer, who owns over 3,000 acres of farmland, bemoaned the impact of the drought on his operations and attributed it to climate change.

“Possibly, we may be breaking even but we doubt we will make profits. We are dealing with about 1,333 acres of maize field, and almost 2,170 acres of rice, soya bean and sorghum. Looking at the impact of this drought, by now, we should have finished planting everything but we are still waiting for the rains to come so we can plant sorghum and cowpea.

“If you look at the northern sector, for almost three weeks now, the place is cold and sunshine is not hitting the earth’s surface very well to cause transpiration and evaporation to form rain and this is where we are today with this drought.”