Food security at risk: Time to act on peasant rights

The warning by the United Nations Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas should not be taken lightly.

It goes to the heart of Ghana’s food security, economic independence and national stability.

After a 10-day working visit, the group has drawn attention to a troubling reality  that while Ghana has signed on to several international and regional frameworks meant to protect peasant farmers, implementation remains weak.

This gap between policy and practice is where the real danger lies.

Ghana prides itself on being an agriculturally rich country, yet the very people who sustain its food systems, smallholder farmers, fisherfolk and pastoralists continue to face mounting challenges.

These range from insecure land tenure systems and climate change impacts to illegal mining, weak seed systems and limited access to economic opportunities.

The concerns raised are not new. What is new, however, is the urgency and scale of the risk.

Food insecurity is no longer a distant threat; it is a looming reality if decisive action is not taken.

When water bodies are polluted through illegal mining, food safety is compromised.

When farmers lose access to land due to commodification and weak protections, production declines. When rural communities are excluded from decision-making, policies fail to reflect the realities on the ground.

These are not isolated issues. They are interconnected challenges that, if left unaddressed, could erode Ghana’s food sovereignty and deepen dependence on imports.

As Professor Uche Ofodile rightly pointed out, a nation that relies heavily on imported food risks placing its future in the hands of others.

This is not merely an agricultural concern; it is a national security issue.

The Ghanaian Times is particularly concerned about the marginalisation of peasant farmers in development planning.

It is unacceptable that those who form the backbone of the country’s food production are often treated as passive recipients rather than active partners in policy formulation.

We must move beyond rhetoric. The implementation of policies and international commitments, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, must be prioritised.

The government must take deliberate steps to strengthen land rights protections, regulate illegal mining activities more effectively, and invest in climate-resilient agriculture.

Ghana stands at a critical crossroads. The choices made today will determine whether the country secures its food future or slides into deeper vulnerability.

The Ghanaian Times urges the government and all stakeholders to act decisively and without delay. Protecting peasant farmers is not an act of charity; it is a strategic investment in the nation’s future.

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