The growing infestation of Striga weed in parts of northern Ghana deserves urgent attention.
What may appear to be an ordinary farming problem is increasingly becoming a threat to cereal production, farmer livelihoods and, ultimately, food security.
Farmers in the Upper East and Upper West regions are already feeling the effects.
Thousands of acres of cereal farms are reportedly affected, with maize, millet and sorghum among the crops under attack.
Some farmers have reported declining yields, while others have been compelled to abandon traditional crops.
Striga, commonly known as witchweed, is particularly difficult to control because it attacks crops from the roots and weakens their growth.
By the time it becomes clearly visible above the ground, considerable damage may already have been done.
The concerns raised by farmers and agricultural stakeholders should, therefore, not be dismissed as isolated complaints.
The Executive Director of the Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR), Sumaila Saaka, has described Striga as a “silent driver of hunger” in northern Ghana and warned that affected farms could lose up to 80 per cent of their yields if the problem is not aggressively tackled.
Such a warning should prompt a coordinated response.
The Upper East Regional Director of Agriculture, Alhaji Fuseini Zakaria, has indicated that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has been supporting farmers through improved seed varieties, agronomic advice and extension services.
However, he also pointed to farmers’ difficulty in accessing certified seed as one of the challenges.
This is an area that requires greater attention. Farmers cannot be expected to fight a persistent agricultural threat without access to the right inputs, information and technical support.
There is also a need to recognise the connection between Striga and declining soil fertility and land degradation. The response must therefore go beyond simply removing the weed when it appears.
Farmers need sustained support to improve soil fertility, practise crop rotation and adopt farming methods that can help break the cycle of infestation.
The call for farmers to adopt Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is also worth serious consideration within the broader effort to restore degraded farmland and improve soil health.
However, the responsibility cannot rest on farmers alone. Government agencies, research institutions, development partners, non-governmental organisations and the assemblies must work together to ensure that farmers receive practical and timely support.
Public education is equally important. Farmers need clear information on how Striga spreads, how to identify it early and the measures that can be taken to limit its impact. Agricultural extension officers have an important role to play in this regard.
The issue also calls for sustained attention rather than a short-lived campaign. Striga does not disappear because attention shifts elsewhere.
If left unchecked, its effects could deepen the difficulties already facing farmers in northern Ghana.
Ghana cannot afford to take lightly any development that threatens maize, millet and sorghum production.
These crops are central to the livelihoods of many farming households and are important to the country’s food supply.
The time has come for Striga control to receive the sustained institutional attention it deserves.
Protecting northern Ghana’s farms means protecting the livelihoods of farmers and strengthening the country’s food security.
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