Mahama launches Feed Ghana project; Encourages families and schools to grow their own food

President John Dramani Mahama has launched the Feed Ghana Programme, a national initiative aimed at boosting local food production, creating jobs, and reducing the country’s reliance on imported food.

The programme was officially introduced in Techiman, Bono East Region, on Saturday, April 12  2025.

Speaking at the event, Mr Mahama said the initiative, popularly referred to as Yeridua, is centred on practical farming approaches that involve households, schools, communities and institutions.

“We’ll invest in controlled environment farming, including greenhouse technology and urban agriculture,” he said. “But we’re also going back to the basics encouraging every household to grow what they can eat.”

Mr Mahama urged families to cultivate small backyard gardens. He said growing common vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, garden eggs and okra at home could help cut food costs while improving diets.

Recalling the “Operation Feed Yourself” campaign of the 1970s, he noted that backyard farming was once common and could be again.

“For those of you who grew up during the Operation Feed Yourself era, you remember how your parents had backyard gardens. So when it was time to pound fufu, there was no need to visit the market. You just stepped outside and picked some nyadua, pepper, onion and tomato to make the soup,” he said.

Beyond households, Mr Mahama said the programme would also involve Senior High Schools, particularly those with land. These schools, he noted, will be supported to grow food and rear animals to support their kitchens and supplement the school feeding programme.

“You’ll grow vegetables to improve the meals and raise cows, goats and sheep to provide meat for students,” he said. “We want students to begin to see agriculture not just as a subject in the classroom but as meaningful work they can take up.”

He added that the National Service Scheme, Ghana Prisons Service and National Youth Employment Agency would all take part in the rollout. Religious groups, he said, had also expressed interest in participating.

Another component of the programme is the revival of the national poultry initiative. Under this arrangement, 50 anchor farmers will receive support to produce four million birds, equivalent to about 10,000 metric tonnes of chicken. In addition, 55,000 households will each be helped to rear 500 birds annually.

“Ghana imports nearly 400 million dollars’ worth of chicken every year. That is something we should not be proud of,” Mr Mahama said. “This project is going to change that.”

To support these activities, the government plans to deploy 5,000 agricultural and veterinary graduates across the country.

Mr Mahama said they will be assigned to schools, communities and institutions, and will be absorbed into the public sector as job openings become available.

He also mentioned other parts of the programme, including grain, legume, vegetable and livestock farming projects.

Mr Mahama said the broader goal is to help the country return to a culture of self-reliance and build a stronger food system that works for everyone, from farmers in rural areas to families living in cities.

“This is about feeding ourselves again and making farming part of our everyday lives,” he said.

Source: Mohammed Ali