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Mon, 24 Oct 2016 16:49:32 +0000
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My name is Gabriel Adukpo from Ghana. I am an Agriculturist with specialization in Extension and Adult Education. I have spent 25 years working with farmers as District Agricultural Extension Officer and Municipal Director of Agriculture in the public sector. Having been additionally trained at Writers Bureau, UK, I am settling down as a Freelance Journalist on retiring a couple of weeks ago.

I would like to join the conversation on operators in the rural non-food sector and their contribution to food security and nutrition.

Non-food crops such as cotton, kola and para rubber are part of the rural economy. Even cocoa producers hardly feed on the produce they cultivate. Where land is available, non-food producers also grow arable crops, rear animals and go fishing.

Incomes from the sale of non-food items enable households to have economic access to nutritious food. It was found out that nutrition improves among cotton farming families when cotton production and prices increase.

In a Sustainable Livelihoods Project carried out in three districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana, we identified income earning ventures such as soap making using cocoa pods, pomade making, weaving, carpentry and bricklaying.

As farming is seasonal, non-food production activities tend to fill in as worthwhile interval between seasons. We observed that those who earn additional incomes were capable of hiring labor and constructing storage facilities thus increasing yields and availability of food items.

Yes, non-food production enhances the local economy leading to thriving farming communities in which food production, processing, utilization and storage take place.

Gabriel Adukpo
Freelance Writer
P.O. Box CJ 187
Koforidua 
Ghana
Cell phone: +233 277 47 22 93/+233 208 59 81 35
Email: gyaduk (at) yahoo.com // gyaduk (at) gmail.com

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