Ghana SHTS, Tamale and the Adoe Basic School, Gomoa, have won the School Farm of the Year 2023 awards competition for the senior high and junior high school categories respectively.

They emerged winners out of over 200 schools across 11 regions in Ghana. The winning schools received prizes ranging from desktop computers, tablets, to fertilizers and knapsack sprayers.

The School Farm of the Year 2023 competition is an initiative by the Kosmos Innovation Center in partnership with Blue Skies Foundation, with the aim of bringing back the love for agriculture and farming in the youth.

This year’s competition is under the theme; We grow the future.

It aims to imbibe technology , innovation, agribusiness and agro-technology in over 400 students across 11 regions in Ghana.

The Executive Director of Kosmos Innovation Center, Mr Benjamin Gyan Kese entreated the youth to venture into agriculture.

“Agriculture is attractive. If you are not venturing into agriculture do not discourage young people getting into agriculture. They need our support and encouragement to get into it and make money out of it.

“At the end of the day, the food they will produce are the foods you will be buying on at the market. And if we have them in scarcity as a country we would have to import. Agriculture is as important as any other sector of the economy,” he said.

National Best Farmer 2022, Nana Yaw Sarpong Serebour urged the participating schools to make use of their knowledge acquired in order to impact their immediate communities.

“Don’t let what you’ve learnt end here. We know you are in school but we want you to replicate what you’ve learnt in your communities. Start first at home and produce healthy natural foods for yourselves and family. Teach your immediate communities the benefits from agriculture,” he said.

The Regional Director for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Revd. Dr. John Menu also highlighted some economically viable areas in agriculture.

“The untapped potentials of local baby food production in Africa according to the International Trade Center, is expected to hit 1.1 billion Euros by 2026 and this presents a significant investment opportunity in Africa. So my emerging agripreneurs, please take advantage of this opportunity available,” he said.