Sunday, 16^th October is World Food Day. The day is set aside for action against hunger, as people across the world come together to declare their commitment to eradicating hunger.

The reality, however, is a country cannot eradicate hunger when her farming population keeps shrinking.

Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen takes us to three communities in the Brong Ahafo Region where youth abandon their farmland in droves.

The majority of them are bound for Libya, through the vagaries of the Sahara desert in search of what they say are “properly paid jobs”.

He also tells the implication it has on the growing population in the communities.

A story about how young farmers in three nearby communities in the Brong Ahafo region are increasingly abandoning their farmlands to travel to Libya to seek for what they called “PROPERLY PAID JOBS” is a clear indication of how progressively unattractive farming has become.

The implication it has on the growing population in these communities cannot be quantified. It is crystal clear many of the youths left for overseas to redeem the family’s image which has failed to change through farming.

One such victim whose children have taken the hard way to Libya is Lubabatu, a widow and now the head of the family.

She says, their presence was a great blessing to the family. They could harvest about two tractors full of food produce including tuber crops all year round. But the situation has changed and life has automatically altered from good to bad.

 With her growing age, Lubabatu has no choice but to give up farming because her children who used to help abandoned their farmlands and left for the unknown.

The effect is she now has to buy food to feed the family. It never happened in the past. “Here, we don’t buy food items but if someone begins to buy, then the situation is getting worst”. She says.

They are many other people like Lubabatu at Kintampo Zongo, Nante and Jema. Five of Mohammed’s children who assisted him on the farm are presently seeking greener pastures in Libya.

Mohammed who is also aging complained his level of production on the farm is shrinking day by day. Sometimes, he buys food to supplement the little he is able to produce himself.

At least, one relative of every household in Kintampo and its surrounding communities has joined the bandwagon at the expense of farming and particularly food cultivation.

An opinion leader in Kintampo Zongo, 58- year old Mohammed Musah is overwhelmed by the situation, but says there is beyond their reins of affairs.

His major concern is the fact that, farmers in the community cannot afford to live a better from the everyday sweat.

“How can the children live with us when we have nothing to show to them’? He asks.

The future looks gloomy as a lot more young people are preparing to leave. Berma Barikisu is a graduate teacher in the community. He says the youth have taken a right decision because the farmland has done little to better their lives.

“It is better they go when you look at the output and the money invested, it does not always correlate,”

I asked about the people’s appreciation of the telling effect of the mass youth exodus on the community and the implications on food insecurity. But Mohammed Musah says community members are aware and worry about it but there is little they can do about it.

Berma also added a voice. “When you invest and get nothing in returns I don’t think it will encourage you to do more,”

In the past, tractors and machines will be busy at this time of the year. They are now grounded because there is little or nothing to do.

Unfortunately, the phenomenon is not restricted to these communities. Similar stories abound elsewhere in the Bono Ahafo region.

Well, can Ghana produce to feed her growing population under such circumstances, especially when farming is still largely “cutlass and hoe”?

World Bank estimates 50 percent more of current food production is required to feed a projected world population of nine billion by 2050.

Climate change, post-harvest losses, wastage and of, course, increasing movement of youth from the farmland remain potential threats. It means Ghana would have to work extra hard to survive food insecurity.