Kumasi mayor encourages backyard gardening

KUMASI MAYOR, Osei Assibey Antwi, has urged residents of the city to cultivate the habit of keeping backyard gardens to help improve food production and security.

He was of the opinion that backyard gardening has the potential of cutting down the cost of living and also ensuring the constant availability of foodstuffs in the various markets.

According to him, most of the arable lands in Kumasi have been taken over by buildings and that was among the reasons, he was calling for backyard gardening to boost food production.

“I would also urge us all to take up backyard gardening as a part time job and as an avenue to support our food stuff needs”, the Kumasi Mayor declared during the Farmer’s Day celebrations.

Osei Assibey also explained that his calls for backyard gardening in the metropolis “would cut down our cost of living, thus improving the country’s economic and general well-being

The KMA Chief Executive said most of the lands in the metropolis that could be used for farming to help improve food production, have sadly been taken over by buildings and infrastructure.

“It is a concern that rapid urbanisation in Kumasi Metropolis has taken over 90 percent of our arable land for construction and other infrastructure”, the Kumasi Mayor has revealed.

“It is therefore apparent that the urbanisation of Kumasi has had an impact on the livelihood of the people in the Kumasi Metropolis. There is therefore the need to urbanize agriculture in the metropolis”.

Osei Assibey Antwi also admonished the teeming youth, who are energetic, to develop strong interest in farming, stressing that farming is lucrative so “you should take it as a profession”.

The overall best farmer in the Kumasi Metropolis was Mohammed Ayama of Amanfrom and he was presented with mouthwatering prizes including tricycle, television serf and others.