The United Nations Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas says Ghana risks facing a future food crisis, social unrest and growing national insecurity if sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods are neglected.

Professor Uche Ofodile, a member of the Working Group representing Africa, said the long-term consequences of failing to invest in sustainable agriculture and protect rural livelihoods could be severe.

“If there will be a problem with food availability, especially in time of crisis and international instability, and there is lack of fertilisers and  inputs, if you don’t develop methods that can do without too much external input, then there will be problems, and of course when you have food problems, you are in unrest,” she said.

The Working Group gave the caution on Thursday at an end-of-mission press briefing in Accra, where it presented preliminary findings and recommendations following a 10-day official visit to Ghana.

Whilst in Ghana, the members engaged government institutions, farmers, fisherfolk, pastoralists, civil society organisations, traditional authorities and rural communities to assess the human rights situation of peasants and rural workers.

Prof. Ofodile noted that the issue went beyond food availability to include nutritional security, national sovereignty, youth unemployment, and economic resilience.

She said overdependence on imported agricultural inputs and global supply chains left African countries vulnerable to external shocks.

Africa’s rapidly growing youth population also faced a critical challenge as many young people continued to abandon agriculture for illegal mining activities due to the lack of viable economic opportunities in farming.

Prof. Ofodile added that the crisis also affected young women in rural communities, where teenage pregnancy and economic vulnerability remained growing concerns.

The Working Group observed that while Ghana had made commendable progress through policies aimed at agricultural modernisation, climate resilience, fisheries reforms, gender equity, and social protection, many smallholder farmers, artisanal fishers, and pastoralists remained excluded from meaningful participation in decision-making.

The experts warned that Ghana’s current agricultural transformation agenda, which increasingly focused on mechanised and export-oriented agriculture, risked marginalising the smallholder farmers and rural communities who formed the backbone of the country’s food production system.

They identified climate change and illegal mining, otherwise known as “galamsey”, as twin threats confronting Ghana’s rural economy.

The group described “galamsey” as “the most acute, rapidly expanding and politically charged environmental emergency” facing the country, citing contamination of rivers, destruction of farmland, and the spread of mercury and other toxic chemicals.

According to the experts, illegal mining should be understood both as a cause of environmental destruction and as a symptom of deeper economic failures affecting rural youth.

The Working Group also raised concerns over land insecurity, particularly for women, youth, pastoralists, and smallholder farmers.

It noted that women remained largely excluded from land ownership and decision-making despite playing major roles in agricultural and fisheries value chains.

The experts further expressed concern over the vulnerability of older women farmers to witchcraft accusations, which they said often resulted in displacement and loss of livelihoods.

The delegation commended Ghana for its constitutional human rights framework and recent laws, including the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2025, the Social Protection Act 2025, and the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act 2024.

It also praised initiatives such as the Community Resource Management Area model and the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme as examples of inclusive and participatory governance.

However, the Working Group stressed that meaningful progress would require stronger political will, deeper community participation, and long-term investment in sustainable agriculture and rural development.

Prof. Ofodile urged the media to give voice to peasant farmers by amplifying their concerns and drawing attention to the challenges affecting their livelihoods.

She also extended an invitation to the media and other stakeholders to partner with the Working Group in supporting its mandate to promote and protect the rights of peasants and rural communities.

The United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas monitors the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP), aimed at protecting small-scale farmers, fisherfolk and pastoralists from inequality, exclusion and land-related rights violations.

Established in 2024, it conducted its first official country visit to Ghana from May 5–14, 2026, at the invitation of the Government of Ghana.

The five-member independent expert group represents Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Americas and Africa, with two members participating in the Ghana mission, supported by the UN Secretariat.

A comprehensive report on the findings and recommendations would be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2026.

Source : GNA