More than 2.8 billion people world-wide unable to afford healthy diet – ActionAid Ghana

More than 2.8 billion people around the globe are unable to afford healthy diets, thereby contributing to high malnutrition, obesity and micro-nutrients, ActionAid Ghana (AAG), a Non-governmental organization has said.

Mr Kwame Afram Denkyira, the Bono and Ahafo Regional Programmes Manager, AAG, who disclosed this, said many people suffered from hunger, with vulnerable people forced to over-rely on staple foods, or less expensive foods, that could be unhealthy.

He therefore advised Ghanaians to consume organic produced foods to be healthier, saying organic produced food had no chemicals and other toxic materials that could be harmful to human health.

Mr Denkyira gave the advice at a forum to mark the 2024 celebration of the World Food Day, held at Techiman in the Bono East Region on the theme “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future.”

The AAG in collaboration with the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD) organised the forum attended by farmers, food processors, and others in the food value chain.

“Food produced from inorganic materials of chemical fertilizers can bring future health problems and complications”, he stated, and added the use or application of organic manure has great potential to mitigate climate change impacts too.

Mr Wilberforce Laate, the Deputy Executive Director at the CIKOD noted that promoting agro-ecology was the surest way to ensuring healthy food production and called for the need to revisit such practices in food production and called on the government to invest in agro-ecology.

He said CIKOD prioritised agro-ecology in advancing food sovereignty by providing people with the opportunity to cultivate and consume food of their choice and stressed the need to intensify public awareness creation on agroecology for people to eat healthier food.

Nana Kwao Adams Twifohene (sub-chief) of the Benkum Division of the Techiman Traditional Area and the Executive Director for the Abrono Organic Farming Project (ABOFAP) called on farmers to use organic manure and protect the environment as well.

He expressed concern about the impact of climate change, which was well felt in the area.

He called for proactive measures to mitigate the impact.

Mrs Joan Suurweh of the Rural Women Farmers Association, and Alhassan Bawah, a farmer at Attaboase near Techiman, described the forum as an eye opener and commended the organisers.

Source: GNA

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