The story of Farmers’ Day, for me, goes back to 1983, one of the most difficult periods in Ghana’s history. The country was facing severe food shortages following drought and devastating bushfires. At the same time, more than a million Ghanaians were returning home fromNigeria. As National Coordinator of Operation Exodus, I was responsible for helping to implement the decision that the returnees should not remain in camps. We appealed to international agencies for relief supplies and helped the returnees return to their towns and villages, ensuring that the supplies reached them in their communities. But relief alone was not the answer. We needed people producing food again. I encouraged the returnees to form cooperatives and go into farming. We called them Returnee Farms, concentrating onmaize, cassava, peanuts and sorghum. We also introduced a food-forwork programme. Some groups became involved in cocoa rehabilitation and replanting after the bushfires had destroyedmany cocoa farms. Recognising the Farmer By 1986, the rains had returned, the farms were doing well, and I felt these hardworking farmers deserved recognition. By then, I had been appointed PNDC Secretary for Agriculture. We organised the first event at Osino, where outstanding farmers received Wellington boots, bicycles, cutlasses, radios and certificates. One of the early celebrations was later held at Akatsi, andFarmers’ Day eventually began rotating from region to region. When I later became Minister of Agriculture, I felt strongly that Ghana should have a proper national occasion to say thank you to our farmers. And so Farmers’ Day began. Theprizesgrew. I rememberoneyear I suggested that the best farmer should receive a pickup truck. The late President Jerry John Rawlings asked me why. I explained that a farmer could load bags of fertiliser and seed, haul tools and harvested crops from the fields, and take his wife to themarketwithbaskets of produce in the back. He agreed. One of my proudest moments came when, working with colleagues, we pushed for the first Friday in December to be declared National Farmers’ Day and a public holiday. When Pres. Rawlings announced it, I jumped up. I remember thinking, “I have achieved it!” It remains one of the major achievements of my public-service career. The selection process was designed to be transparent and independent. The Ministry of Agriculture was not directly involved in the assessment. Agricultural experts from the University of Cape Coast and the University of Ghana assessed the farmers based on their performance. Today, Farmers’ Day has grown into a major national celebration, with prizes ranging from farmmachinery and vehicles to houses. Giving Ghana’s Farmers Their Day How a difficult chapter in Ghana’s history helped inspire a national tradition 26 The Birthday Journal
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