Farmers Cry As Farmlands Get Submerged

Some farmers have lamented bitterly about the destruction of their farmlands at Kpasenpe in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East region.

Several acres of farmlands in the West Mamprusi Municipality, have been submerged due to the spillage of the Bagre dam coupled with heavy downpour.

The floodgates of the Bagre Dam was opened for spillage on September 1, 2022.

The farmers have been compelled to use canoes to move into the submerged farmlands to salvage some of their crops in order to be able to feed their families.

A farmer,Joseph Daabo, told DGN Online that he cultivated 15 acres of maize and that the entire farm has been submerged by the Bagre dam spillage.

“ The situation is very serious as you can see we are in the water to see how we can be able to salvage some of the crops and use it to feed our families or else we will go hungry.”

He indicated that the situation will greatly affect himself and the entire family as they only depend on the farm to feed as well as generate income.

“ Now taking care of my children and other family members will be a very big problem to me because I have lost almost everything, when I think about my children’s school I get worried because this is what I use to take care of their school as well.”

Mr. Daabo appealed to the government to come to their aid by subsidizing the price of fertilizer and other farm materials to enable them move to other farmlands to farm.

“ The economy is not good and this Bagre dam situation has come to worsen our suffering so only God will save us. We seriously need help.”

Another farmer, Mr. John Sibiri whose 11 acres of maize farm was submerged at Kpasenpe in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East lamented that the incident noting that his family depended solely on farming for survival.

“ As I talk to you now even what we will eat this evening is not guaranteed because the farm which has been destroyed is what we depend on to eat as well as sell some to take care of other family expenses.”

He disclosed that he took a loan for farming adding that he is wondering how do repay the loan since the investment has been destroyed.

Mr. Sibiri however appealed to the government to negotiate with the Burkina Faso government to try and delay the spillage period of the Bagre dam every year to enable them to harvest their crops before the spillage is done because they do not have any other farmland to do their farming activities.

” It’s not easy to find a fertile land around this area because the lands are scarce and are not enough so we are forced to farm along the river even though we know it’s risky but the reason is that we do not have any alternative.”

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goal 2 calls for ending hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.However farmers in the North East region believed that the loss of farm produce and animals among others due to the Bagre dam spillage coupled with heavy downpour is likely to cause food security problems in the region.

2020 NADMO Report

National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO Assessment Team Report after the Bagre dam spillage coupled with heavy downpour revealed that 19,690 acres of farmlands were destroyed by the floods and the spillage of the Bagre dam in the North East Region.

According to NADMO Officials, about 55,235 persons have been affected, 3,952 persons displaced internally with 206 communities affected and nine persons confirmed dead in the North East region.

The report indicated that 9,736.68 tons of yields made up of maize, rice, millet, soya, cowpea among others, were lost due to the floods.