The Executive Director of the Peasant Farmers Association, Bismark Nortey, has sounded the alarm over the devastating impact of galamsey on farmlands, food security, and rural livelihoods.
In an interview, Mr. Nortey said the situation continues to worsen, leaving many farmers frustrated and hopeless.
His association has begun collecting data from galamsey-affected areas to measure the scale of farmland destruction and its impact on farmers’ lives.
In the Ashanti Region alone, findings from three to four districts revealed that more than 3,488 acres of cocoa, plantain, cocoyam, and other farms have been destroyed.
This devastation has displaced over 5,491 farmers, many of whom have abandoned agriculture altogether because they no longer have land to cultivate.
“The saddest part is that farmers live in fear. They know the kingpins behind galamsey, but for fear of being attacked, they remain silent and suffer the consequences. That is the danger we face,” Mr. Nortey said.
Beyond farmland destruction, he highlighted the damage to irrigation facilities and water sources.
He pointed to Shama District in the Western Region, where rice farmers once farmed all year but can now manage only a single season because irrigation water has been polluted.
Food safety is also at risk.
According to him, some farmers are forced to cultivate on degraded land or irrigate crops with contaminated water, raising serious concerns about the quality and safety of food on the market.
Mr. Nortey warned that the government’s Feed Ghana programme, aimed at boosting local production, cutting imports, and supporting industry, will fail if illegal mining is not tackled.
“How can you increase food production when farmlands and water bodies needed by farmers are being destroyed?” he asked.
