Accra: Scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have urged farmers to adopt climate-smart farming practices to minimise crop losses from flooding. They also advised farmers to use weather information to guide planting decisions and strengthen resilience against extreme weather events.
According to Ghana News Agency, the recommendations were made in separate interviews with Dr Kirpal Agyemang Ofosu, a Research Scientist (Rice Breeder) at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), and Dr Stephen Yeboah, a Senior Research Scientist at the Institute. The scientists stated that while extreme floods could not always be prevented, improved land preparation, drainage, crop selection, and timely weather information could significantly reduce their impact on agricultural production.
The advice follows recent flooding that affected parts of the country, including farming communities in the Volta Region, where farms and standing crops were destroyed. The Ghana Meteorological Agency noted that the June 29 floods resulted from a slow-moving storm system moving from Togo into Ghana, producing prolonged rainfall, especially along the coast.
The Minister for the Interior, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, informed Parliament that Accra recorded 169 millimetres of rainfall on June 29 and a cumulative 593 millimetres in June. Dr Ofosu stated that Ghana had not yet developed rice varieties specifically for flood tolerance but mentioned that some locally released varieties are better suited for flood-prone conditions due to their plant characteristics. He recommended CRI-AgraRice, CRI-Korea Mo, and Legon Rice 1 for cultivation in these areas.
Dr Ofosu advised farmers to create drainage canals in and around their fields to direct water flow and maintain these canals regularly throughout the growing season. He also suggested leveling fields properly to improve water movement during heavy rainfall, monitoring weather forecasts before planting, and avoiding cultivation in low-lying areas without adequate drainage. He encouraged the use of weather forecasts available on smartphones for informed farming decisions and recommended crops like rice, taro, and sugarcane for regions experiencing frequent flooding due to their tolerance to high moisture conditions.
Dr Yeboah emphasized the importance of proper land preparation as a primary defense against flood damage. He advised ploughing across slopes instead of along them to reduce runoff and soil erosion, explaining that preparing along the slope facilitates runoff and depletes soil nutrients or washes crops away under waterlogged conditions. He noted that some existing crop varieties possess deep and strong root systems, enabling them to better withstand waterlogging, although they were not specifically developed for flood tolerance.
The scientists underscored the importance of timely climate information and early warning systems, stating that prior information about flooding could allow farmers to plant early and harvest before floods or adjust planting dates to reduce losses. They called on the Government to invest in drainage infrastructure in major farming areas, improve farmers' access to real-time weather information, and strengthen agricultural extension services to support climate-smart farming practices.