A leading researcher from the University of Cape Coast says Ghana is still far from securing reliable food access for its population, cautioning that current measures are not strong enough to guarantee long-term food stability.
Dr Kofi Atiah, who heads the Soil Science Department at UCC’s School of Agriculture, shared his assessment in a radio interview on GBC Radio Central on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, ahead of the annual Farmers Day celebration.
He noted that with a national population of around 34 million, more than two million people are unable to obtain enough nutritious food to meet basic dietary needs. Data he referenced shows that roughly half of this group consists of children under five, underscoring the depth of the challenge.
Dr Atiah stressed that food security involves more than having food available in markets; it also depends on the quality, safety, and affordability of what people are able to access. He warned that deficiencies in these areas mean the country still faces significant gaps.
He also linked the situation to the state of Ghana’s soils, arguing that national nutrition cannot be separated from the health of the lands on which food is grown. In his explanation, declining soil fertility reduces the nutritional value of crops and, ultimately, the health of the population. With the vast majority of global food production coming directly from soil, he stressed that mismanaged or degraded land poses long-term risks.
As Ghana pushes to improve food availability, Dr Atiah believes safeguarding the country’s soils must be treated as a central policy priority. He advised that stronger land-protection initiatives and better soil-management strategies will be essential if the nation hopes to achieve food security in the near future.
