STRIGA: Agric Director Urges Media to Intensify Awareness on Parasitic Weed
The Upper East Regional Director of Agriculture, Alhaji Zakaria Fuseini, has challenged journalists to take a more active role in educating the public and amplifying farmers’ concerns in the fight against Striga, a persistent agricultural challenge in northern Ghana. Speaking at a sensitisation forum for media practitioners on Striga control in northern Ghana held on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Blue Sky Hotel in Zuarungu, Alhaji Fuseini said the media could become a critical link between agricultural experts, policymakers and farmers. The programme was organised by the Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR) in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Upper East Region Chapter. Alhaji Fuseini said Striga repeatedly appeared in reports submitted by agricultural extension officers across the region, describing it as a problem farmers encounter season after season. He observed that while farmers had considerable practical experience dealing with the weed, many still lacked sufficient public information on its causes, persistence and effective control measures. He said this was where the media could make a significant difference. MoFA, he explained, had been working with farmers through improved seed varieties, agronomic recommendations and agricultural extension services. However, because extension services operate largely at the district and community levels, he said the media was needed to take the message to a much wider audience. Alhaji Fuseini therefore urged journalists to use the forum to interrogate agricultural policies and interventions rather than simply reproduce statements from officials. He specifically encouraged journalists to ask why some farmers struggle to obtain certified seeds, why certain interventions require several seasons before results become visible, and what additional measures government could introduce to strengthen Striga control. He stressed that constructive scrutiny would help ensure that challenges confronting farmers were properly identified and addressed. The Regional Director further pointed out that agricultural practices and land restoration must work together in tackling Striga. He explained that MoFA’s agronomic interventions and FONAR’s land restoration initiatives represented complementary approaches rather than competing solutions, with healthy soils and proper crop management both important to addressing the problem. Participants were also expected to receive technical education on the biology of Striga, factors responsible for its persistence and recommended control measures before, during and after planting. The forum also included a planned farm visit, where journalists were expected to interact directly with farmers and examine their experiences with Striga control. Alhaji Fuseini said such firsthand experiences were crucial because farmers ultimately provided the practical test of whether recommendations being promoted by experts were producing results. He urged journalists to ensure that farmers remained central to their reporting, saying their experiences should inform public discussion about agricultural challenges and solutions. He thanked FONAR, the GJA Upper East Region Chapter and participating media practitioners for supporting the initiative and expressed hope that the forum would strengthen public education and reporting on Striga and agricultural development in northern Ghana. Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen
GJA Upper East Chairman Challenges Journalists to Lead the Fight Against Striga
The Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Albert Sore, has challenged journalists to look beyond headline-making agricultural crises and investigate the less visible problems that continue to undermine farmers’ livelihoods. Mr. Sore said Striga was one such challenge that had affected farmers for years but had not received the level of sustained media attention that issues such as floods, drought and rising food prices often attract. He made the remarks on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Blue Sky Hotel in Zuarungu, Bolgatanga East, during a day’s sensitisation forum for media practitioners on Striga control in Northern Ghana. The engagement brought together journalists, FONAR and officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to deepen media understanding of the parasitic weed and its implications for farmers. Mr. Sore said journalists could play an important role in ensuring that technical knowledge about Striga reached farming communities and the wider public. He admitted that many media practitioners might not yet have a full understanding of the weed, including why it persists, how it damages crops and what farmers can realistically do to control it. He therefore urged journalists to use the forum to engage experts critically and ask the difficult questions that farmers themselves would want answered. He particularly encouraged participants to use the field visit to understand the lived experiences of farmers, including the length of time they had battled Striga, the costs involved, the methods they had attempted and the support they needed. According to him, such firsthand accounts would enable journalists to produce stories that went beyond simply describing the existence of the problem. Mr. Sore argued that agriculture deserved consistent media attention because several challenges affecting food production develop gradually and may remain unnoticed until their effects become severe. He urged journalists to continuously follow agricultural interventions and hold discussions on whether such interventions were producing the desired results. At the same time, he cautioned media practitioners to maintain professional standards by relying on verified facts and avoiding sensational reporting, particularly when dealing with technical agricultural matters. He said farmers needed accurate, balanced and consistent reporting that could help inform policymakers, development partners and the public. Mr. Sore stressed that the sensitisation programme should not end with the day’s activities. He called on individual journalists and media houses to continue returning to the Striga story, investigate interventions being implemented and report on both progress and outstanding challenges. He commended FONAR and MoFA for recognising the media as an important partner and expressed the hope that the engagement would lead to stronger collaboration between the GJA, FONAR, MoFA and other stakeholders in addressing agricultural challenges in Northern Ghana. He concluded by urging journalists to make the most of the engagement and use the knowledge gained to tell farmers’ stories accurately, responsibly and meaningfully. Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen
FONAR Calls for National Action as Striga Threatens Cereal Production in Northern Ghana
The Executive Director of the Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR), Mr. Sumaila S. Saaka, has called for increased national investment and coordinated action to tackle the growing threat posed by Striga, commonly known as witchweed, to cereal production in Northern Ghana. According to Mr. Saaka, Striga should no longer be treated merely as a farmer’s private challenge but as a national food security threat requiring sustained government attention and investment. He made the call on Thursday, September 17, 2026, when he delivered the opening remarks at a sensitization forum for media practitioners on Striga control in Northern Ghana, held at the Blue Sky Hotel in Zuarungu in the Bolgatanga East District of the Upper East Region. The forum was organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Upper East Region Chapter. Mr. Saaka explained that Striga poses a serious threat to staple cereal crops, particularly sorghum, millet and maize, because the parasite attaches itself to the roots of crops and draws away essential water and nutrients before becoming visible above the soil. He noted that by the time the characteristic purple flowers of Striga become visible, significant damage may already have been done to the affected crops. “For a farmer in the Upper East Region watching sorghum, millet or maize wither in a field that received good rains, Striga is a very familiar and very painful reality,” he said. The FONAR Executive Director stressed that the organisation views Striga not only as an agricultural pest but also as an indication of deeper challenges associated with declining soil fertility and land degradation. He said declining soil fertility, loss of tree cover and depletion of organic matter from farmlands create conditions that allow Striga to thrive. Mr. Saaka therefore advocated an integrated approach that combines direct Striga control measures with long-term land restoration. He said FONAR’s work in promoting Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), climate-smart agroforestry and integrated soil fertility management was aimed at restoring the health and productivity of degraded agricultural lands. “Where soil fertility declines, where tree cover is lost, where organic matter is stripped from the land season after season, Striga finds exactly the conditions it needs to thrive,” he stated. Mr. Saaka also urged journalists to use their platforms to educate farmers and the wider public about Striga and the available control measures. He said accurate and well-informed journalism could help reach farming communities with practical information while also holding institutions accountable for interventions aimed at addressing the problem. “A single well-researched broadcast can reach many farming households that no extension officer ever will,” he said, adding that well-told stories could help replace myths and misinformation about Striga with practical knowledge. He encouraged media practitioners to pay particular attention to the experiences of farmers affected by Striga, describing their lived experiences as an important measure of whether interventions are producing the desired results. Mr. Saaka further called on the government to invest in community-level biocontrol and awareness programmes, alongside measures to restore degraded soils and strengthen pest-control interventions. He argued that cereal production in Northern Ghana should receive sustained attention as part of the country’s broader food security strategy. According to him, Striga infestation could result in substantial yield losses in affected areas, particularly in parts of the Upper East and Upper West Regions. He warned that continued inaction could contribute to early food shortages and worsen the economic pressures confronting farming households. “Government cannot treat Striga as a farmer’s private burden. It is a national food security threat, and it demands national investment,” Mr. Saaka said. FONAR seeks stronger collaboration Mr. Saaka said FONAR, MoFA and the media needed to strengthen collaboration in addressing the Striga challenge. He explained that the forum was expected to help journalists understand what Striga is, why it persists, the relationship between the weed and soil health, and the range of available control measures. He stressed that the agronomic recommendations promoted by MoFA’s extension officers and FONAR’s land restoration and natural regeneration approaches should be viewed as complementary rather than competing interventions. The forum also provided an opportunity for journalists to hear directly from a farmer affected by Striga and to visit an affected farm as part of efforts to gain a practical understanding of the problem. Mr. Saaka expressed the hope that the engagement would mark the beginning of a sustained working relationship between FONAR, MoFA and media organisations in promoting public awareness and action on Striga. He also expressed appreciation to the Awaken Trees Association of Austria for funding the activity, as well as MoFA and the GJA Upper East Regional Chapter for their partnership in organising the forum. Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen