Photo of the week, November 16th

Patchworks of strip farming and apparently haphazard land usage belies the developing challenges in food security in many areas of the world, including Ghana. Lack of co-ordination for irrigation, use of mechanical land working and integrated crop management are hampering increases in yields (quantitative and qualitative)and socio-economic growth in many rural areas. Ongoing land ownership challenges and the resulting lack of land security compound these matters. Meanwhile, the consumers in the urban zones continue to raise their demands for produce and at the same time attempt to depress farm gate pricing, whilst raising the market price at retail outlets. Next time you purchase some agricultural produce, think about the work that went into it - or better still, seek fresh produce at a rural market when you can - and pay a respectable price, don't haggle so much - they have school fees to pay too! Photo courtesy of Medicine on the Move. http://www.medicineonthemove.org/