The harvest season has officially begun in Northern Ghana, but the excitement of reaping crops is being overshadowed by a familiar conflict between farmers and cattle herdsmen.
Across the Savannah Region, farmers are confronting the recurring challenge of herdsmen allowing their cattle to graze on cultivated farmlands, resulting in significant losses.
In Damongo, within the West Gonja Municipality, the situation has become particularly dire, with several farms already destroyed barely one month into the dry season.
The destruction has forced many farmers to remain on their farms at night, just to safeguard their crops from roaming cattle.
Faced with repeated losses, some farmers have been compelled to sell portions of their farmlands to herdsmen for grazing, often under duress and against their will.
Even those who refuse to sell report that herdsmen release cattle at night, leaving them with no choice but to witness their crops being eaten.
The tension has escalated beyond property damage, as some farmers have reported being physically attacked by herdsmen while trying to protect their fields.
Baman Jabiuk Peter, a farmer from Sor No. 1, recounted his personal ordeal in an interview with Kashafmonline.com, highlighting the devastating impact of the crisis on livelihoods.
Peter explained that he took a loan to cultivate two hectares of beans and had begun harvesting, carefully covering his produce with tarpaulin to protect it.
Despite these precautions, he returned the next morning to find that the entire field, including the harvested beans, had been grazed by cattle.
He added that some herdsmen have resorted to attacking farmers who confront them after finding their cattle on the farms, further heightening fears in the community.
The repeated destruction of farmlands is not only a blow to individual farmers but also threatens food security and the economic stability of the municipality.
Farmers are now appealing to traditional authorities, opinion leaders, and relevant stakeholders to intervene urgently and restore order in the affected areas.
They are calling for immediate and sustainable measures to prevent further crop destruction and to promote peaceful coexistence between farmers and herdsmen.
Without prompt intervention, the crisis risks escalating, endangering both the livelihoods of farmers and the broader agricultural stability of the Savannah Region.
Source: kashafmonline.com
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