Speaking at a consultative meeting with key stakeholders at St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School in Accra on Friday, August 29, 2025, Dr Otokunor said the initiative would involve on-campus farms focusing on seven main crops: rice, maize, sorghum, soybeans, onions, tomatoes, and, where possible, cassava and yams.

He explained that the intervention is designed to reduce the high cost of feeding 1.37 million students, which amounted to over GH¢2.8 billion in 2024.

“The initiative is targeting more than 15,000 acres for the cultivation of selected crops to support the food and nutritional needs of our schools,” he said.

According to Dr Otokunor, the project is expected to save between 30 and 50 per cent of annual expenditure on school feeding, representing GH¢840 million to GH¢1.4 billion. He noted that savings from the programme would allow the government to direct resources to other pressing needs in education and national development.

To support the farms, schools will receive certified seeds, fertiliser, mechanisation services and climate-smart training. Dr Otokunor stressed that no cash transfers would be made directly to the schools.

“Every input that is required will be provided. Seeds will be provided, fertiliser will be provided, and mechanisation will be provided,” he assured.

School farm committees, chaired by headmasters with participation from teachers and students, will oversee operations to ensure accountability.

In addition, between 1,400 and 2,100 unemployed agriculture graduates will be engaged as farm managers, supported by national service personnel. This, Dr Otokunor added, is expected to create up to 10,000 indirect jobs along the supply chain.

For schools in urban areas with limited land, he suggested vertical farming and hydroponics as viable alternatives.

“In a small space, even a quarter of this room, you can grow the equivalent of 10 acres of vegetables using vertical farming,” he explained.

The programme, which also includes livestock production to improve protein supply, will be launched in September at Peki Senior High School in the Volta Region by President John Dramani Mahama.

Dr Otokunor said the broader goal of the initiative is to reduce the country’s reliance on food imports, cut post-harvest losses by creating school-based supply chains, and provide practical agricultural skills to young people at a time when unemployment stands at 13.6 per cent.

“This initiative is not simply about farming. It is about transforming our schools into centres of agro-innovation, practical learning, productivity and food self-reliance,” he stated.

Stakeholders present at the meeting included representatives of the Ghana Education Service, GETFund, teacher unions, the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) and Parent-Teacher Associations. Dr Otokunor urged them to take shared responsibility for its success so it can endure over the years.