Nyankpala (N/R), June 24, — The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has so far bonded 10,000 acres of land in various districts of the Northern Region as part of measures to preserve the arable lands. Announcing this at the end of a one-week workshop on soil and water conservation at Nyankpala near Tamale, Mr Wilfred Anonadaga, the regional agricultural engineer, said bonding conserves both soil and water. Over 40 farmers, tractor operators and tractor owners, attended the workshop which was organised and sponsored by the sector ministry to educate farmers and tractor operators in the region on how to bond soil. Mr Anonadaga said bonding involves carrying out surveys to determine the elevation of lands under cultivation, plotting and designing ridge-like structures with water-ways. This is to prevent soil erosion and enable farmers to control the volume of water on their farms. He said bonding also prevents soil nutrients from being washed away and allows for the manipulation of water-tracks to control weed growth, thus promoting higher yield. Mr Anonadaga attributed the collapse of large-scale rice farming in the region in the 1970’s, to poor water and soil Preeconservation. He was optimistic that with the adoption of good water and soil management practices, rice cultivation in the region could be resuscitated.
