Amnesty International (AI) and its partner, Civil Society Organisations (CSO's) Centre, have paid a courtesy call on the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to discuss i human rights issues in Ghana. The meeting was attended by AI Ghana's Country Director, Genevieve Parting ton, accompanied by staff, board members and representatives of Sanneh Institute, Perfector of Sentiments (POS) Foundation and Legal Resources Centre. During the meeting, Madam Partington and CSO's highlighted' concerns over recent human rights developments in Ghana and the need to address the issues with immediate attention.' On the Witchcraft Accusations Bill, she expressed concern with the continued prevalence of witchcraft accusations in Ghana, saying 'such accusations often lead to violence, discrimination and human rights abuses against innocent individuals, particularly elderly women.' She called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo to protect people from being physically and mentally abused because of wi tchcraft accusations. She urged government to take decisive action to address this issue, 'including implementing comprehensive awareness campaigns, providing support services for victims, and enforcing laws to hold perpetrators accountable.' On Death Penalty, Mr. Francis Nyantakyi, board chair of AI Ghana, expressed concern on the President's refusal to sign the Armed Forces bill Amendment to abolish the death penalty. He said the death penalty was violating fundamental human rights and the President's refusal to signed the bill into law threatened to undermine Ghana's progress in upholding human rights standards. He further inquired on the necessary steps to take to reintroduce the bill to parliament and how Non-Governmental Organisations could support to ensure its finally abolishment. He expressed the need to commute the sentences of those on death row to life sentences and inquired the steps to be taken for and how CSO's could support. Other human rights issues such as prison conditions and over-cr owding were highlighted by the partner CSO's in attendance. They inquired on the progress made so far on the Community Sentencing Bill to reduced over-crowding in prisons and improve methods of reform for offenders. Madam Partington urged the office of the AG to take immediate action to address those human rights concerns, adding that upholding human rights was not only a legal obligation but also a moral imperative that defined our commitment to justice and equality for all. She expressed AI's readiness to collaborate with government and other stakeholders to advance human rights in Ghana and ensure that every individual lived with dignity and respect. Source: Ghana News Agency Women farmers, and pastoralists are slowly embracing indigenous vegetable farming as a sustainable alternative livelihood with high nutritional value. In the arid and semi-arid regions of Kajiado County, a quiet agricultural revolution is taking root especially with the push for cultivating African Leafy Vegetables (ALVs) not only as a means of diversifying income sources but also a response to the challenges posed by climate change affecting these regions. Kajiado County, which is traditionally known for its reliance on pastoralism, is now breaking new ground by encouraging the cultivation of indigenous vegetables. According to experts, Indigenous vegetables are important for food insecurity, malnutrition reduction and therapeutic in not only semi and arid Counties but also in East and sub-Saharan Africa countries. Most of indigenous vegetables are tolerant to climate change variability than exotic vegetables but in most developing countries, indigenous vegetables are underutilized or neglected. Pauline Kariuki from Rural Women Network says Indigenous vegetables, commonly referred to as African Leafy Vegetables, have gained popularity due to their exceptional nutritional value. Varieties such as African Nightshade (managu), amaranthus (terere), spider plant (saget), and slender leaf (mitoo) are becoming staples in Kenyan diets. Ms. Kariuki told KNA that the push to mainstream these vegetables in Kajiado County where she is working with rural women is driven by initiatives targeting women's groups, aiming not only to improve overall nutrition but also to provide alternative livelihoods. During a recent Draft Africa Leafy Vegetable Value Chain 5 year strategy by the Rural Women Network has shed light on the challenges being faced by Counties in fully embracing indigenous vegetable farming Issues such as the availability of quality seeds, capacity building for farmers, and post-production holding storage were highlighted. Kajiado County, at the forefront of this initiative, aims to address these challenges through the integration of the strategy into its agricultural policies. According to Kariuki, the strategy which has been prepared by the Rural Women Network, an umbrella body that caters to the welfare of women and youth in Kajiado County once ratified promises to empower women groups at the grassroots level of ASAL Communities. The County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation in Kajiado Jacktone Achola emphasizes on the importance of a shift towards growing, embracing and eating leafy vegetables, particularly in the face of changing climatic conditions in ASAL. 'The need to move away from overreliance on livestock becomes apparent as climate change continues to impact the availability of grazing land and water resources', he says. By promoting the cultivation of these crops, Kajiado County is taking a step towards building a more sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural sector and the women in the area not only securing alternative livelihoods but contributing t o a more sustainable and climate resilient future. In Kiambu County , Ndeiya area which is semi-arid, and is therefore considered a hardship area, women have also been embracing growing indigenous vegetables to mitigate the impact of climate change and also address matters of food security. The shift towards diversified agriculture especially for women fosters a sense of empowerment and self-reliance among communities in the ASAL regions. Kiambu recently was among five Counties named to benefit from a Ksh 1.5 billion during a five year project on production and consumption of vegetables to improve the nutrition of households. The project dubbed 'Vegetable for All' and being steered by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) aims to contribute to improving nutritious diets through increased consumption of safe vegetables and also greater use of vegetables in the Kenyan cuisine. Another study done on factors contributing to Production and Consumption of African Leafy Vegetables (ALVs) in Kiambu a nd Kirinyaga Counties in Kenya by the department of Agricultural Science and Technology, Kenyatta University, Production and utilization of the ALVs among the small scale farmers more so women is a promising venture not only for nutrition and health benefit but also as a source of income . Source: Kenya News Agency
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