Goshen Global Vision (GGV), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), under the United States Forest Service (USFS) Funded Schools Rabbitry Project, has rolled out a pilot Rabbitry farming programme for selected schools in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis to enhance Agrarian revolution in schools.
As part of measures to also ensure Climate smart agriculture practices in schools, each of the three schools, the Takoradi Senior High School (TADISCO), Ahantaman Senior High School (AHANS) and the Tessark International School, received five rabbits of four months old each to start the Rabbitry farming project.
The GGV also handed over a rabbit hutch with an apartment as their habitat, feeding and water boxes each to the three schools.
Executive Director of GGV, Madam Mary Perpetual Kwakuyi said the Rabbitry project formed part of GGV’s Agricultural intervention to mitigate climate change and empower the schools to rake in extra income and offer students the opportunity to enjoy highly nutritious meals.
Madam Perpetual Kwakuyi said the rabbit rearing initiative added up to GGV’s tree crop planting exercise such as the One Student, One Coconut, One Tree Planting initiative and vegetable farming aimed at ensuring climate change resilience.
She reminded students that Agriculture remained the backbone to Ghana’s economy with a greater percentage of the population gainfully employed.
Madam Kwakuyi testified the nutritious value of rabbit meat and encouraged the students to venture into rabbit production after school as a source of income and healthy nutrition.
She said with a gestation period of 31 days (about 1 month) and their prolific nature, rabbits could give birth to between 4 and 11 offsprings about 4 times within a year.
She said GGV had done a market linkage with kebab sellers making rabbits readily available for sale on the market at GHc150 maturing between 4 and 5 months.
The Executive Director of GGV encouraged students to cultivate Agri-perineural habits, adding that it was easier to rear rabbits as much time and feeding were not needed.
The rabbits need regular water, carrots, cabbages, oil palm fronds, papaya, cassava leaves among others.
On the educational benefits, she said the schools would get access to rabbits as they were being used by the examination body at the laboratory for science practical works.
In addition, the rabbit urine harvested within the hatchery was the best organic pesticide on farms.
She presented manuals on rabbit rearing to the schools and pledged Goshen Global Vision’s routine visits to the schools once a week to monitor progress of the rabbit farms.
Receiving the rabbits and hutches, the Headmistress of TADISCO, Mrs Cynthia Ackon, on behalf of the Board and Management, expressed her profound gratitude to GGV for the massive agricultural intervention in the school.
She thanked GGV for donating irrigation pumps to the school a few months ago.
Mrs. Ackon appealed to students to take advantage of the Rabbitry project as a side issue irrespective of their courses as an income-generating activity for the school.
The headteacher of the Primary department of TESSARK International School, Mr. Ebenezer Farco said the school had taken advantage of GGV’s intervention in Agriculture with a demonstration farm in the school.
Headmistress of Ahantaman Girls Senior High School, Ms Ernestina Kankam thanked GGV for the Agricultural interventions in the school.
She charged the Royal Sanitation Ambassadors (ROSA) of the school to take care of its animal production.
Earlier, students hoisted placards such as “Rabbitry for food security,” Raising Youth in Agriculture-, USFS Funded Schools Rabbitry Project, GGV Leaving No School Behind” and One School, One Farm, One Rabbit Farm”.
By P. K. Yankey