Mr. Richard Okoe
Promoting sustainable farming and pollinator comservation
Trained as a veterinarian from the Veterinary College in Ghana, graduated from the University of Ghana with a Diploma in Animal Science, holds an International Certificate in Agriculture from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands, holds various certificates from Research4Life, Ayoma, and Alibaba. Founder of Community Development Challenge, National Beekeepers Association, and Women and Youth in Beekeeping and Value Chain, Ghana.
Worked as a veterinarian with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and as a banker and microfinance specialist with various microfinance institutions for more than 2 decades.
Participated in various Accelerator Programs such as Acumen, SEED, Seedstars, Ashoka, Orange Corners, United Nations SDSN, and others.
Awarded Joy News Impact Makers Award in June 2023.
Currently building the capacity of smallholder farmers to increase crop productivity to create wealth and employment.
Mr. Richard Okoe
To date, the efforts towards SDGs have not succeeded in reducing socio-economic inequality within and between countries.
How can FAO and CSOs work together to regain the momentum lost and work jointly to "leave no one behind”?
Most CSOs are engaged with lobbying and advocacy towards influencing decision makers to formulate policies that they believe will inure to the benefits of farmers to increase crop productivity and earn higher incomes to live better lives that will attract the youth into agriculture to sustain the industry.
The missing link is that grassroot organizations and producer associations are often not engaged. FAO must directly engage grassroot and producer farmer organizations to support them.