| Food crop farmers - most of who are women - constitute about forty percent of the population of Ghana. Despite already precarious rural conditions, trade has not been an engine of development for most of them. In consequence of liberalisation, they have even become poorer and prone to food and income insecurity. The Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition (GTLC) has developed a programme to mobilise farmers in the country to advocate and campaign themselves by putting pressure on government to recognise the importance of food crop farming through the institution of favourable policies and practices. The advocacy agenda starts with rice. Thus,a Rice week has been organized from August 28th to September 1rst 2006. A press conference has been hed for officially launching the first Rice Week and the GTLC. A lot of representatives of various media houses attended the event The press statement published, emphasised that, besides being of concern to a great number of people who rely on its production, proceeds and consumption for surviving, rice in Ghana bears social, political, economic and health implications. Ibrahim Akalbila, GTLC Interim Coordinator, explained that Ghanaian producers have a potential in the production of healthy brown rice. 'Our farmers are unjustly branded inefficient because trade barriers were lowered and subsidies are provided to farmers and businesses in industrialised countries, enabling the developed countries to export and sell at a cheaper price in our country.' " (...) Annual expenditures on rice imports are now estimated around $ 200 million. This sum could make a difference in the lives of the rural poor'", added Baba Tuahiru, Oxfam National Advocacy Officer. Mr. Akalbila noted that trade liberalisation was implemented in Ghana after state support (in the form of input subsidies, consumption subsidies, and marketing facilitation) was removed during the period of structural adjustment introduced by the IMF and the World Bank. Therefore, GTLC called on the government to support farmers and consider the reintroduction of tariffs and non-tariff measures to protect local rice producers against dumping. The Coalition asked for an addition of ten percent tariff on imported rice (i.e. from 20 to 30 percent) for a period of five to ten years. The revenue generated should be invested into the development of the rice sector and used to create the Agriculture Fund. As part of the Week, the Coalition organised a rice durbar at Asutsuare, a rice- growing area. The event brought together over five hundred women and men farmers to interact with government officials (who unfortunately failed to turn up) and the media. This disregard, however, did not discourage the tenacious farmers as they gathered the next day for a procession in Accra. A float and a brass band accompanied them. Starting from Nkrumah Circle, the marchers hoisted placards and distributed flyers to bystanders and drivers. Some of the messages, written by the hands of farmers, read 'Eat local rice, live longer', 'Ghanaian markets are tired of rice dumping', 'Increase tariffs on imported rice from 20 to 30%'. The farmers went on to deliver a petition to the Ministries of Food and Agriculture, Trade and Industry, and Finance and Economic Planning. The procession passed by Independence Square before ending at the House of Parliament. This climaxed the first Rice Week that offered the opportunity for farmers to air their views on issues of national interest. Two further weeks of this sort are planned for the end of 2006. Elodie Windels | 
