The day is celebrated every year on June 5, and aims at raising awareness and celebrating envi­ronmental action, with a focus this year on “land restoration, desertifi­cation and drought resilience”.

This year’s global event, hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, highlights the pioneering efforts made by nations towards the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030).

The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innova­tion (MESTI), Ophelia Mensah Hayford, called on Ghanaians to prioritise environmental preserva­tion.

“Let us unite in our efforts to safeguard the environment and leave behind a legacy of environ­mental stewardship for generations to come,” she said in a statement issued in Accra yesterday.

The ministry emphasised the critical need for collective action to protect the earth for future gen­erations through efforts including restoring degraded landscapes, combating desertification, and building resilience to drought.

AGNES OWUSU reported that Ghanaians had been urged to adopt eco-friendly farming practic­es in order to ensure sustainability of the environment to boost the economy.

The Head of Environmental Chemistry and Sanitation Engi­neering Division of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr Kwadwo An­song Asante, who gave the advice, said it would help ensure food security and improve the standard of living of citizens in the country.

Speaking at a forum organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in Accra yester­day in commemoration of this year’s World Environment Day, Dr Asante advocated the use of natural ways to grow crops in order to protect nature and keep the soil healthy.

Dr Asante said that sustainable practices sought to reduce depen­dency on chemical inputs, which could be harmful to both the envi­ronment and human health, hence the need to adopt it.

“Conventional farming practices often lead to soil degradation and deforestation, which exacerbate climate change. It is imperative that we shift towards more sustainable methods to safeguard our environ­ment for future generations,” he said.

Mr Asante noted that the use of chemicals in farming practices contributed to the deterioration of food quality and hastened its decay.

The Board Chairman of A Rocha Ghana, Professor Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, said many farmers were not aware of sustainable practices or lacked the skills to implement them.

The Executive Director of MFWA, Suleman Braimah, in a speech read on his behalf, said that there was the need for collab­orated efforts to help promote agroecology.

CECILIA LAGBA YADA re­ported from an exhibition held to mark the Day that the Executive Director of Environmental Pro­tection Agency (EPA), Mr John Krugu, advocated the develop­ment of holistic solutions to make the environment sustainable.

He said state institutions, academic institutions and local communities should work together by sharing knowledge, resources and best practices to curb environ­mental challenges.

He said Land degradation, driven by unsustainable practices and ex­acerbated by climate change, posed a significant threat to ecosystems and human livelihoods.

He said desertification and drought were not only environ­mental issues but also socio-eco­nomic crisis that impacted millions of people worldwide, especially in the most vulnerable regions.