In 2018, Oheneba Akosua Kyerewaa Yeboah-Ghansah, the 2nd Runner-up of the TV3 reality show Ghana Most Beautiful, embarked on a mission to transform the perception of agriculture among women in the nation.
She believes that women can actively participate in agriculture while maintaining their beauty. To promote this idea, she introduced a reality show named Miss Agriculture Ghana.
The program encompasses more than just agriculture, incorporating elements typical of beauty reality shows, including catwalk, fashion, eloquence, and stunning appearances.
The motivation behind the show is the recognition that farming is no longer limited to the elderly, the uneducated, or school dropouts; instead, it has evolved into a substantial business for generating significant income.
The criteria for the reality show fundamentally depict that young women can engage in farming while maintaining their beauty, even in farm attire.
To enter the competition, a participant must express a passion for agriculture, have initiated a venture within the agribusiness value chain, or show an interest in starting one. Additionally, they should be between the ages of 18 and 30.
In the past five years, there has been a burgeoning enthusiasm among young women for the show. Many contestants hail from diverse tertiary educational institutions; some are actively involved in agricultural projects across the agricultural value chain.
Utilizing beauty pageantry to rally and mentor youth and women towards improved agripreneurship, wealth generation, employment, and food security, the reality show draws in young women from all 16 regions. They bring forth varied ideas, projects, and innovative initiatives to foster extensive participation and advancement of women and youth in agribusiness within the nation.
Starting with 25 contestants in the inaugural reality show in 2018, the number surged to 45 in 2019, reached 65 in 2020, escalated to 83 in 2021, and peaked at 103 in 2022. The trend continued in 2023, with the highest participation of 113 contestants. Notably, all the winners from the show’s inception are currently thriving in pursuits such as mainstream farming, animal rearing, processing, packaging, or marketing agricultural products.
In the roll call of winners, Afriyie Obeng-Fosu, the inaugural edition winner, combines mushroom production with his role as an agricultural economist and Agric Officer at the Adenta Municipal Authority (AdMA). Margaret Afriyie, the 2019 winner, is engaged in vegetable production. Miss Agriculture 2020, Naliz Sakitey, manages a poultry farm and produces chicken spice, focusing on animal rearing. Rendy Abam, the 2021 winner, has found success as a greenhouse vegetable farmer.
Hannah Larten, the 2022 winner, excels in cassava value-chain production, while the current champion, Ruth Adolwina Awintanga, focuses on guinea fowl farming. Their substantial contributions to the agricultural value chain have a cascading impact on sector growth, as they serve as influential role models, drawing young women into the sector.
The seventh edition of the 2024 competition has commenced, with the deadline set for next Monday, February 12. After this date, a panel of judges will evaluate the link established for applicants to submit their candidacy for the awards and proceed to shortlist successful candidates