Illegal mining activities are gradually undermining the agricultural foundation of farming communities in Ghana, with the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement (GEM) warning that the loss of farmlands could threaten long-term food security. She argued that tackling illegal mining requires addressing the economic conditions that push young people into the activity. The GEM coordinator identified alternative livelihood opportunities such as mushroom farming, snail farming, beekeeping and regenerative agriculture as possible pathways for young people in mining communities. She called for greater investment in livelihood support programmes, arguing that awareness campaigns alone would not be enough to convince people to abandon illegal mining without practical economic alternatives. For GEM, protecting Ghana’s environment and fighting galamsey must go hand in hand with safeguarding the agricultural systems that sustain communities and contribute to national food security.