Ghana goes organic to build resilient food systems.

Agbogbloshie is a major market centre in Accra. Known for its brisk activities with almost everything on sale, Agbogbloshie is a one-stop shopping centre and a huge source of crop production for many food vendors and restaurants in and around Accra. There is never a dull moment here. However, this vibrant market, like all others, is bearing the brunt of the rising costs of agricultural inputs around the world, including seeds, fertilizers, or equipment.

According to sources from the Ministry of Agriculture for example, the price of inorganic fertilizer, which the country largely depends on, has shot up to over 300 per cent since February 2022 to December 2022, making access difficult for many local farmers. Therefore, promoting organic fertilizer in Ghana is key to mitigating the impact of the high cost of agriculture input on food security and strengthening food systems resilience in the country. Yet, public awareness and knowledge on the efficacy of organic fertilizer is limited.

Mohammed Ibrahim, a vegetable farmer, belongs to the Korle-Bu Vegetables Growers and Marketing Society in Accra and supplies the Agbogbloshie market with vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, beetroot, pepper, carrot and cucumber from his half-acre farm. Mohammed was among a group of farmers who recently participated in a workshop by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) who learned how to scale-up the production and use of organic fertilizers in farming. A proponent of organic farming already, he believes that farmers' exposure to information on organic fertilizers will go a long way to boost yields even in these difficult times. Mohammed says when produced locally, farmers, especially small-holder farmers like himself will have easier access to organic fertilizer input at a cheaper cost. This, he agrees, will also lead to cheaper farm produce and subsequently cheaper food prices.

Man in a brown shirt stands over a small green farm. He is carrying a watering can and pouring water over the green leaves

Caption: Mohammed Ibrahim, was among a group of farmers who recently participated in a workshop by FAO who learned how to scale-up the production and use of organic fertilizers in farming.

Photo: A(c) UN Ghana/ Cynthia Prah

Keeping markets like Agbogbloshie alive and farmers like Mohammed thriving to help feed the country, will depend on timely interventions to curtail these rising costs. The Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, is...