SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN GHANA-TIME TO ACT IS NOW!!

The increase in the application of agrochemicals on farming in Ghana has seen a remarkable increase over the years. Pesticide imports into the country rose from 2,319Mt to 13,690Mt between the year 2000 and 2010 with fertilizer imports recording an increase from 43,498Mt to 7,689,215Mt over the same period. The increase in imports can be directly linked to the significant increase in food production in the country. Ever since the introduction of agrochemicals, their use to protect crops from pests has significantly reduced losses and improved the yield of crops such as cereals, vegetables, fruits and other crops. Ghana has since known a continuous growth of agrochemical usage, both in number of chemicals and quantities because of the expansion of area under cultivation for food, vegetables and cash crops.  

The likelihood of agrochemicals misuse in Ghana is relatively high due to high illiteracy rate especially among farmers and low level of awareness of safe use of agrochemicals. According to research conducted, about 82% of farmers in Ghana are illiterates (no formal education) and have problems with proper handling and management of agrochemicals. However, it has become a major part of their activities, affecting their household and the environment.

Agrochemicals cause tremendous harm to water bodies, aquatic lives, vegetables, food and soil the benefits notwithstanding. There is evidence on the adverse effects agrochemicals is having on the environment particularly on water bodies, health of farmers and consumers in various parts of Ghana.

Water samples from rivers in the intensive cocoa growing areas in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions of Ghana have been found to contain excessive agrochemical residues. Water samples from farming communities in the Ashanti Region and different areas of Ghana revealed the presence of significant levels of pesticide residues. The Volta Lake was also found to be mildly contaminated with lindane, DDT, DDE and endosulfan.

There have been studies that indicate a high prevalence of medical conditions symptomatic of agrochemical exposure to farmers in prominent farming areas in Ghana.

Studies into blood cholinesterase (ChE) activity in farmers at prominent vegetable producing areas in Ghana have detected significantly low ChE activity indicating exposure to agrochemicals at abnormal levels.

Significant pesticide residues in food have also been detected in Ghana. My master thesis (http://www.ijest.info/docs/IJEST13-05-09-138.pdf ), found the presence of banned DDT, its derivative DDD as well as Heptachlor in tomatoes from some farms in Ghana. This is not only dangerous to the health of consumers but also a major problem for the export potential of Ghana’s horticultural industry. Europe, which is the main importer of horticultural products from Ghana, has strict regulations concerning levels of residues in food and so a breach of these regulations will lead to a rejection of food from Ghana and this will impoverish the Ghanaian farmer and deny the country of much needed foreign exchange.

In recent years, the call for a shift from unsustainable agricultural practices to sustainable agriculture development has been significant and for developing countries such as Ghana, it is important that sustainable agricultural development is embraced due to the lack of capacity to deal with the consequences associated with non-sustainable practices with climate change one such consequence.

To reverse this trend of an increasing dependence of agrochemicals for the agricultural development of the country it is essential to provide alternatives that will increase current production levels but also safeguard the integrity of the environment, health of farmers and consumers.

Monitoring and regulation of the use of agrochemicals must be of serious concern to all especially the Environmental Protection Agency and also the Ministry of Food and Agriculture should collaborate with the Council For Scientific And Industrial Research, Ghana, to fashion out policy initiatives that will change the current course towards a more sustainable pathway of producing with minimal chemicals.

Farmer education on sustainable agricultural methods must be more intensive and information about agrochemical handling/management made more understandable and accessible to farmers. The time to act is NOW!!!

By:Kofi Konadu Boateng

www.kofikb.blogspot.com

@kkonaduboat on twitter

Acknowledgement.

J. W. Ntow, (2005) “Pesticide Residues in Volta Lake, Ghana,” Lakes and Reservoirs: Research and Management, Vol. 10, No. 4, , pp. 243-248.

J. W. Ntow, “Pesticide Residues in Volta Lake, Ghana,” Lakes and Reservoirs:Research and Management, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2005, pp. 243-248.  

Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), “Agriculture in Ghana: Facts and Figures,” Produced by the Statistics, Research and Information Directorate, Accra, 2003.

S. O. Acquaah, “Lindane and Endosulfan Residues in Water and Fish in the Ashanti Region of Ghana,” Proceedigs of Symposium on Environmental Behaviour of Crop Protection Chemicals by the  IAEA/FAO, IAEA, Vienna, 1-5 July, 1997.