Participants call for promotion of greenhouse farming in Ghana

Participants at the ongoing week-long Economic Inclusion and Poverty Eradication Workshop, organised by the Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Ghana, have called for the promotion of greenhouse farming technology in Ghana.

According to them, the greenhouse farming technology would help eliminate poverty and also address the challenges of food insecurity in the country.

A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse) is a structure where crops such as tomato, green beans and sweet pepper are grown under controlled micro environment.

This method is used to protect the plants from adverse climatic condition to the plants such as cold, wind, precipitation, excessive radiation, extreme temperature, insects and disease.

In greenhouse technology the environmental conditions are modified using greenhouse so that one can grow any plant in any place at any time by providing suitable environmental conditions with less labour.

The participants made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sideline of their visit to Unique Veg. Farms Limited at Adjei-Kojo near Ashaiman.

Most participants expressed their joy over the use of greenhouse farming technology by the Company, which was producing high yields of tomatoes.

Mr Joseph T. Bayel, a participant and a farmer from Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Northern Region told the Ghana News Agency that the workshop had enlightened them on modern farming technologies.

Referring to greenhouse farming technology, Mr Bayel said: "We were taught at the lectures, but I never knew this type of farming is in Ghana. I thought it was something in the white man's world. In fact, if you are able to do this type of farming, you will be far away from poverty," he added.

On his part, Mr Ben Banye, a participant and an opinion leader in the Upper West Region said: "I am highly surprised at the level of technology farming. If the cost of setting up this type of farm is heavily subsidised, then we can enter into it."

Mr Mawuli Lumor, an agriculturist, conducted the team around the Unique Veg. Farms Ltd.

The participants also visited Fibre Wealth, a cocopit manufacturing company at Adjei-Kojo near Ashaiman.

Cocopit, is an organic compost generated from coconut husks fibres, which is used as a soil medium for growing vegetables in greenhouses.

Mr George Annan, the Managing Director of Fibre Wealth, who received the delegation, said, he manufactured all the machines used in the production of the cocopit.

He said their locally manufactured machines were very unique from the imported ones, in that their machines could process both dried and wet coconut husks into cocopit; adding that usually, the imported machines could only process dried coconut husks.

Mr Annan said they got their raw materials for production from neighbouring Ashaiman.

The Workshop for Strategy, Planning and Project Implementation, which is being organised by the Institute of Applied Science and Technology, University of Ghana, is part of the Ghana Economic Well-Being Project.

The project is designed to engage the academia, investors and the public in the general economic development of Ghana through the adoption of practical solutions and innovative technologies.

It is a co-operation between Bulaiza PLC and the Institute of Applied Sciences & Technology, University of Ghana.

The Ghana Economic Well-Being Project is an “open source” project allowing any interested party to join as a development partner.

It is, therefore, highly geared towards participatory engagements with the public and consequently, able to deliver programmes within the framework of the Ghana Economic Well-Being Project.

The workshop outcome will be a very useful resource and aid to policy-makers and the general government agenda for poverty reduction (in Ghana’s, case, eradication).