Innovative vegetable production for fishing communities

In the coastal communities of the Western Region, the importance of fishing cannot be overemphasised; not only is the fishing activity a source of livelihood but there are other goods and services which are dependent on fish and fishing activities. However, with the decline in fish stock over the past 15 years, there is the need to explore other options that can support income generation in these coastal communities.

Even though fishing activities account for an estimated four per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Ghana (World Bank, 2007), there is a pressing need to explore other options that can support income generation in these areas. It is in this regard that the Jubilee Partners’ (Tullow Ghana Limited, Kosmos Energy, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko and PetroSA) has selected Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP) to implement a one-year pilot project which is focused on assisting fishing communities in developing oth

To this end, ASNAPP is providing value-chain support in vegetables; from production to market, for  60 beneficiaries who are mainly fisherfolk in six  selected communities within three selected districts (including Nzema East Municipal, Ellembelle and Jomoro District) along the coast of the Western Region.

Currently, vegetables under production are tomatoes, sweet pepper (green, red & yellow) and cucumber and their yields have been tremendous. Production is targeted towards high-end market, including supermarkets and corner shops, hotels and beach resorts and companies in the hospitality industry.

It is projected that a revenue stream of $36,000.00 will be generated on annual basis from the 12 established greenhouse structures and a total of about $250,000.00 will be generated over the next five years into the local economy within the catchment area by the various value-chain actors, including agro-input dealers, farmers, aggregators, transport operators and financial institutions. 

With support from Jubilee Partners’, coastal communities have joined the train of using innovative technology to improve their livelihoods. This is exactly what is ongoing in the Western Region of Ghana. We salute our gallant fisherfolk for their efforts and adopting this new technology; we congratulate ASNAPP on the impressive work of extending this technology to these noble people. We also express our heartfelt gratitude to the oil companies for their financial support and investment to better the lives of the fisherfolk.

The increasing presence of supermarket chains, growing middle class and the booming hospitality industry provide the impetus for vegetable market growth. Changing lifestyles of people across the globe to healthier living and growing inclination towards healthy and balanced eating habits have made people include vegetables in their daily diet.

Greenhouse technology will, therefore, remain a strategic platform for further investments and production expansion to meet the growing demand of vegetables.