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Ghana

Farmer Profile — Osman Okyere

Osman Okyere is originally from Ghana, and graduated from the New Entry training program in 2005. Subsequently, Osman returned to his homeland to pursue work with two local NGO's. Osman finds that he is able to utilize the skills he learned at New Entry in his current farming activities in Ghana.

Osman was introduced to farming by his grandmother at the age of 8 when he went to live with her at Nkwatia Kwahu in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Most of their activity involved basic sustenance farming, including the production of cassava, yam, plantain and other vegetables, which Ghanaians enjoy. After high school he attempted to raise poultry, which was not that successful, but gave him some experience in livestock rearing. Osman has loved farming ever since and chased it wherever he can.

Osman attended the New Entry training course to learn about farming in America so that he could engage in farming at least part time while still in America. Also, he wanted to gather extra knowledge to take back to Ghana. In addition to learning about farming in the Northeast, the field trips and numerous project partner conferences gave him insight into organizational networking.

Since his return to Ghana, Osman has become deeply involved the activities of two local NGO's. The first NGO, called WEIJA FARMERS ASSOCIATION, is a community based NGO consisting of a group of farmers who try to help each other to improve farming and to learn as a community. They are exploring non-conventional practices like grass cutter rearing, mushroom growing and bee-keeping. Osman is also championing an education based NGO in the Weija constituency which consists of over 60 towns and villages. WEIJA LIBRARY PROJECTS aims at initiating public library projects in the whole of Weija constituency by the year 2010. Public libraries are very scarce in Ghana except in the regional capitals. Until recently there was only one public library in the whole of the Weija constituency in a town called Amanfrom. But there is one additional functioning library at Weija now under the Weija Library projects and they hope to get help in initiating more libraries in other communities in the future.

Osman's plan for the future is to use what he has learned at New Entry to organize
various groups in agriculture and social services in his country and to have a
breakthrough in food production. He intends to obtain more education
in that direction. He also intends to use what he learned at New Entry to help the U.S. to mobilize immigrants into the agriculture sector.

Country Facts

Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana was the first area in sub-Saharan Africa visited by Europeans for trading purposes, initially for gold but later for slaves. Additionally, Ghana was the first African country in the region to achieve independence from a colonial power; in 1957, Ghana established independence from Britain.

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea to the south
Capital: Accra
Area: Total: 239,460 sq km, Land: 230,940 sq km, Water: 8,520 sq km
Climate: Tropical; warm and dry along the southeast coast and in the north, hot and humid in the southwest
Terrain: Low plains rising to a plateau in the south-central area
Land Use: Arable land: 16.26%, Permanent crops: 9.67%
Irrigated Land: 110 sq km
Environmental Issues: drought, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, poaching and habitat destruction, water pollution
Population: 21,029,853
Life Expectancy: 58.47 years
GDP per capita: $380
Under 5 mortality rate (per 1000 live births): 112
Ethnic Groups: African tribes including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, Ga, Gurma, and Yoruba, and a small
percentage of Europeans
Languages: English and African languages including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga
Major Religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs, and Islam

Agriculture

Beginning in the 1960's, Ghana experienced a decline in agricultural production due to deterioration of infrastructure, a decline in commodity prices accompanied by a rise in input prices, and lack of incentives to produce.

An interesting agricultural practice in Ghana is the use of juju to keep thieves out of the garden. Juju is a cross made with a cursed object hanging from it.

Agriculture Products: Cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava, peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber

Traditional Foods

Peanut or palm nut soups are a staple of the Ghanaian diet and are eaten with either fufu ( pounded plantain and cassava or yam), kokonte (cassava meal cooked into paste), banku (fermented corn dough), boiled yam, rice bread plantain or cassava. In general, soups and sauces are prepared with either fish, goat, mutton or chicken.

Other popular dishes include:

• Gari foto: eggs, onions, diced shrimp, tomatoes, and gari.
• Agushie: squash seed sauce, tomatoes and onions.
• Omo tuo: mashed rice balls with groundnut soup
• Jollof rice
• Red-red: fried plantain and bean sauce
• Kenkey: boiled fermented corn dough and fish
• Kelewele: deep fried and heavily spiced plantain
• Shito: hot pepper sauce.