Plant Resources of Tropical Africa

Vegetable production in Africa is often associated with indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides and potential health risks for consumers. It is therefore no surprise that organic farming products, grown without applying chemical pesticides, are becoming more popular with shoppers.

In West Africa PROTA finances a Farmer Field School programme on organic farming of vegetables, coordinated by the Ghana Organic Agriculture Network (GOAN).

The initiative that started in September 2006 trains eighty farmers from Tano South and Ashanti Akim South district on the pesticide-free production of cabbage (Brassica oleracea), capsicum pepper (Capsicum annuum) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). ‘Although growing vegetables according to organic principle requires more work, it will help us save money on expensive chemicals,’ said Elizabeth Mensah.

Farmers preparing compost to be used in organic vegetable demonstration plots.

The farmer field school is applying a methodology called the Agro-ecosystem analysis (AESA) to instruct farmers on best practices for organic farming. It consists of three main activities: observation of crop growth (agro-ecosystem observation), analysis, and presentation of the results. The farmers meet every week to discuss organic farming topics like pest management and fertilizer application. AESA not only aims to sharpen their observation and decisionmaking skills but also encourages them to think critically.

‘Using organic principles will open up new markets for our products since organic vegetables are healthier,’ said Kwesi Adu. The farmers are planning to start commercial production of organically farmed vegetables in January 2007.