According to a research conducted by the Agency For Health and Food Security (AHEF), four out of ten women and six out of ten children are anaemic in Ghana. The research was conducted into agricultural policies in Ghana since independence in order to present the findings to stakeholders and dialogue with them on how to specify policies in the agricultural sector to include  vegetable production.

About a hundred and twenty respondents were selected in a focus group discussion from the middle, southern and northern sectors of the country. A  desk review  was also conducted.

Giving highlights of the desk review at a media engagement in Accra, Mr Kwaku Asante from AHEF said that the research focused on the vegetable sector in the country because of its contribution to the value chain. He noted that the vegetable farming sector requires a lot of care and attention and this has resulted in more women being successful in it than men.

"There are a lot of gaps when it comes to women empowerment therefore focusing on women in vegetable production will offer the opportunity for them to secure a profitable livelihood" he said.

The research also noted that in order to eliminate hunger as part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, the vegetable sector must be improved.
Mr Asante disclosed that about 246 million people are estimated to be suffering from Ghana representing about thirty per cent of the global population that are suffering from hunger.

He noted that the vegetable sector can contribute about USD 250 million in exports annually. They also serve as a source of amino acids, minerals and vitamins to improve the well-being of Ghanaians and offer a solution to the current rate of anaemia in the country.

Other challenges such as acquiring lands for farming, inaccessibility to required inputs such as tools, pesticides and processing companies are also affecting the sector.

The research he said, found that historically, colonial masters focused on cocoa and coffee production and this is somehow still evident today. A policy such as The Economic Community of West African States Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) as compared to The European Union Common Agricultural Policy (EU CAP)   fails to specify commodities in the value chain that the policies are to address. The EU CAP on the other hand is very specific on its areas.

The introduction of the Planting For Food and Jobs (PFJ), he hoped, will also help to address some of the gaps in the existing agricultural policies.
Data collected from the Focus Group Discussion indicated the need for government to reserve lands for vegetable production and allow them to be controlled by the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAS)   and their agricultural departments.

It also noted the need for the   provision of inputs such as seeds, seedlings, pesticides. The study showed that less that 10 per cent of farmers are well trained in vegetable farming thereby restricting their knowledge on farming and fertilizer application.

It also indicated the need to ensure there are marketers, financial institutions and other drivers of demand to provide support after the vegetables are harvested as well as   provide specific policies and investment strategies to deal with the vegetable value chain challenges.

Titled Strengthening Agricultural Chain Economics For Sustainable Development (SAVES): A Focus On Vegetables, the research was conducted by AHEF and the Agricultural Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).