The Problem

The age old problem of farmers not getting value for the produce is prevalent in Gyankoba as well. The farm produce (ginger) are sold directly to market men and women during and after harvest without processing. During harvest time the farmers are in desperate need of cash, as a result they are not able to resist the low price offered by the market men and women who buy the ginger in large quantities and transport to the market centres. Also, the farmers are forced to harvest their produce quickly when it is harvest time because the longer the ginger stays unharvested, the more likely it is to get rotten in the soil. Farmers therefore face this double agony year on year and this has contributed to them being impoverished. There are absolutely no storage facilities in the town so persistently the farmers are faced with the choice of either selling the produce cheaply to the market men and women or risk losing everything.  This situation prompted the Agricultural Development Bank to facilitate the setting up of a ginger drying and milling plant in the outskirt of Gyankopa to help farmers get value for their farm produce and most importantly ready and guaranteed market and price for their farm produce.  Even though the factory was complete, it did not operate for long and is at the moment defunct.

To better understand the issues at play, a team from the Centre for Energy Environment and Sustainable Development (CEESD) Ghana, visited the village to ascertain at first-hand information on problems faced by these ginger farmers and to involve the community in finding a lasting solution to these problems. At our maiden visit we met with Mr. Charles Opoku the Secretary of the local Unit Committee, which is the most powerful body in the Government decentralised governance system in the village and a few farmers. At this meeting the above mentioned problems were catalogued by the farmers. CEESD proposed a solar dryer to enable them dry the ginger which will increase the shelf life of the ginger and also make it attractive for the export market since the ginger will be hygienically dried and processed. Since solar energy is virtually cheap it will also cut down on the cost of processing giving the processed ginger competitive advantage. This proposal was welcomed by the secretary and the group of farmers who indicated that it would better their lot if such a facility is provided for them. A locally designed and built solar dryer will thus be installed in Gyankoba which will be used by the farmers to dry their ginger. It was also discovered that the farmers already have an association christened Gyankoba Gingers Growers Association. This was indeed a welcome news and we hope to form an effective partnership with this association in finding a lasting solution to this perennial problems faced by the ginger farmers.