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Indigenous Leafy Vegetables in the Upper East Region of Ghana: Opportunities and Constraints for Conservation and Commercialisation

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Indigenous Leafy Vegetables in the Upper East Region of Ghana: Opportunities and Constraints for Conservation and Commercialisation International Centre for development CBUD Centre for Biodiversity oriented Research in Agriculture Utilisation and Development INDIGENOUS LEAFY VEGETABLES IN THE UPPER EAST REGION OF GHANA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS FOR CONSERVATION AND COMMERCIALISATION Working Document Series 102 Ghana – 2002 INDIGENOUS LEAFY VEGETABLES IN THE UPPER EAST REGION OF GHANA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS FOR CONSERVATION AND COMMERCIALISATION Stephen Amisah Jitendra Prasad Jaiswal Armen Khalatyan Suzana Kiango Nikoloz Mikava In collaboration with Victoria Adarkwa Aduasah and Joyce Bediako This report is the product of team work with equal contribution from the authors whose names are listed in alphabetical order International Centre for development Centre for Biodiversity Utilisation and oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA) Development (CBUD) P.O. Box 88, 6700 AB Wageningen P.O. Box UP 1106 The Netherlands IRNR KNUST-KUMASI, Ghana ABSTRACT This study examined the conservation, utilisation and potential for commercialisation of some indigenous leafy vegetables (ILVs) in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The study was implemented through a joint field study programme by the International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA) in the Netherlands and the Centre for Biodiversity Utilisation and Development (CBUD) in Kumasi, Ghana. The study was carried out in four districts in the Upper East Region namely Bolgatanga, Bongo, Bawku West and Kassena-Nankana. The study employed the ARD approach, which is demand driven and integrates the diverse perspectives of all stakeholders and beneficiaries. Participatory methods were employed to collect relevant qualitative and quantitative information. Indigenous leafy vegetables are cultivated under both rainfed and irrigated conditions in the study area. Bito (Hibiscus sabdariffa), Berese (Hibiscus cannabinus), Bento (Vigna unguiculata), Alefu (Amaranthus cruentus), Okro (Abelmuscus esculentus), Spider plant (Cleome gynandra), Luffa sp., and Sambola are the popular cultivated ILVs. Bito, Berese, Bento and Alefu, in that order, were perceived to be the cultivated species holding most potential for commercialisation. Production costs, labour requirements, and the possibility of processing ILVs for future use were perceived by the farming households to be the important factors determining potential of ILVs for commercialisation. The benefit-cost ratios for Bito, Berese and Bento were above the break-even point of 1, indicating economic viability of cultivation of ILV species, in five of the six villages studied. Collected ILVs that hold potential for commercialisation include Tokara (Adansonia digitata), Bunto, Ougla and Sanvama, in descending order. There is considerable indigenous knowledge on nutritional, medicinal, preservation and processing aspects of ILVs, and on the control of field and storage pests that affect them. The main development strategies suggested to sustain the production, commercialisation and conservation of ILVs include in situ conservation of wild/collected species of ILVs, documentation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge on ILVs. Other strategies include provision of more small, medium and large scale irrigation, use of integrated pest management (IPM) techniques, establishment of small-scale/cottage processing and packaging industries and market promotion of ILVs through mass media. Incorporating ILVs under development programmes of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is also recommended. Researchable areas to enable interventions for the sustainable utilisation and conservation of ILVs are discussed. i ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The ICRA-2002 Ghana Team wishes to express its gratitude to the International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA) in the Netherlands and its donor agencies for providing funding and fellowship support for this study. We also thank the Centre for Biodiversity Utilisation and Development (CBUD) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, for hosting the joint field study and for providing logistical support for the study. Our special thanks go to Dr. Boakye Amoako- Atta, Coordinator for CBUD, for his incredible support for the team and to Dr. Gerrit Bartels, CBUD’s Institutional Development Officer, for his sustained interest and invaluable contribution to the field study. Our sincere thanks go to Mr. E. A. Otupri, Upper Regional Director of MoFA, and his deputy, Mr. Roy Ayariga for their unflinching support and providing an enabling environment for the team to function effectively. Their contributions during our workshops are gratefully acknowledged. We acknowledge the assistance of Mr. Sam Apiiga (Regional MoFA office), Mr. Joe Ameyuri, (Director of MoFA for Navrongo District) and the Directors for Bolgatanga, Bongo and Bawku West Districts. The active participation and invaluable contributions by Dr. David Millar, Coordinator, Savannah Resource Management Project, Prof. Saa Dittoh, Pro-Vice Chancellor, UDS, Tamale; Mr. Martin Yeboah (SARI), Dr. Paul Tanzubil (SARI), Dr. Karbo (ARI), Mr Bonaventure Aligebam (SARI), Ms Rosemary (Bolga Catholic Diocese) and Mr. David Adakablah (Pwalugu farmer) during our workshop sessions are gratefully acknowledged. We also thank the farmers of the four districts without whose cooperation this study would have been impossible. The participation of TRAX, Technoserve, Catholic Diocese, World Vision, ICOUR and ACDEP in our workshops is gratefully acknowledged. We acknowledge with sincere thanks the constructive suggestions, contributions and active participation of our Reviewer, Dr. Ranjitha Puskur. Finally, we thank all ICRA staff and resource persons who helped to strengthen the capacity of the team during the knowledge acquisition phase in Wageningen in the Netherlands. iii iv THE GHANA ICRA TEAM Name Specialisation Address Dr. Stephen Amisah Watershed and Fisheries Institute of Renewable Natural Management Resources University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana Tel: +233 51 60381 Fax: +233 51 60375 E-mail: [email protected] Jitendra Prasad Jaiswal Agronomist Gulmi-Arghakhanchi Rural Development Project (GARDP II) Ministry of Local Development Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal Tel: +977 1 526207 (office) +977 46 20285 (home) Fax: +977 1 537727 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Armen Khalatyan Production System Engineer United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) 16, Karapet Ulnetsu Street, Yerevan, 375037, Armenia Tel: +3741 248141 (office) +3741 265740 (home) Fax: +3741 249215 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Suzana M. Kiango Animal scientist Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) P.O. Box 31311 Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania Tel: +255 22 2700947 (office) +2555 22 2420557 (home) Email: [email protected] Nikoloz Mikava Agro-Engineer Georgia State Agrarian University (GASU) 13-km., David Aghmashenebeli Alley, 380031-Tbilisi, Georgia Tel: +995 32 524906 (office) +995 32 392432 (home) Fax: +995 32 942521 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Victoria Adarkwah Aduasah Agro-forestry Centre for Biodiversity Utilisation and Development, IRNR P.O. Box UP 1106, Kumasi, Ghana Tel: +233 51 60137 Fax: +233 51 60382 Email: [email protected] Joyce Bediako Socio-economist University of Development Studies, P.O. Box 1350, Tamale, Ghana v vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract i Acknowledgements iii The Ghana 2002 ICRA Team v Table of contents vii List of figures xi List of tables xii List of acronyms xiii Executive summary xv 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 This report 1 1.2 Context of the study 1 1.2.1 Institutional framework 1 1.2.2 Justification for the study 2 1.2.3 Objectives of the study 3 1.3 Background 3 1.3.1 Study area 3 1.3.2 Basic features of the study area 5 1.3.3 Socio-economic and policy environment 8 1.3.4 Ethnicity and food preferences 9 1.3.5 Indigenous leafy vegetables 9 2 METHODOLOGY 11 2.1 The ARD approach 11 2.2 Preparation for field work 13 2.2.1 Team organisation 13 2.2.2 Contextual analysis 13 2.2.3 Field study plan 13 2.3 Reconnaissance survey of study area in Ghana 16 2.4 Introductory workshop 16 2.5 Typology and village selection 17 2.6 Data collection process and tools/methods used 19 2.6.1 Sample size 19 2.6.2 Focus group discussions 19 2.6.3 Household survey 19 2.6.4 Matrix scoring and ranking 20 2.6.5 Benefit-cost analysis 21 2.6.6 Market survey 22 2.7 Mid-term workshop 23 2.8 Identifying and screening development strategies 23 vii 2.9 Identification and prioritisation of research and development options 23 2.10 Identification of potential partners for implementing research and 24 development options 2.11 Formulation of research plans and proposals 24 2.12 Final workshop 24 2.13 Seminar at host institute (CBUD) 24 2.14 Report writing and editing 25 3 INDIGENOUS LEAFY VEGETABLES OF THE UPPER EAST REGION 27 3.1 Contextual analysis 27 3.2 Definition of the system of interest 29 3.2.1 Central theme 29 3.2.2 Main components 29 3.3 Types of indigenous leafy vegetables (ILVs) 30 3.3.1 Cultivated species 31 3.3.2 Changes over time for cultivated species 31 3.3.3 Collected species 35 3.3.4 Changes over time for collected species 37 3.4 Agro-ecological features of Upper East Region 39 3.4.1 Water resources 39 3.4.2 Land resources and soil types 41 3.4.3 Trees 41 3.4.5 Crops 41 3.4.6 Livestock 44 3.5 Production systems of Upper East Region 44 3.5.1 Rainfed system 44 3.5.2 Irrigated system 47 3.6 Seasonal calendar 50 3.7 Strengths and weaknesses of the existing production systems 50 3.7.1 Rainfed
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