Veggies in sacks in Ghana: A success story of a woman farmer in Berekum District, Bono region, Ghana
The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg: https://avrdc.org/)recently introduced the sack gardening technology in Berekum and Akumadan within the Bono Ahafo and Ashanti Regions of Ghana, respectively. This was done under the One CG Regional Integrated Initiative entitled ‘Transforming Agrifood Systems in West and Central Africa’(TAFS-WCA). One and a half (1½) months after the introduction, several promising success stories have emerged and are worth documenting. Here is the experience of a woman farmer from the Berekum District, Bono region, Ghana.
‘’I want my children to grow in good health, to be well educated, married and able to put good food on the table for my grandchildren is what I always dream of’’ said Mrs Priscilla Derry, a forty-two (42) year old mother of five beautiful children.
Mrs Priscilla Derry participated in the sack gardening training conducted on November 22, 2022 at her community Pruso at Berekum District in the Bono region of Ghana. She fell in love with the technology from the start of the training and participated fully in every session. Mrs Priscilla loves vegetables and knows perfectly well the health benefits that come along with their consumption, and this she learnt from her father. The intention of cultivating vegetables to boost her household’s nutritional status is crucial to her, but, unfortunately, she does not have access to land for such purposes. Maize crops are mainly cultivated on a forty (40) acre land owned by her husband, leaving her no room to produce vegetables.
“With this technology, I can now cultivate vegetables to feed my family even without access to land,” said Mrs Priscilla.
Priscilla mentioned that at first, she despaired because she thought a formal education was required to implement the technology, which she does not possess. Notwithstanding, at the end of the training session, that notion was debunked as she realised that anybody could implement the technology, whether educated or not.
Figure 1
Beautiful Priscilla excited about sack gardening technology.
Figure 2
Madam Priscilla with her kids on demonstration site of sack garden.
