My Green Piece of Mind

Growing crops with waste water

2012-02-10T09:23:00.000Z

Nuuna irrigating his vegetable farm

Where the water flows, 37 Military Hospital’s toxic run-off - Danny Kresnyak

Nuuna, works in one of the vegetable gardens growing in the shadow of the 37 Military Hospital.

The tall, bearded, 24-year-old is the eldest of five children living in his mother’s house. He works hard to maintain a balance between family obligations, time in the field and pursuit of an education.

He and his siblings struggle together earning their pay with the cuts and calluses tempering their hands. Each day, they pick, trim and prepare assorted greens for sale. They pluck crops from the soil, remove the small leaves, sever the stock and bind the individual sprigs together with lashings cut from the discarded end pieces. The bundles are put into corrugated boxes bound for markets both local and international.

“Some stays here, but almost everything we pull up gets sent to the UK or Europe,” Nuuna explained, while slicing a fibrous strip from a handful of leaves.

The land is irrigated with water drawn from both a well and a stream fed by run-off from city sewers. He said the property is government owned, but not on the supply grid.

“I went to see them (the water and housing ministry) about pipes many times. They would never talk to me, always said to go and come (back later). I think they wanted a bribe or something. ”

Without fresh water, farmers like Nuuna are forced to grow crops using the sources available.

Accra's 37 Military Hospital was built during the Second World War and its obsolescence is becoming evident. About a year ago, the pipe carrying raw medical waste from the mortuary, maternity and surgical theaters to the treatment tank was damaged.

Unable to fix the line, the hospital began dumping bio-hazardous material into the city’s open-gutters. Now, the sewers are overflowing and downstream the stench of contamination and concern is growing thick.

In the city, clean water is a critical commodity and it doesn’t come cheap. Drinking from faucets is rarely advised and potable sources are most likely found in a bottle or sachet. Open sewers carry liquid and solid waste material of all sort.

When gutters overflow the result can be devastating. Last year during the rainy season, Accra was rocked by flooding and the rapid tide of a cholera epidemic.

Nearly 6,000 people fell ill with 80 eventually dying from the disease.

Cholera can be treated with rehydration fluids but amongst infants, the elderly and the infirm death can occur within hours. The youngest victim of the outbreak was only eight days old when her tiny body succumbed to the bacterial infection.

At this point, no provable connection between hospital waste and outbreak has been established. However, many living near the 37 Hospital have complained of general poor health and the World Health Organization (WHO) advises that epidemics become virulent when water caches are contaminated.

The Globe newspaper and Citi FM, developed and broke the medical waste story near the end of January. The news sparked public outrage and in response the AMA (Accra Metropolitan Assembly) formed an emergency fact-finding committee. The investigation found deplorable conditions at the hospital and authored a series of recommendations. The list includes an overhaul of the drainage system, repairs to deteriorating hospital infrastructure and opened the door to charges of criminal negligence.

At the time of this writing, 37 Hospital administrators were unavailable or unwilling to comment on the situation. The AMA’s official report stated the target is to prevent future dumping and endangerment of public health. However, the committee failed to acknowledge the residual realities faced by farmers in the fields of Accra.

Nuuna said without access to a consistent water supply he has no choice but to continue with current practices. Nearby reservoirs have a high probability of contamination, making crops suspect and continuing to place the public at-risk.

At the market, boxes overflow with produce grown locally, as well as, on farms worldwide. Vesta buys her fruit and vegetables at a well-established stand a few kilometers from the 37 Military Hospital. She picks through each item looking for bumps, bruises or other tell-tale signs of corruption.

Her inspection is thorough, but danger is not always visible.

“I think they inspect everything before it gets here. The standards boards should be held accountable. I mean, they must test for those kinds of things, right? ” She asked, while the market girls stayed silent and loaded cabbage, tomatoes and bundle of greens into her open shopping bag.

Source: The Globe newspaper

CLIMATE CHANGE- GLOBAL WARMING - Ghana's inability to prevent increase in her environmental degradation - Samuel Donkor

2012-02-06T10:34:00.001Z

Scientists and government officials around the world are now reporting, that the Earth's environment is changing in many dramatic and unexpected ways. Global warming, Climate Change, acidification of the Ocean and a growing scarcity of fresh water and the melting of the artiic icebergs are some of the problems being experienced and discussed in the news the world over.

Climate Change is the over all changes in the normal pattern of weather conditions , caused by Global warming, which is giving negative effects to the environment. And Global warming, which is man made is caused by environmental degradation, environmental pollution through the reckless use of natural resources and technological advancement.

Climate change effects are due to an increase in green house gases in the atmosphere. The main gases emitted are Carbon dioxide(co2), Methane and Nitrous oxide. The increase in Co2 is largely due to the burning of harmful Gases, Oil and Gas over the last two Centuries.

Today the Planet Earth is experiencing the serious effect of Climate Change caused by Humanity over the period of two Centuries. From the present weather disasters around the world , no country on this planet is spared. For the last three years, we hear of Tsuname here, Hurricane Cathrina there, Volcanic eruption here, Floods there, Floods everywhere and Heatwave everywhere.This Heatwave has caused vast tract of forest fires across the world.The ice berg in the Artic has also melted and is causing tidal waves of the Oceans, which in turn causes flooding after the least torrential rains anywhere.

God created the world, yet activities of humanity is making it deplorable to live in, hence the need for all governments, Civil society organizations and every human being to protect the environment. We are all part of the problem, therefore we we must all be part of the solution.
No country is spared and for that matter, Ghana is affected in sectors like Agriculture, Water, Natural resources and Human health. It is also revealed that, Ghana lost 90% of her forest between 1990 and 2000, blaming it on activities of Humans against nature. The effects of Climate change include floods, torrential rains, droughts, the high occurence of deforestations and changes and changes in water quality , which affect fresh water supply.

It is therefore the duty of all, Civil Society, government and the like to take serious and drastic measures to create public awareness and educational activities to help mitigate these negative effects.

In Ghana, the environmental problem is serious and needs drastic measures to protect and prevent any serious disaster.The biggest problem facing Ghana's Environment are; Catchment areas degradation, Pollution, Siltation of water bodies and removal of Vegetative cover through human induced activities, which are some of the critical threats to Ghanaian water bodies. Many riparian communities, especially in the cities continue to use rivers and other water bodies as refuse dumps. These water bodies become muddy and choked with polythene bags, solid waste and garbage, serving as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other water borne diseases. The beaches are also not left out and are scarttered with garbage all over and uncontrolled sand winning activities.

Failure and the inability of the Environmental Ministry and the Assemblies to protect and prevent indiscriminate encroachment very close to rivers and water bodies,by human activities for many years now is the serious consequences the country is experiencing today. The inability of and non-performance of these institutions as far as environmental protection is concern, is the serious deforestation and pollution of rivers and water bodies facing the country, since the first Republic. The result is that, many water bodies have dried up,some on the verge of drying up, and many polluted,the cause being uncontrolled galamsey mining, cutting down of trees for timber and charcoal business and rampart human encroachment across the country. Hence the devastating floodings of the rivers, decrease in Agricultural harvests, and the extensive warming being experienced, all under the climate change crisis.

Friends of rivers and water bodies, an NGO in Ghana needs to be commended for the effective campaign to protect and prevent the country's environment from degradation for the past few years now. The organization has restored the natural environs of Lake Bosomtwe by reaforestation with fruit trees, like coconut, mangoes etc and the whole area under greening, thereby attracting tourism to both local and foreign tourists.The organization is also greening the banks of the subin river in Kumasi.I t also organizes intensive public awareness education on the bad effects of climate change, targeting the chiefs and their people together with the assemblies around the country.

The Environmental Ministry has done very little and has lost control on Ghana's environmental protection. It is very pathetic to hear people calling on Municipal assemblies during demolition of illegal encroachments on water ways, river banks and proposed roads to have human face in their actions. But I write you the truth, the floods and fr that matter, natural disasters, when they occur, have no human face to spare anybody around. Why then should the demolition exercises have human face, when it is these encroachers , who caused the floods and deforestations. Cheap political propaganda and political votes should stop and protect the environment. These politicians and human right activists wanting cheap popularities and favors with the public, should always tell the disasters, when they occur to have human face, for it is them that do more damage than the assemblies.

I t is time our environment is protected and drastic measures taken to mitigate the bad effects of climate change and global warming. Remember that floodings,and disasters have no respect and flexibility for the ignorant. That is the law of Karma, meaning ''what you sow is what you reap''. Gal. 6;7 when the time is rife.

According to scientific and spiritual revelations, we should expect more climate disasters in these two years of 2012 and 2013. The worse is yet to come, hence the need for intensive awareness creation and education to mitigate the effects. People should change their lifestyles, negative attitudes and behaviors towards environment. It is the desirs for personal physical comforts that have led us to ignore the well-being of other humans, of animals, of the forests,of the air and of the waters upon which all lives depend.When we fail to listen to God internally, He acts through natural catastrophes in the external world to waken us up. Thus through nature we must experience retribution, when we become arrogant, greedy or careless.

For example, we enjoy driving cars, living in air- condition homes , working and playing in big cities, supplied with food, electricity, and water, pretending not to notice the pollution we create through these activities.

The world and for that matter humanity, is therefore reaping the consequences of whatever we have sown concerning environmental degradation and pollution during the past two centuries.

The following passage is food for thought; ''As species on this planet, we are growing up, but we will have to improve both our habits and our thinking, if we hope to manage the world properly in coming decades. As long as we deviate from God without listening to him, we will continue to bear the Karmic consequences. But seeing God in nature and acting accordingly, learning and growing in Golden Age, will be full of happiness, said by Supreme Master Ching Hai.

mob; 0242 809352, Samuel Donkor

Yours faithfully, Samuel Donkor.

Contact: +233(242)-809352

Ghana hosts confab on reshaping agricultural research in Africa

2012-02-01T18:18:00.000Z

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - UK parliamentarians and civil servants will this week join African farmers, international donors and scientists in a policy dialogue that aims to reshape agricultural research to serve development goals and the public good.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier de Schutter, and the executive director of Oxfam-Novib, Farah Karimi, will chair the event, which the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is organising from 1-3 February in Ghana.

In a statement Monday, IIED said UK-based parliamentarians, the media and members of the international development community would participate through a live video link hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group of Agroecology in Westminster.

Baroness Miller, the Group’s co-chair said: “This is a unique event in that it will allow farmers from across West Africa direct access to the organisations which direct and fund research into the development of agriculture.

“We very much hope it will be productive and change the way in which research priorities are decided and implemented so that farmers become directly involved in the governance of agricultural research and development which affects them”.

Meanwhile, IIED Director Camilla Toulmin, said: “This is a valuable platform for smallholder farmers to get their voices heard. We’d like to see this constructive dialogue setting an agenda for future research priorities across the region.”

The meeting will bring staff from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) together with small-scale farmers and food processors from Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal, as well as from East Africa, Asia and Latin America.

With a total budget of nearly US$ 400 million, AGRA is a major funder of agricultural research in Africa. The meeting will allow senior staff from the alliance to hear what small-scale farmers and food producers from a number of West African countries think agricultural research should focus on.

“Publicly funded research can make a huge contribution to eradicating hunger and poverty. But the way it is designed, managed and implemented rarely involves the people who produce, process and consume agricultural produce,” said Michel Pimbert of IIED.

“The lack of democracy in setting strategic priorities for research is not only unjust. It stifles the collective intelligence and abilities of farmers and scientists to solve the social and environmental crisis that undermines the right to food and human well-being,” he added.

In a briefing paper published for the meeting, Pimbert describes a series of “citizens’ juries” at which farmers in West Africa have called for changes to agricultural research in recent years.

The meeting in Ghana will enable such farmers, donors and senior scientists to identify areas of agreement and difference on what is needed in Africa to alleviate poverty and eradicate hunger.

Specific issues on the agenda include priorities for plant breeding and seed selection; options for managing soil fertility; options for developing accessible markets; ways of governing, organising, funding and practising research; and the types of policies needed to transform Africa’s agriculture, including changes to tenure, subsidies and investment.

“Mainstream agricultural research informs and influences food and agricultural policies, funding allocations and food security interventions of governments and donors,” said Farah Karimi, executive director of Oxfam-Novib.

“As a rights-based organisation working against poverty, Oxfam-Novib supports the move to democratise agricultural research and let the voices of farmers be heard. With the food crisis, now more than ever, we need to recognise and act with small-holder farming communities, as they are decisive actors in the local to global responses to the food and climate crisis.

“Agricultural research must respond to the needs and build on the knowledge and resilience of men and women farmers. Their right to food and land must steer the agenda of agricultural research.”

In the view of Toulmin, the challenges ahead are huge, if food security is to be achieved in a context of growing climate impacts, scarce water and increasing competition for land.

“Africa’s farmers bring much knowledge and many insights of great value to finding effective answers to these problems. Let’s find a better way of hearing from them in helping craft practical solutions,” Toulmin suggested.

The meeting in Ghana has been funded by Oxfam-Novib, The Christensen Fund, New Field Foundation, Biovision Foundation, and by IIED’s Joint Framework donors — Department for International Development, Danida, SIDA, NORAD and Irish Aid.

Pana 30/01/2012

Little voices for the environment

2012-01-18T12:50:00.000Z

Relevant then, still relevant today!

Ghana's youth - the future farmers

2011-12-14T17:33:00.001Z

Starting next year, a youth in farming project will commence in Ghana by 4-H, which is a youth development programme of the co-operative extension system of the US, with over 6.5 million youth throughout the world and committed towards youth leadership development.

To be implemented in two phases beginning in January 2012, Phase 1 will see the establishment of 60 school gardens and enterprise gardens for youth in school and those out of school respectively in 12 districts in the Eastern and Volta Regions and would be extended to 120 districts in the second year.

Speaking at a meeting of Members of the Board of Directors of 4-H Ghana and members of the 4-H National Council in Koforidua, Mr Kwaku Boateng, the CEO of 4-H Ghana, said in Ghana the project would be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service and other key stakeholders.

A 3.5 million US Dollars fund from the United States (US) has been set up for the training of in and out-of-school youth in farming. DuPoint, a seed production company based in the US, has committed $2,000,000 to the fund. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would also contribute $1,500,000, which would be channeled through 4-H branches in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania for the implementation of the project within the next two years.

In a press release by 4-H Ghana on the launching of the fund at Des Moines in Iowa, USA this year, the Executive Vice-President of DuPoint , Mr James C. Borel, said his company and 4-H shared the belief that youth development was the key to sustainable initiative to address global food security.

He said no single company or organization could solve global food security alone and that DuPoint was committed to being part of the solution.He expressed the hope that others would support the global 4-H network.

Mr Donald T Floyd Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National 4-H Council, said youth development was the world’s best long term solution to ensure food security and global economic stability.

He said 4-H’s 100-year history in agriculture innovation and youth skill-building, combined with an existing infrastructure in more than 70 countries throughout the world , had positioned it to equip millions of young people in developing nations with the skills needed to build a truly sustainable future.

The CEO of 4-H Ghana added that model enterprise shops would be established with cold chain systems to provide sales outlets for 4-H projects and school gardens for products like pork, meat, duck, rabbit and vegetables for sale.

GNA

Posted via email from dankasa's posterous

Farmerline wins third prize in the West Africa Climate Challenge!

2011-12-09T08:29:00.001Z

This year's Apps4Africa Challenge focuses on climate change. Across 15 countries in West, East, Central and Southern Africa, the challenge is being organised as an avenue for local innovators, entrepreneurs, NGOs, and government officials to brainstorm, identify and discuss approaches to solving climate problems in Africa. There will then be the regional competitions where innovators are to come up with innovative apps that can help tackle climate change. All these discussion points are intended to coincide with the ongoing debates by world leaders at the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) conference in Durban, South Africa.

I attended the brainstorming session in Accra and it could not have happened at a better time in Ghana, when the capital had just witnessed devastating floods which had left about nine people dead, destroyed property worth millions of Cedis, and caused a cholera outbreak. Addressing the participants, the Accra Mayor bemoaned the lack of responsibility of people on waste disposal. He cited instances where people heap piles of domestic waste in containers and polythene bags and wait for rains so they can throw them in. Others have turned open gutters into waste disposal sites.

At the session, there were a lot of interesting ideas and suggestions that came up - from traffic control apps, own a tree campaign, flood alert apps, to on-the-spot reporting of violators of environmental laws.

Announced recently at COP17, the West African challenge was won by HospitalManager (Nigeria), a web-based application that helps hospitals and health organizations prepare for disasters such as floods and storms. The second prize went to Eco-fund Forum (Senegal), a web-based community organizer and geo-localized data exchange tool to help individuals and communities working on sustainable resource management throughout Africa to share their own experiences on best practices.

The third price of $3000 went to Farmerline (Ghana), a mobile and web-based system that furnishes farmers and investors with relevant agricultural information to improve productivity and increase income. According to Alloysius Attah and Emmanuel Owusu Addai, the brains behind Farmerline, lack of information about weather patterns and about which crops grow best in a changing climate hurts rural farmers’ yields. Cell phone use is growing rapidly throughout Ghana, including in rural areas. This mobile tool can help farmers in Ghana to get information about agricultural best practices down to the farm level, including choosing crops best suited for their specific location, and how to prepare for changes in weather patterns (including dry spells, changes in seasonal onset, and extreme events).

Having being in the agric industry for a while now, I know how this is going to be a challenging task and I am happy there is going to be business and technical support for the winners.

But come to think of this, whenever "something" is advancing we drift towards that in search of solutions for anything. It was the post, telephone, radio, TV, escalated to web and now we are looking for mobile solutions to anything. I definitely root for using modern approaches to solving current problems and I am all for it and will do anything for it. But while we do that there is a fundamental constant, especially for this climate issue: our attitudes. Men in tie drink water and drop the sachets on the streets, governments implement policies that do not take the environment into consideration. If our attitudes do not change, we have a long way to go.

So I say the first solution to climate change is attitude change at all levels. What's your take?

The youth and agriculture

2011-10-31T17:59:00.003Z

Map of ACP Countries

Recent efforts by the international development community have focused on getting the youth involved in nation building worldwide. It is therefore not surprising that the governments of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (the ACP countries) are drawing up programmes and calling on the youth to get involved in agriculture. In line with this, the Agriculture, Rural Development and Youth in the Information Society ( ARDYIS) has set up an initiative which aims at raising youth awareness and improving their capacity on agricultural and rural development issues in ACP countries using ICTs.

Ghana, a member of the ACP countries, has been making great efforts at getting the youth involved in agriculture. It is worth noting that in our National Youth Policy which was launched in August 2010 provisions were made for the youth in this regard. Section 6.1.7 which touched on Youth in Modern Agriculture, the policy stated that in line with agriculture, the goal of the policy will be to promote youth participation in agriculture, through the following policy objectives:

promotion of the participation of the youth in modern agriculture as a viable career opportunity for the youth and as an economic and business option.
the provision of resources for the participation of the youth in modern agriculture.

Well thought and laid out! However this goal can not be realised if the challenges facing Ghanaian youth are not addressed as far as agriculture is concerned.

Lack of resources

Generally, the youth constitute that section of the population which is handicapped as far as assets are concerned. High youth unemployment rates have virtually left most youth with no jobs and no capital. A reasonable percentage of the youth in Ghana are still dependent in one way or the other on their parents, friends and other relatives.

Lack of access to land

Time and time again, this problem has been hammered on in several literature. Cultural settings of land and property inheritance in many of these ACP countries sideline the youth, especially women. A quick chat with random youth while taking a walk in any Ghanaian town will reveal a ratio of land ownership favouring the aged and rich, much to the disadvantage of the youth. The youth are the same group who mostly do not have the means to acquire sizeable portions of land for farming.

Low returns

Majority of farmers in Ghana are smallholder farmers who do not make a lot of money from their business. This problem of low returns has driven away most youth from farming. The youth in most farming families therefore take up other opportunities to supplement family income. Farm sizes are shrinking because labour size is reducing and farmers also do not have the means to cultivate even the small land portions they have. As mentioned in an earlier post, Jayne et al. (2002) conclude that it will be increasingly difficult for farming alone to sustain the livelihoods of land-constrained households without substantial shifts in labour from agriculture to non-farm sectors.

High cost of farming

The cost of farm inputs and seedlings continues to be a burden on farmers and a hindrance to would-be ones. The cost of acquiring an arable land, whether on lease or outright conveyance is enough a stumbling block to the youth. Recently the government realised this in the cocoa industry and has put in place plans to distribute free cocoa seedlings within the next five years, as a measure to reduce the burden of farmers and would-be ones.

Perception of farming

Low returns of the small holder farmers, and other factors have gradually created a wrong perception that farming is a poor man's job in Ghana. Oh, so you are a farmer? This perception is changing especially among the educated youth. However, it will continue to be a reason for which there is youth migration form the farming communities to urban centers.

Educational system

For sometime the focus of the educational system been biased in favour of professions like medicine and accounting. The cut off grade for admitting students to study agriculture in senior high schools in Ghana has even been dropped further because people do not patronize it. In recent times there is much emphasis as well on the need for ICT. However, if the same emphasis can be placed on agriculture we can go a long way.

The youth need support. As our chief technical advisor to Ghana’s minister of food and agriculture, Samuel Kojo Dapaah, rightly put it, “Whether in developed or developing countries, agriculture needs support. Period.

Accra, Ghana - Circle floods in pictures

2011-10-26T13:09:00.000Z

The rains started late yesterday and rained throughout the night. In certain parts of Accra, it rained till 5:30 this morning. While on my way to work, the presenter on the radio was reporting series of floods around town. I got to Circle around 7:30am. Almost everybody was walking; cars could not move. Water everywhere. I walked to the Odawna river, to the portion that runs under the bridge at Circle. I arrived some minutes after our president had left the place. People standing by told me four dead bodies that were being washed away had been picked up by the NADMO officials. I took these shots.

The small entrance to the Neoplan station destroyed

Sides of the bridge destroyed; people standing and watching as waste and dead animal bodies float

One side of the bridge completely broken down

The Odawna overflowed the side walls. This was taken after the water level had subsided considerably

Waste and waste and everywhere

This huge pile of waste must have contributed to the blockage under the bridge, causing the water overflow the walls

People searching through the pile of rubbish for phones and other goodies washed away

Scenes like this call for a pragmatic approach the the plastic menace which has plagued this country

All the kiosks here (which were lined up along the wall) have been washed away. Only the urinal (cemented into the ground) remained

Dirty, muddy water bringing in more waste

Waste stuck under the bridge

The main Circle trotro station, completely abandoned. This is after the water level had gone down

Earlier in the morning, people were paying GHS1.00 to be carted across the water on peoples' backs around the Neoplan Station

This wreck and havoc occurs annually, and will continue to occur if we do not change our attitudes toward the environment. I'm sure the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has by-laws regulating the dumping of refuse, but what happens to enforcement. People, shops and households keep dumping all sort of waste materials into the gutters and smaller streams that flow into the Odawna. Attitude, attitude, attitude, is everything.

Our elders say when you are advising the cat, don't forget to also advise the fish. I entreat our leaders to stop politicising everything in this country. Atta-Mills is touring the flooded areas, for what? To show solidarity as the leader of the country? Get the engineering and planning experts to implement good waste management policies and city plans, not politicians who don't know anything. Stop awarding contracts to contractors whom you know will provide the kickbacks. They cut down cost to pay the kickback and do shoddy work.

Let's change our #attitudes, get #green and protect Ghana's #environment.

9 billion people by 2050; can we feed them?

2011-10-16T08:19:00.001Z

On #WorldFoodDay whichcoincides with Blog Action Day 2011, #BAD11, it is only fair that we talk aboutfood. Our population is increasing rapidly, but without a much neededcorresponding increase in food production. While the UNestimates the world population would hit over 9 billion by 2050,food production is required to increase by over 70% of the 2006 levels meetthis growing population.

It is thereforeimportant that a critical look be taken at the current methodologies in foodproduction, distribution, and consumption, especially in developing economies.Most of such economies have a greater percentage of their active labour forceinvolved in agriculture. In Ghana, the percentage is around 56, while it is awhopping 70% in Mali. Within such economies, the majority of the farmers aresmallholder farmers who do not have the might to stand against the challengesthat confront them in their business. Among the many problems and challenges,these are dominant: inadequate access to land, lack of capital, and inadequateinformation and extension services. Crop failure, low yields and general foodshortages are the resulting incidents. World over, this has created anunhealthy imbalance of food scarcity in the developing world and foodover-abundance in the developed world.

Food production

Generally, in spite ofthe fact that emerging economies have the greater section of the labour forceactively engaged in agriculture, food production is low. Most countries inAfrica especially import food from other nations, even for commodities that arecultivated in their countries. The world is currently witnessing a food crisisin Somalia and it is interesting to note that most of the food aid is not fromAfrica.

Inadequate access toland

This problem existsmostly for women farmers who by the culture in some developing countries aremarginalized as far as property is concerned. Customary laws of access to landare discriminatory in most cases. Whereas it may appear there is vast untouchedland available for food production, the real situation is that this land eithernot suitable for farming purposes or that these smallholder farmers do not have the means to acquire additional parcelsof land or even cultivate the entire portion of their lands. Sometimes, thereis a disconnect between those who own the land and those who are willing toenter into commercial food production. The rural poor usually have largertracts of land but are unable to cultivate.

Lack of capital

Over time, the trend oflow returns on the business of these smallholder farmers has created a povertycycle that has left farmers with very small capital. Smallholder farmersgenerally not much educated and do not have the means to attract labourers orpurchase farm inputs that could have improved their food production. The low returnshave also driven the youth especially away from farming. Jayne et al. (2002)indicate that the ratio of land under crop cultivation to agriculturalpopulation has been shrinking gradually but consistently in Africa. Followingfrom the issue of inadequate access to land, Jayne et al. (2002) conclude thatthe shrinking trend suggests that it will be increasingly difficult for farmingalone to sustain the livelihoods of land-constrained households withoutsubstantial shifts in labour from agriculture to non-farm sectors. The cost offarm inputs and seedlings continues to be a burden on farmers and a hindranceto would-be ones.

To be able to feed 9billion people, more capital must be injected into the agric sector. Ghana hasbeen fortunate to have an Agricultural Development Bank, but its contributionshave been insignificant. I believe it’s time private investors took theindustry seriously as they have done for the ICT industry.

Lack of information andextension services

All these emergingcountries have ministries with the sole responsibility of improving foodproduction. In Ghana, the ideal ratio of extension agent to farmers should beabout 400 to agents to 1500 farmers. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture(MoFA) in Ghana has indicated that only 56% of the entire agriculturaloperational areas are covered by extension services; and agent-farmer ratio is1 to 1800. Smallholder farmers need information such as land preparation,planting, agro-chemical application, harvesting and storage techniques. Withoutsuch information they are able to manage their farms well and are either leftwith crop failures or low yields.

AnAccenture report, commissioned by Vodafone, has indicated that a potential $138billion addition to developing world farmers’ incomes would be achieved by2020. “The report, ‘ConnectedAgriculture’, concludes that 80% of the potential$138 billion uplift in emerging market farmers' incomes will be derived fromthe growth of:

mobile money transfer systems, such asVodafone M-PESA, which provide farmers with the ability to exchange, save andborrow small amounts of capital as well as take out short-term insurancepolicies;
mobile information services providingdetailed and localised weather forecasts, crop prices and resource managementinformation; and
helpline services giving real-timeguidance on issues such as pest control and the challenges linked to climatechange, including water scarcity.

Thus, the efforts ofcompanies like Esokomust be fully welcomed by all. As Africa’s leading mobile market informationexchange, the company enables farmers to receive commodity prices fromdifferent markets within the country the farmers are based. In Ghana alone, Esokosends SMS alerts covering 38 markets. While delivering crop prices, and other great toolsto the agro-business industry, the company is also working tirelessly atcreating a helpline service as described by the Connected Agriculture report.There have been many success stories already reported about efforts of Esoko. Readone of them here.

Food Distribution

Ireally am not an expert on this subject, but sniffing around for informationevery now and then has only enlightened me about how poor developing economies do in thisarea.

Inmy lastpostI recollected my experience travelling through some rural farming communitiesin Ghana. As in many other African countries, I suppose, road networks to themain farming communities are the poorest. While inhabitants of the cities cryover shortage of food, farmers in the rural areas cry over their inability tosend their produce to markets, due to bad transportation networks. The fewtraders who are able to go to these areas with their trucks and purchase fromthe farmers end up cheating the farmers; if they do not accept low prices,their goods will rot away. Either way, smallholder farmers only get poorer. Ifthese economies would take development in complementary sectors of the nation's economy seriously, I’m pretty sure we can make some good gains against 2050, and mostimportantly, now! These concerted efforts between the private and publicsectors of the economies of these emerging markets perhaps are the key waysthrough which we can achieve increases in food productivity.

Food consumption

And this is where weall like most. I love food, I’m sure you do too. In this area I can only talkabout changing our attitudes and mind sets. I believe there is so much foodwaste going around in our homes and eating places. The Food and AgricultureOrganisation (FAO) defines food waste as food losses occurring during theretail and final consumption stage due to the behavior of retailers andconsumers – that is, the throwing away of food. “Roughly one third of thefood produced in the world for human consumption every year —approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted, according to an FAO-commissionedstudy. According to the study, in developed countriesmuch food – about 100 kilograms (220 lb) per person and year – is wastedat the consumption stage. In low-income countries, most loss occurs duringproduction.

Planning or foodpurchases could reduce this problem. We should all know that that throwingfood away needlessly is unacceptable, the study advised. Whenyou are throwing away food, think that someone somewhere is hungry. "Given thelimited availability of natural resources, it is more effective to reduce foodlosses than increase food production in order to feed a growing worldpopulation".

So on this#WorldFoodDay and #BAD11, I can only hope that by 2050 we can feed the world.But until then save #food and stay #green.

"If I were the president..."

2011-09-29T12:28:00.014Z

I believe most of us must have encountered or witnessed a problem for which we said to ourselves "if only I were the president, I will quickly fix this". And in most cases we really think those in authority are not doing enough. The fact is, as you made that wish there are probably a million others like you who made the same wish about one of the myriad of problems Ghana is facing. But today put your wish aside and join me as we explore what I have been witnessing in two sectors of the economy.

Transportation

No country can call itself developed if it has a bad transportation network. Well, we don't call ourselves developed, we say we are a middle income nation; I wonder who gave us that nickie (I call it so because it's not real, sometimes I think our best description is "trying to develop" - my opinion).

People, goods, services, commodities, etc, need to move from one place to another. This flow must be enhanced for efficiency and effectiveness in the cycle of production. If it takes too much effort to cart goods from the farm to your table because of bad road network, it increases your cost and reduces the quality of the food you eat.

I am particularly concerned about the famous Eastern Corridor Road, for which the government secured an extra $250 million from Brazil to construct a road linking the Northern parts of the country to the south through the Volta Region.

I travelled parts of that road and the picture you see is a shot I took. (the left part showing a stuck truck, the right showing better part of the road). Now this is after there has been some tractor grading on the road; any time it gets worse, there is regrading and that's how it has been. I heard (I said I heard) that whoever awards the grading contract to the contractor has his share every time there is re-grading, and so if it is tarred once and for all, he/she will loose his/her periodic "income". How sad, if this is true.

It would interest you to know that as I travelled along the road I saw a lot of nicely arranged yam tubers and cassava at different points. What are they doing there? Waiting for a buyer to come and purchase, or waiting for that old Bedford truck that passes once a day or hoping one of these private land cruisers would come and buy. Seeing trucks and vehicles stuck in the mud at various sections of the road is a very common sight. Even within Accra, some roads are terrible, and rendered unmotorable whenever there is a downpour. The case of the hinterlands is worse; hardly would you see a tarred road. I can vouch that most of our commercial vehicles cannot traverse such roads. The sad thing about this is the fact that the lion's share of what we eat in Ghana comes from such areas.

So do the people in such areas vote? Yes, they have MPs. How do the MPs go there to campaign? In Nissan Patrols and Toyota Land Cruisers, the V8s. And after they win what happens? Something small or nothing. Damn it!

Agriculture

For a country that has around 56% of it's workforce in the agric sector, it is worrying that much care and attention is not given to the sector. There are a lot of programmes aimed at improving food production, like the Afram plains Agriculture Development Project, the various irrigation schemes, the planned free cocoa seedling distribution, etc. Recently the government secured a 70-million dollar facility from the World Bank to support Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in SMEs in the horticulture, roots and timber sub-sector of the economy. I believe these efforts are already yielding some good impacts. Yet, there is much left to be desired.

Some of these programmes just select a section of farmers and most often, such programmes are not sustained over time. They are often political programmes which are not given thorough planning, they have no sustainability plan. New governments may choose to continue or discontinue such projects. Where is the once famous Presidential Special Initiative on Cassava?. A lot of people went into this project and the very government that promised the purchase of products was nowhere to be found after harvesting.

As a nation if we are serious about agriculture, a lot can be achieved. Sometimes I strongly share some of the sentiments of the late Dan Lartey, Kofi Wayo and Dr. Nduom on agriculture. I believe Ghana can produce what we eat. It is indeed true that a lot of food goes waste in the Afram plains due to inability to cart farm produce to the market. There are stories of pineapples and citrus rotting away on farms in the Central Region. Cassava and yams are rotting away in the soil in the Volta Region. Hundreds of tonnes of maize are going waste in the Northern Region.

The irony of the situation is that people in the urban areas sometimes just don't know of the existence and abundance of food in the hinterlands; but the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) knows, yes they do! A story is told of a poultry farmer in Accra who was trying to import maize to feed his fowls; he doesn't know farmers in the North have more than enough maize. And the farmers cannot get their goods to the urban areas for many reasons including inadequate storage facilities, bad roads from farms, high cost of transportation, among others. Sometimes there may be a truck to cart the goods, but it can get stuck on the road for days, with the watermelons you and I eat sitting it, subject to all the weather conditions you can imagine - rain, sunshine, dust... arrrggg!

Cheating or helping?

So if you meet a trader who hires his own truck, goes to these farmers and offers 13GHC for an almost full sack of yams, what will you call him? A cheat or a helper? If the farmer does not sell it out, it will get rotten over time, he loses the 13GHC. Before you call me a cheat, you must know that I am not a trader. I was only travelling and saw the yams. I bought from three different buyers. One of them, a pregnant woman told me her 9 tubers cost 7GHC. Typical of Ghana market deals, I bargained from 5GHC and we settled on 6. Seconds later I was feeling so bad I went and added 2 more cedis. I realised one of those those yams could sell for about 2GHC back in Accra. (I could have done better, don't you think so?)

These farmers, after toiling hard all year round end up selling their produce at such low prices to the traders who go there to buy and re-sell for you and I in the urban areas. You pay about 0.90GHC (90 pesewas) for three oranges in Accra, right? You know how much the traders buy from farmers in the Central Region? Between 4-10 cedis per hundred oranges, depending on the size! Pineapples? Traders offer about 20 pesewas for each fruit, and resell for between 80 pesewas to 1GHC. These traders are making money! If only the roads were good, some of these farmers could come down and sell to us directly. We buy cheaper, but they earn more, everyone is happy. But we will only have to keep waiting and hoping for this happiness to come until a serious marriage between the agric and transport sectors.

So if I were the president...

I will push for the injection of more capital and expertise in this sector. If you did a small study on the ownership of the biggest farms in Ghana, you will conclude that most of them are owned by people who were able to access some funds or already had money. Are you aware most rich men are diversifying into agriculture?. If the small holder farmers can be helped with inputs like seedlings, farm machinery and other agro products, food production could increase significantly.

The CSIR and other scientific bodies must be adequately resourced to carry out research and come up with more organic ways of improving production through the introduction of new and improved crop varieties.

While we are waiting for their seeds to germinate and grow till harvest, why can't we speed up road construction? Where are all the monies we have taken for road construction? Kick-backs and politically motivated projects!. Until we really care about each other, and our leaders get the roads linking to our farms constructed, food will continue to go rotten, farmers will still continue to be poor, we won't be eating fresh foodstuff and our food expenditure will keep rising.

There is a lot of good work going on, I believe, and whereas I admit that we cannot get to Z in a twinkle of an eye, it is equally true that more can be done, especially if as a nation we the citizens and our leaders stop misplacing our priorities.

Until I come to solicit for your vote in my Range Rover, think of the farmer in the village, stay safe and live a green life!

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First Ghana National Science Congress to focus on Water, Sanitation and the Environment

2011-07-13T15:29:00.001Z

Scuffing around for some green news this afternoon, I found one worth sharing. Ghana is to have its first ever science congress.

Starting August 2, 2011, the congress, under the theme "Water, Sanitation and the Environment, Securing our Future through Science", would be held in three parts.

There will be presentations from the Ghana science and industry community, exhibitions of works of people in the scientific community and an awards ceremony for distinctions in science.

At an alarming rate of environmental degradation, this is indeed a move that needs a push. If one ponders over the fact that we lose about 70,000 hectares of forest cover annually, we can no longer afford to sit on the fence.

I hope the congress will not just be another one of those talk shows, but that it comes up with practical solutions and strategies which will be implemented.

Let's all join Prof Ewurama Addy, the Chairperson of the National Planning Committee of the congress, to help Ghana stay green and stay safe.

-Credit: Ghanaweb

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How to Reduce Domestic Waste

2011-06-23T10:40:00.001Z

Do you know remember what Uncle Atta said when he visited the Upper East Region? - well that's if you an an "environmental ear" to hear in the first place-. Our President said:

"I have gone round during the last two days, and the sight that has greeted me has been most unwelcome. The sight of polythene bags here, polythene bags there, polythene bags everywhere".

And then he added by beginning with his usual cliché,

"My brothers and sisters, we have to take care of our environment".

Does it bother you that there is so much waste around. A friend of mine said: Once upon a time in Ghana, if you found a black polythene bag on the ground, which you rarely did, there was a high chance of finding some coins or goodies in it. Nowadays, if you see one, please FLEEEE, because you have a higher chance of picking up human excreta. Now that's not nice.

So what are we sharing today. While closing my last post I promised to share with you how we can reduce domestic waste. So that's just what I will do. Twenty points for us all....

Replace disposable cups and plastics with reusable ones
Replace disposable alkaline batteries with rechargeable batteries
Donate still useful items to charitable groups, you may not be using them, and you will be blessed too!
Maximize the life of electrical appliances by performing regular maintenance
Do you drive? Keep tires inflated, they'll last longer and your car will pollute less
Repair and refinish well-used furniture
Maintain your property, goods, and stuff--they will last longer
Reuse wrapping paper to re-wrap or line shelves and drawers
Bring a "no garbage" lunch to work or school, using reusable containers, bags, and a thermos
Dry clothing on clothesline instead of using a gas or electric dryer
Buy what you need, use what you buy
Repair durable goods instead of dumping them when they fail
Be water smart; install low-flow plumbing fixtures
Make note pads out of print overruns, computer printouts, outdated forms and stationery
Print and copy on both sides of the paper
Buy the large size of items you use often
Going to shop? Take a re-usable bag
Turn your computer monitor off when leaving for more than an hour
Look for durability in products you buy and use, not just lower price
Pass this list on to someone else!!!!

Courtesy of http://www.pima.gov/deq/index.html

He who has an environmental ear, let him hear what My Green Piece of Mind shares! Ciao

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Accra in danger as waste disposal site nears full capacity

2011-06-07T09:51:00.002Z

These days the colour variations make the refuse bins an attractive sight, at least, until its contents come to mind. Imagine collecting all the refuse in your house, putting it into your blue Zoomlion waste bin and hoping that soon (and very soon) the collectors would come around. Then, the soon turns into hours, days and, oh no, weeks? Before long the unwelcomed visitors start trooping in, from houseflies to bees, pests, other insects and, yuck, cockroaches. And they do not come alone, they come with their annoyingly buzzing songs of dirt praise.

What you go do? Accra Mayor, what should we do?

I am not writing a fiction oh, fellow Ghanaians, at least if you have been reading this blog you would have noticed that I do more of information dissemination. This is what has started in our nation's capital.

An environmental crisis is starring its ugly face at Accra. If a new waste disposal site is not developed by December, residents may have their refuse bins sitting in front of their houses for days. And oh, residents of Teshie are already experiencing this for the past three weeks. Is your community next? I hope not.

Sources indicate that the city's main and only waste disposal site, the Saba landfill site, is about to get full. Ironically, out of the 2200 tons of waste generated daily in the city, only 700 is collected. (This represents about 31.8%, though some research papers indicate Accra's waste collection is between 70-80%). Nonetheless, please don't imagine what would have been been the situation if our waste collection efficiency was very high. I bet that buzzing sound will be our daily lullaby.

According to the Mayor, Mr. Alfred Vanderpuije, a team is working on a finding new land fill site that will be effectively and scientifically managed. And if the "visitors" have already began their march, Mr. Mayor says you should report to your sub-metro office.

As they continue their search, Zoomlion is already working on a compost plant that should be completed by the end of August. Mr. Lawrence Laryea, the Operations Manager, said the plant will be able to process 300 tons of waste on an eight hour shift. Indeed that is good news.

But I guess the better news I want to share is this, Reduce Domestic Waste. In my next post, I will tell you how.

Until then, think green, save Accra!

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UN Secretary-General's Message on the World Environment Day - June 5 2011

2011-06-05T15:37:00.002Z

Nearly 20 years after the 1992 Earth Summit, the world is once again on the road to Rio – the site of the June 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. Much has changed in the past two decades, geopolitically and environmentally. Hundreds of millions of people in Asia, Latin America – and, increasingly, in Africa – have risen from poverty. Yet, evidence is also accumulating of profound and potentially irreversible changes in the ability of the planet to sustain our progress.

Rapid economic growth has come with costs that traditionally rarely feature in national accounting. These range from atmospheric and water pollution to degraded fisheries and forests, all of which impact prosperity and human well-being. The theme of World Environment Day this year, “Forests: Nature at Your Service”, emphasizes the multi-trillion dollar value of these and other ecosystems to society – especially the poor.

Despite growing global awareness of the dangers of environmental decline – including climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification – progress since the Earth Summit has been too slow. We will not build a just and equitable world unless we give equal weight to all three pillars of sustainable development – social, economic and environmental. To sustainably reduce poverty, guarantee food and nutrition security and provide decent employment for growing populations, we must make the most intelligent use of our natural capital.

India, the global host of World Environment Day in 2011, is among a growing number of countries working to address the pressures of ecological change. It is also helping to pioneer a better assessment of the economic value of nature-based services, with the assistance of the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank. India’s Rural Employment Act and the country’s encouragement of renewable energy are significant examples of how to scale up green growth and accelerate the transition to a green economy.

No single day can transform development onto a sustainable path. But on the road to Rio +20, this year’s World Environment Day can send a message that those with influence in government and the private sector can – and must – take the necessary steps that will fulfill the promise of the Earth Summit. The global public is watching, and expects nothing less.

-United Nations Environment Programme June 2, 1022

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21 Days of Yellow Care 2011

2011-06-03T09:01:00.004Z

Image via Wikipedia

"What do we use weedicides for, precisely we use it to kill plants and any living plant that you pour weedicide on dies and it does not only die. It means that little plants or seeds that are even on the ground, they are also destroyed all together….Strong winds will carry that away, water will erode the rest away and then it remains the hardcore sand or stone which cannot sustain plant life so the use of agro-chemicals are very detrimental to the environment’’.

These were the words of the Ashanti Regional Deputy Manager of the Forestry Commission, Mr. James Ware. He was speaking at the launch in Kumasi of MTN’s annual community service initiative, known as the ‘21 days of yellow care’.

During this year's programme MTN hopes to plant nine thousand trees nationwide with the support of Forestry Commission, Friends Water and River Bodies as well as Zoomlion Ghana Limited.

Why has this become necessary?

Worldwide, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more than 130 thousand square kilometers of the world’s forest are lost annually to deforestation.

This accounts for 20 per cent of global greenhouse emissions which contribute to global warming.

Back home in Ghana, the situation is worse. Half of our 238,533 square kilometers of land is prone to disaster.

Out of 8.3 million hectares of high forest that existed in the past ten years, only 1.8 million hectares is available now. The country loses 70,000 of its forest cover annually.

The lost has been attributed to bad farming practices such as the use of use of agriculture chemicals, bush fires, logging, and mining among others.

At this rate, Ghana is definitely on the brink of an environmental disaster if nothing is done to curb the rapid deforestation and degradation of the environment, and this must prompt all Ghanaians to change our attitudes towards the environment.

While I join the Kumasi Metro Chief Executive, Samuel Sarpong, to commend MTN staff for their volunteerism, I entreat all of us to support the green revolution and join the tree planting exercise when it reaches our doorsteps.

God bless our homeland Ghana.

Think green, stay safe!

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Fantastic Environmental Music Video by Wanlov The Kubolor - For The River

2011-05-20T09:24:00.005Z

Not the official lyrics - my version!

Abi we day speak pidgin? Ok, make we go..

Dis b de korus

I wan go bof......For the river...

I wan hold my hand up..........for the river

But eno dey anymore for the river

e full of borla, e turn to gutter.........

*Now make u feel the borla rap - eday b kɛkɛ*

I dey kae de way den we dey swim

For the rivers plus wanna friends

After den we dey fetch water

Take go cook den we dey chop better

But somtin happen.....

Plastics come...

Rivers turns into drastic dumps

Sewage and electronic waste

Sweet river, kai, toxic taste.

*KORUS*

River Pra.....emu ayɛ fȋȋ

River ƆdƆ,... ewo mudzi

River Volta....ɛmɛ [f]odi

River Densu.....very nasty

Oh wanna rivers, I dey wonder how we go survive

*KORUS*

I say I wan go boff for the river..

De END

#Wanvlov, @museke, we need more of these. Ghanaians we need a change of attitude!

WFP Executive Director Hails Women As Secret Weapon In Fight Against Hunger

2011-03-08T11:11:00.000Z

WFP Executive Director Hails Women As Secret Weapon In Fight Against Hunger

US$1.64 million capacity building on climate change

2011-02-11T10:02:00.001Z

The University of Ghana and the Open Society Institute have launched a US$1.64 million project aimed at building capacity to meet the climate change challenges in Ghana.

In an address during the project launch, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, underscored the fact that African leaders who have been attending conferences on climate change have been usually poorly informed on issues, adding that there was a communication gap between researchers and policy makers.

Professor Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu, acting Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University and the project lead, disclosed the project would be delivered through four inter-connected approaches with a focus on training and human resource development, building climate change adaptation research capacity, information dissemination and influencing policy through general public awareness, among others.

I implore all Ghanaians to offer full support for the project.

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Poisoning the poor – Electronic Waste in Ghana | Greenpeace International

2011-01-25T12:54:00.000Z

Poisoning the poor – Electronic Waste in Ghana | Greenpeace International

Mining and manufacturing firms in Ghana operate below environmental standards

2010-11-25T12:24:00.004Z

A 2009 study into the operations of 60 major mining and manufacturing firms in Ghana have revealed the low level of adherence to environmental standards in the country. The study, which was carried out from January to December by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated the companies on a five-color coded scheme: red for poor performance up to gold for excellent.

The companies were measured on how they met the legal requirements in hazardous waste management, toxic releases and non-toxic releases and monitoring and reporting. The rest are environmental best practice, community complaints and corporate social responsibility. Apart from Abosso Goldfields and Ghana Manganese, all other companies including AngloGold Ashanti, Coca Cola and Guinness Ghana Breweries were rated red. The two companies scored orange.

As I listened to Joy FM (99.7) I got a bit worried about this whole exercise. A representative of one of the mining companies which rated red challenged the outcomes, indicating that they have periodically submitted reports and liaised with the EPA on their operations and that if there were problems the EPA would have drawn their attention. So they cannot understand how that report can be true. However, one of the mining directors at the EPA insisted that the results of the study could not have been flawed given the fact that the companies themselves responded to assessment questions, which when compared to the standards fell short.

Another area of concern to me: The EPA says the initiative is aimed at naming and shaming the guilty companies so they would step up their game. What is the meaning of this? Residents in these mining communities have long been suffering from the effects of chemicals and hazardous waste which have been discharged into river bodies and on land surfaces. Many people have lost their livelihoods and sometimes lives, and the EPA is talking about naming and shaming. Is this enough?

I would always compare Ghana to the developed countries. When BP spilled oiled in the Gulf of Mexico, the company was not brought into the limelight to be shamed. Instead they were forced to pay for the damages and correct or mitigate the effects of the disaster. I believe those companies should be held accountable in one way or the other. The Minister of Environment, Ms. Sherry Ayittey, upon reading the report, has only threatened to withdraw the licences of companies that do not comply with the standards after sometime. We all know that may never happen. Think of this: does the minister really have the courage to withdraw the licence of a company like AngloGold Ashanti? The politicians and analysts will be quick to calculate how much Ghana will loose in taxes and royalties, and draw our attention to how the nation will be christened as an investor-Unfriendly country.

So the question is 'What do we do when these so called business giants hurt our environment'?

Over to you.

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This is how it starts

2010-10-20T10:39:00.003Z

Not very long ago, I wrote about Ghana's oil find and the dispute surrounding which company (ExxonMobil or Cnooc) the government should approve to acquire Kosmos' stake.

Bad news

This morning I rather heard very disturbing news again from Cape Three Point, one of the oil fields. A militant group calling itself CAPE MILITIA has already emerged.

Their mission

This group posing as the official mouthpiece of the unemployed youth in the area believe the majority of the proceeds from the oil should be used to develop the area first, before other parts of the country.

"You realize that already as the oil companies have started polluting our sea with toxic substances and the only way to demand justice is to resort to militancy because through their actions and inactions, the Kosmos group and the others are just like the usual multinational oil companies that do not factor local inhabitants in their scheme of operation," a group member told Today newspaper.

The group also claims that resorting to militant action is the only way to mitigate these likely environmental hazards and other associated casualties that may befall residents. their actions will be geared toward.

Their strategy?

According to the leader, they hold their daily meetings at Agona Nkwanta, where they engage in the training and the use of fire arms at a village near the Ghana Rubber Estates Plantation at Nkwanta.

The group leader disclosed that they have identified some pipelines under the seabed and will soon start attacking them and threatened to start targeting rig and non-oil facilities, like bridges, buildings belonging to oil companies in the area if they are not assured of equal opportunities.

One fisherman, Opanyin Mbere, was sure that his children had joined the group because they had seen and felt the atrocities meted out to them by the find of the Black Gold (oil).

"Now when I go to sea I have no catch because all the fishes are attracted by the lights from the rigs; then we are told not to fish along the rigs, how should I feed my family, if the cause of my children can bring some hope, huh am in full support," Opanyin Mbere noted.

What do we do?

You know what I think?...I believe Opanyin Mbere is just one of the many people who has vividly described what they are going through. As much as these people do have a point, I absolutely condemn the resort to militant action. The fact is that the grievances of these people have been communicated to the government. We have all read about the Kosmos oil spill and other environmental issues. My question, and theirs I believe is "What has been done or what is being done?"

Look at the way British Petroleum (BP) was queried for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Two lessons here: It did not take militant action to "correct this error", and the US government was there to protect the interest of its citizens.

I hope one the militants is reading this, as well as a member of our government.

God help Ghana!

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Helping Villagers in Ghana Gain Access to Clean Water

2010-10-15T11:08:00.002Z

Today, October 15 2010 is Blog Action Day, specially dedicated to Water. I decided to draw attention to some good efforts by two organisations to help rural Ghanaians access safe drinking water. The first is Water for Ghana, an organisation committed to providing clean water to villagers. According to the organisation, they help villagers in Ghana build their own source of clean water. "Right now, the only water they have is dirty. Adults and children alike use this dirty water to drink, cook with and bathe in. They often get sick as a result.", their website reports. So far they have provided water tanks for some villagers in the Wester and Eastern regions, notably from the Adenya, Grumisa, Dekoto and Adanse communities. Watch a compilation of videos and photos from the organisation.

I also took note of some efforts by a group of MIT students who have helped a researcher build a factory that could provide water filters for 1 million people in northern Ghana. The news article reports that, "In January, Susan Murcott, four students, a factory consultant and local workers spent one month building the factory, as well as the kilns and other manufacturing equipment. The construction also involved testing the production capabilities of the site to ensure that the filters could be produced through an unusual technique that Murcott learned a decade ago while researching household filters made in Nicaragua by nonprofit Potters for Peace."

UNICEF reports that nearly 1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. The problem is particularly dire in Ghana, where diarrhea causes 25 percent of all deaths of children below the age of five each year. In northern Ghana, the figure is even higher, where about half the population get its water from wells, ponds and streams that often contain disease-causing microorganisms. Part of the problem is that large, centralized water filtration and sanitation systems aren’t designed to reach remote areas like northern Ghana.

Hence we welcome the efforts of Susan and her colleagues who are doing this marvelous job of providing filters for the northern communities.

Again, today is Blog Action Day and as I leave you, remember that you can help in your own small way by contributing via donations and volunteering to such laudable projects.

God bless Water for Ghana, Susan and her group, Blog Action Day....and you!

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Environment Channel Airs on Ghana Television (GTV)

2010-09-24T19:15:00.028Z

As the "green revolution" continues, more and more efforts are being poured in to make people more conscious of the need for sustainability.

The latest of these in Ghana, I guess, is a television programme dubbed "Environment Channel" aimed at informing citizens of the several environmental issues in the country. Starting September 27, 2010, the programme will air every Monday night at 21:00GMT (09:00pm).

According to the Daily Graphic newspaper, some of the issues to be addressed on the programme include Ghana's Plastic Waste Menace, Climate Change, City Farmers & Food Security, Electronic Waste Menace, Sanitation and Guide to recycling. Others include the Volta Monkeys, Ada Sea Turtles, Bats of 37 and Accra Traffic Blues.

The programme, which will also have a "One-on-one with the Minister" section, is produced by Creative Storm and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wienco Agriculture, ddp, Ministry of Environment Science & Technology, and iKasa Ghana.

I encourage all Ghanaians to patronize this all-important programme and do our best to help save our environment.

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KOSMOS Spills Oil in Ghana

2010-05-18T09:33:00.003Z

Image via Wikipedia

My last post was about an ongoing scuffle between KOSMOS and Cnooc over Ghana's oil. As matters seem to have died or or minimized and people have become hopeful of good fortune, a big environmental blow has struck.

The Spill

KOSMOS Energy is said to have spilled about 600 barrels of low toxicity oil-based mudinto the oil fields. In March this year, the company is said to have again spilled more oil in the Jubilee fields in the Western Region.

Following this, the Minister of Environment and Science, Ms Sherry Ayittey set up a Committee consisting of her Deputy Dr. Omane Boamah, the chair, with other stakeholders like the Environmental Protection Agency. Their role was to determine the appropriate sanctions to be applied. In a preliminary report issued by the committee, KOSMOS admitted the offense, but fears are that with the current exploratory activities of the company, it could spill oil as much as six times in a year.

Unfortunately for us, Ghana has no mechanisms in place to curtail the effects of the spill. Quite recently oil spillage in the Mexican Gulf has been linked to the death of young turtles and dolphins. It may not be long until we get news of the death of many sea species.

Penalty?

I find it quite interesting that the Committee is meeting with agencies like the Ghana National Petroleum Agency to determine the penalties for KOSMOS. At this stage the greatest concern for me is the environmental disaster that the spill could bring. I cannot think of a better penalty than forcing KOSMOS to siphon the oil from the sea. I do not think any monetary levy can be measured up to the effects on marine species and humans, which should be our greatest concern. I can only hope that the protracted dispute between KOSMOS and the government of Ghana, over the sale of shares to Exxon-Mobil, is not called in on this matter.

With KOSMOS executives already in the country and holding discussions with various stakeholders,

let's hope that something good comes out.

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Is this where the oil disputes begin?

2010-03-03T11:22:00.002Z

ExxonMobil Chairman Rex Tillerson

Once again the fight for oil and gas has began, this time in my peaceful country Ghana.

A quick recap
As you recall, Kosmos Energy, along with Anadarko Petroleum and Tullow Oil, have been particularly successful in Ghana where they have found oil in all of the eight wells they drilled in recent years. The partners have found four major fields — Jubilee, Odum, Tweneboa and Mahogany — and have identified four more potential prospects.

Jubilee, which was discovered in 2007, should start producing oil by the end of 2010, and is expected to eventually pump about 120,000 barrels a day. Kosmos Energy has estimated that Jubilee could hold recoverable oil and gas reserves of as much as two billion barrels. That puts the field in the same class of discoveries that have been recorded in the Gulf of Mexico in recent years, proving out the entire region as a world-class hydrocarbons basin.

Hopes and Issues
Now since these dicoveries Ghanaians in particular have hopes raised higher than ever before, about how much development the nation will witness over the next few years. Some unfortunate uninformed ones can even be heard sometimes making comments like "They (refering to the government) should share the physical money for each citizen to have their share". (Some of these guys are joking, anyway).

According to a news source, Ghanaians should not be over optimistic as our "enthusiastic efforts to become a major oil industry player in Africa would be short lived, because the country would only mine the Black Gold for just 20 years". Amidst all these, Ghana is particularly aware of the troubles of oil rich nations in Africa like Nigeria, Angola and Sudan, where disputes have led to several loss of lives, destruction of property and underdevelopment. The governement is taking frantic efforts to ensure that the nation does not plunge into the curses that have been associated with the other oil-rich African nations.

The fight

One big issue which is rearing its ugly head up, is how giant multinationals are interested in the oil fields. News from various sources confirm that energy giant ExxonMobil has been negotiating a $4 billion deal, amounting to an acquisition of 23.49 percent of the Jubilee oil field, if the deal goes through. The challenge however, is that Ghana is now being lobbied hard to force the sale of Kosmos to China's state-controlled international oil company Cnooc.

Ghana's headache

As you read this the government of Ghana is now in a fix for two reasons, and maybe many more.

One: it is quite clear that it has regretted the kingly terms granted to the explorers and is looking for avenues to renegotiate or "re-engage" (as they usually put it), the deal. Following from this, there have been several raging misunderstandings between Kosmos and the government.

The government claims that even though letters were sent to them concerning the Exxon-Kosmos deal, their response did not come before Kosmos went ahead and consummated the deal with the U.S. oil giant. However, no clause in the contractual deal with Ghana suggests that under such arrangements Kosmos should give preferential treatment to the country, a catch which could open a chapter on a protracted legal battle. Further compounding Ghana's is that the deal entered into with Exxon Mobil is irrevocable and steeped in international law.

There have also been rumours of freezing of assets including those of the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kosmos Ghana, George Owusu; the EO Group, the company that facilitated the entry of Kosmos to Ghana; and a minority shareholder in Kosmos Ghana, Kosmos LLC and other companies. Over the past few months Ghana's Attorney-General has commissioned investigations into the activities of the EO Group, citing issues such as the legality of the company. The government is also not comfortable with the abbreviation E.O. (Edusei and Owusu). It is interesting to note that when all hope had been lost about oil discovery in commercial quantities in Ghana, it was the E.O. Group which encouraged Kosmos to come in.

Without considering further information we are not privy, one is tempted to conclude that these are as a result of the government's regret over the terms of the agreement and that leads us to the second issue.

Two: For whom will Ghana approve the deal; ExxonMobil or Cnooc? As it stands now, the Exxon-Kosmos acquisition requires approval from the government of Ghana, but with Ghana's own issues with Kosmos, and the influencing hands behind Cnooc, it is not clear where the deal will go. If Ghana persist in its resolve to abrogate the Kosmos/Exxon Mobil deal, a diplomatic row could break out between the US and the country. The Ghanaian government is definitely not ready for the repercussions of such a diplomatic/business confrontation.

Interestingly, according to several sources, Cnooc has hired Neil Bush, brother of President George W. Bush, to work on its behalf. With Chinese oil companies having announced plans to spend at least $16 billion to gain access to African energy assets since 2006, one can imagine the extent to which they will go to snatch this deal from Kosmos.

News has it already that the government is in favour of the Cnooc deal, but is only afraid to go ahead because of the legal issues, while it also finds several ways to manouvre around its relationship with the US and investors at large.

Ghana is definitely in a fix because, this unfolding legal drama could also be presenting the nation as an investor-unfriendly nation.

Well, the war has began at the top, and I hope it ends there and ends well.

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Saving Ghana's Environment

2010-02-17T10:54:00.002Z

For the first time, I decided to re blog a whole piece from Joseph Philip L Ziem, the author of this insightful article who is a journalist by profession. Read on.......

There is growing consensus by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and even ordinary Ghanaians that improved governance in the natural resource and environment sector of Ghana could translate into more unbiased resource distribution and poverty reduction.

This move could be attributed to the increasing spate of vigorous campaigns being mounted by CSOs like KASA-Ghana, Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM Ghana) and the Media Advocates for Sustainable Environment (MASE) in recent times; drawing the attention of the public to the fact that any form of mining activity, in or around natural habitats (forest or game reserves, water bodies, etc) is as venomous as the reptile, COBRA!

There is no doubt that gold ranks among the most high-tech of metals, performing vital functions in many areas of everyday life. Its unique properties make it useful in medical applications, pollution control, air bags, mobile telephones, laptop computers, space travel, and many other things human beings consider essential to today's society.

Almost all electronic consumer items contain a small amount of gold, which is important to the reliable and efficient functioning of the equipment.

Besides, from its early historical use in ancient cultures, gold is becoming increasingly important in many modern medical treatments, ranging from drugs to precision implants. Gold has been used for many years to successfully treat rheumatoid arthritis. Many experts consider gold to be among the most effective drugs for reducing the inflammation in the joints and so reducing the symptoms of pain and stiffness. The economic significance of this mineral can’t therefore, be underestimated.

However, the fact also remains that, the process of extracting gold from the mined ore uses poisonous chemicals which, if not treated properly, can contaminate water supplies and kill living things for miles. This is in addition to the local damage at the mining site itself, i.e., the hole in the mountain or the ground thereby making it impossible to grow our cocoa, coffee, rice, groundnuts, maize, millet, sorghum, etc, again. It is sad to note that mining companies in Ghana are ‘raping’ our natural resources with impunity regardless of all the environmental laws and fundamental human rights which our government is signatory to.

This is because, gold mining in Ghana has been seriously considered by the government of Ghana and international financial institutions as the path to economic development but it also has a long history of destruction. Besides, gold mining has been going on many years even before many Ghanaians in this 21st century were born, yet Ghana is still poor considering its per capita income, unemployment rate, poor health delivery, lack of health and educational facilities, unavailability of housing for some people like residents of Sodom and Gomorrah and many other places in the country, etc.

There are reported cases of massive destruction of towns, houses, farms, water bodies, etc, at Wassa, Prestea, Obuasi, Tarkwa, just to mention a few. And my understanding is that, mining companies are moving towards the North where residents like me are already suffering from the bad effects of desertification, climate change, lack of portable drinking water due to the extreme low levelness of the water table in most areas, erratic rainfall, etc. Any attempt to mine any part of the North, would make life unbearable for residents, and land, chieftaincy or ethnic disputes could increase.

Besides, the area is already battling with efforts to combat deforestation or desertification through afforestation, land and chieftaincy disputes, among others and all the mining companies in Ghana which I learnt have bad records of human rights abuses and disregard for good environmental practices, are also radically yearning to come with their unending woes, to add to what is yet to be solved. It is unimaginable!

Not too long ago, cyanide-contaminated waste spilled from the Ahafo mine operated by Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) on October 8, 2009 into a river, killing hundreds of fishes and polluting the drinking water of several communities. This is gross human rights abuse even though they had been charged to compensate the affected people, communities and government with an amount of 4.9 million dollars or Gh¢7 million.

Records showed that the first phase of the mine (Ahafo South) has displaced roughly 9,500 people, at least 95% of whom are subsistence farmers. A possible expansion of the mine (Ahafo North), would displace another 10,000 more. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank's private sector arm, approved $175 million in loans to Newmont for the development of the Ahafo project in spite of calls for the IFC to postpone the Ahafo loan and independent reviews highlighting the problems with the project.

Fellow Ghanaians, it would interest you to know that all the monies the mining companies get from their negative extractive activities are deposited in offshore accounts. Apart from that, our government receives not more than even 20% as its share of the gold or revenue from each of the mining companies you can think of.

In Ghana now, there is more concern for the environment due to the consistent and vigorous campaigns by CSOs and the media, but there are still mining operations where little to no environmental consideration is given to the operations. Mining companies are doing things with impunity.
It is undisputable that Ghana is Africa's second largest producer of gold after South Africa. Due to favorable investment climate created by our leaders (politicians), it is estimated that 70% to 90% of the large-scale mining industry is now foreign-owned.

Records by WACAM-Ghana indicated that gold mining in Ghana started some 2000 years ago even before the arrival of Portuguese traders and other Europeans. Gold also accounts for about 96% of the total mineral revenue, and currently mining boom has attracted about US 6 billion dollars worth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the extractive sector of the country as at 2005, representing about 60% of FDI inflows to the national economy.

As at 2006, the government of Ghana had granted 166 new mining leases to companies to operate surface mining. This means; more environmental degradation, water, air and land pollution, deforestation, destruction of farmlands, in fact, a total destruction of our natural habitats right from the South to the North. …….

According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 35% of the total landmass of Ghana is under threat of desertification but current estimates and observations shows that 60% of the landmass is actually under threat.

This is because, traces of desertification could be seen in neighbouring Bono Ahafo and Ashanti Regions and certain timber species that make up the vegetation of the forest in those areas are getting loss each day. Besides, the 35% given by the EPA was as a result of a research in the 70s and for that matter it should noted that there has been considerable changes over the years up to date.

The three Northern Regions which occupy about 40% of the total landmass of the country is the worst affected by desertification. Why would our government sit down unconcern and allow a mining company like Newmont and the rest to mine in forest reserves, when common sense tells us that the more trees we cut down invariably affects our very existence on planet earth.
Or is it because there are millions of ounces of gold in these forest reserves? If that is the case, then it means that Ghanaians are giving out their heads in exchange for hats that would have no place to reside.

Our politicians are indeed killing us but because we don’t mostly see or know their secret deeds, we think they’re angels. But I think they’re next to hell! They take all the decisions including those that deprive us of our daily bread as a people, rob us of our birth rights as a nation without seeking our opinion.

And I ask my self over and over again, are we still living in the Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana, which he together with other right thinking people fought to liberate from emancipation decades ago? In fact, I believe wherever he might be he would not have peace of mind because of the selfishness of those who have come after him.

I understand there is a gold bearing rock running from the South to the North and it is obvious that our government is prepared to allow mining companies cut down all economic trees including shea, mahogany, mango, cocoa, dawadawa, seal up our water bodies with waste, spoil the tarred roads we spent millions of dollars or cedis to built, etc.

I am not exaggerating, but what am trying to explain is that if the aforementioned areas are not enough, our hospitals, schools would not be spared, because in other places cemeteries including what I have already mentioned have been destroyed by mining companies because of the ‘yellow rock’.

I am reliably informed that most communities in the Bono Ahafo Region are sitting on gigantic gold deposit and for that matter plans are ongoing to relocate those settlements. People of Bono and Ahafo, are you hearing what I am hearing? And if yes, what are you doing? Please, you have to start crying out and make noise like that of KASA-Ghana, WACAM Ghana and MASE, else it will happen like hurricane Katrina and by then it will be too late for you all.

Let me just explain this to you in clear words. The GH¢7million compensation by Newmont Ghana to the people of Ahafo is just pittance. To them (Newmont) it’s like money meant for buying food ingredients in any local Ghanaian market.

This is so because, our leaders can’t bite or say no to certain decisions that threaten our lives for the reason that they have been induced with so many freebies by some of these mining companies or multinationals. Compensations like Newmont’s is just to sustain affected persons today and the next day, they perish.

Just come to think of this; why would Newmont Ghana give 20,000 dollars to our (Alhaji) Collins Dauda, who is the Minister of Land and Mines to perform his mother’s funeral? This suggest that if any close relation of the President passes away, he would receive an amount that could build a six unit classroom block, fully furnished for the children of my hometown who are still sitting under trees to learn, if a minister could receive that much.

Ghana is a signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has initiated a number of policies and programmes to arrest the spread of land degradation and desertification. The implementation of the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP), the Environmental Resources Management Project and others like the land use map, environmental information system, land suitability and capability maps, land and water management, Savannah Resource Management and the National Reforestation Programme are worthwhile.

But the lack of political commitment on the part of our leaders will eventually send us all into our graves unless they change their ATITUDE. I declare that mining is not a panacea to the Ghana’s problems because it only contributes 46 million dollars to the nation whiles bush meat derives 300 million dollars. So, it would be unthinkable to allow Newmont and others to mine in forest reserves.

Folks, I will end hear but also write something to promote the good course I am championing, because; “The earth is a mother, and if we abide by her laws, she would care for us all”……..

....and that was it !.

Full credits to Joseph Philip L Ziem
(ziemjoseph@yahoo.com)

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Accra: Power From Waste

2010-01-27T13:19:00.002Z

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A waste management project, expected to clean up the Accra Metropolis (AMA) is set to commence in August 2010. According the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr. Alfred Vanderpuije, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been signed with a private company, EWS Ghana Pty, to set up a processing plant in Teshie - Accra.

While this exercise is expected to clean up our filth-engulfed capital, it is also expected to generate about 45 megawatts of power, which will be fed into the national grid.

It is expected that the people of Accra will see some effects of this agreement within the next four to five months, with the provision of over 140 waste vehicles and refuse containers for waste collection.

My interest with this project however, lies more with the way it addresses the issue of waste dumping. In several communities where collected waste is dumped, the AMA has had to deal with legal issues which arise as a result of conflicts with the residents.

One cannot blame these residents considering the hazards waste dumping causes to their communities. Such communities are always an eyesore, with so many flies, stench, insects, land-water-air pollution and all its attendant diseases. With this project however, there has been another agreement with the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly to use the site for plant, and the waste will not just be dumped but processed. This means the hitherto dumping communities can have their peace of mind, and we all enjoy a cleaner and safer environment to live in.

"Waste is gold and the nation can raise a substantial amount of money for her development, if it invests in it.....The developed nations have processed their waste into energy, and that has helped to address some environmental problems", he concluded.

Like I always say, even this effort cannot do much if we do not change our attitudes towards the environment. You can do your part.

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Ghana Launches "Greening Ghana Project"

2010-01-21T15:40:00.001Z

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Ghana's President, Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills, yesterday launched a nationwide forest plantation programme dubbed "Greening the Environment for a Better Ghana".

With the nation's forest resources reduced from 8.2 million hectares in 1900 to 1.2 million hectares currently, the project is aimed at halting deforestation. Within the next five years, the project also aims at creating over 51,000 jobs for the youth.

The deletion of the forests and its resources have been largely attributed to the activities of illegal chain saw operators over the years. The president noted that apart from the huge amounts of money lost in terms of revenues, the country's environment has also suffered significantly. Rainfall patterns seem to change every year and floods, massive erosions and destruction of some protected species have all been attributed to these misdeed.

According to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Collins Dauda, Ghana loses about 65,000 hectares of forest resources annually to the activities of illegal loggers and chain saw operators. Now for any Ghanaian, this should be a disturbing trend. Though the president has urged the security agencies to beef up efforts to arrest these "anti-environmentalists", the onus lies on all Ghanaians to rise up to this challenge and be ambassadors of this project for our our sake and for posterity.

God bless our homeland Ghana.

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Green phone runs on Coca-Cola

2010-01-15T10:15:00.003Z

Every innovation is worth mentioning, no matter how weird or fanciful it sounds. Just imagine powering your mobile handset by filling it with Coca-Cola, yes I mean the soft drink!

And even if Nokia thinks this is too futuristic, at least the prototype has been designed.

As part of her final university project, Ms Daizi Zheng, a Central Saint Martins graduate, developed this "greenphone" concept for Finnish phone giant Nokia. What makes this a green technology is the fact that it has the potential to be fully biodegradable. According to Ms Zheng, her prototype could last up to four times longer than the traditional lithium ion batteries currently powering most phones and gadgets.

The bio battery produces electricity by releasing enzymes that catalyse the sugar in the soft drink, leaving behind water and oxygen as the battery dies out.

Though Nokia is not considering a possibility of pursuing this concept in the near future, many electronics companies are developing bio batteries that could be on the market within the next five years, she added.

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Haiti in Crises: Earthquake Meets Deforestation

2010-01-14T11:54:00.001Z

Image by caritasinternationalis via Flickr

Even before last Tuesday's devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, the island nation had been going through several years of political strife, economic embargoes and natural disasters. There had been one disaster after the other in the past years, from diseases to mudslides, to floods. And the list grows taller and taller.

With a legacy of been the most deforested nation in the world (97% deforested), Haitians practically live a life of meal to meal and not even day to day. For most, survival means cutting down trees for charcoal, which they either sell or use for heating and cooking.

Massive floods have fueled erosion that has crippled the agricultural industry in Haiti, not leaving that of transportation. Many roads have been washed out and people usually develop cold feet when they have to travel. For even the brave travelers, one cannot consider closing his or her eyes to catch a quick nap, considering the many dangers associated with traveling on the devastated roads. Watch this.

And all this was before the breath-taking earthquake, which has left over a hundred thousand people dead. One wonders whether the nation can be able to recover from this hit, and even if it can, how long this will take. With several infrastructure completely wiped out, who will have the peace of mind to think of environmental sustainability when there is no place to lay one's head?.

In other related news, singer Wyclef Jean's Yéle Haiti Organisation has raised more than $400,000 to support restoration of victims. Donations of $5 are made by texting "Yele" to "501501" (Does this work in Africa? Someone tell me please). Similar efforts by Red Cross has raised over $800,000, and this is also by texting "Haiti" to the number "90999", which results in a $10 donation. Readers are however warned of people who will use this to promote several online scums to enrich themselves. Beware.

An Akan proverb says "If you see the beard of your friend in flames, you better fetch water and place it by yours". As we help restore Haitians in various ways, let's also remember to promote environmental sustainability in our own small ways.

Our consolations to the good people of Haiti.

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Green Seasonal Greetings

2009-12-25T21:02:00.002Z

As part of the world plunges into religious and holiday celebrations today and the next few days, I entreat each and every one to remember to be kind to mother earth.

Remember to switch off the lights and other electrical appliances as you go to the churches and clubs and beaches. Some more walking and cycling will save us some CO2 emissions.

Instead of the artificial "Christmas Trees" with the twinkling lights, why don't we rather plant some beautiful tree flowers? These will last, not only for the season, but also throughout the next year and beyond, not to mention the CO2 absorption.

Hmmmmm......some food for thought.

Wishing all my readers a wonderful season.

May the good Lord richly bless you all.

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Obama Arrives in Copenhagen: Last Day of Climate Talks

2009-12-18T09:31:00.001Z

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U.S. President Barak Obama this morning arrived at the Copenhagen for the crucial final talks at the climate summit. He will later meet with the Danish Premier and other world leaders at the summit.

With today being the last day of the summit, observers think that the US and China are the most significant nations as far as the talks are concerned.

Sources confirm that the negotiators have been working throughout the night to come to a deal. It is still however not clear whether there can be an agreement by the close of today, though there are some optimistic views. One of the main issues still remaining a debate is how concrete the money deal between the developed and developing nations will be. If the developed are to pay the $100 billion annually to 2020 to developing countries (to fight climate change), one can definitely be sure of how much say the developed would want to have in terms of how the monies would be used, and how much of such influence the developing nations would be willing to allow.

It is however important to note that a deal of any sort today is better than nothing at all.

Deal or No Deal? We'll find out sooner.

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Copenhagen Police Clash with Climate Protesters

2009-12-16T17:37:00.001Z

Information from the Danish capital indicate that some angry protesters who were attempting to break into the conference building and disrupt the talks have clashed with the police.

The police had to fire tear gas into the angry protesters to disperse them, a few of whom had broken through the barricades outside the Bella Centre, (the cconference centre).

Acording to Yahoo News, officers also had to use dogs, truncheons and pepper spray to push back the protesters and have arrested at least 230 people.

These protests come amidst divided factions at the conference, where the developed and the developing nations seem to be at two extreme ends of the world on an agreement. While the developing countries are calling for higher sums from their developed counterparts, there is no indication that the developed nations are in such a "money releasing mood".

In a related news, the UN President, Ban Ki-moon, has chided the negotiating countries at the talks for what he describes as "pointing of fingers" by the negotiators. He urged them to resolve their differences and warned of how big a mistake it would be to leave the decision to the world leaders who arrive later this week.

As the clock ticks towards the end of the summit we ask ourselves: Where are these talks going? Can there be a deal? What do the world leaders bring to the table?

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Copenhagen Police Clash with Climate Protesters

2009-12-16T17:27:00.001Z

Can There Be A Deal?

2009-12-15T10:34:00.000Z

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Last night, representatives at the Copenhagen Climate Conference had to struggle through the night to salvage the talks, which for sometime now have been thrown into some bit of "chaos". It is reported that a group of African nations walked out of the conference and withdrew their co-operation, accusing the developed countries of bias in their approach to the talks. The group, which received a backing from the G77 countries (comprising 130 developing countries), staged this walkout yesterday morning to register their displeasure with the lack of progress at the talks and also against what they describe as an attempt by the developed world to "ditch" the Kyoto Protocol. And this was enough to bring the talks into a temporary suspension.

According to Penny Wong, the Australian climate change minister, the walkout was "regrettable", insisting that it was "a walkout over process and form, not a walkout over substance". "This is not the time for people to play procedural games. We need to resolve the process issues and get onto the substance," she added.

Contrary to this, the Algerian chief negotiator for the African group, Mr. Kamel Djemouai, told reporters that rich nations' opposition to a continuation of Kyoto meant they were willing "to accept the death of the only one legally binding instrument that exists now" to cut emissions.

On the BBC 08:00 GMT today he had two main questions to ask; "If there is a new treaty, when will the treaty be ratified and who will ensure that it is indeed ratified?".

With only a few days to the end of the summit, we ask ourselves whether there can actually be a deal by way of a legally binding outcome, amidst the many major issues that still need to be resolved.

Time will tell.

Where Does Africa Stand?

2009-12-09T10:15:00.002Z

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Vietnam exports 25% of its rice to Africa. The major importers are Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Senegal.

Due to climate change, hot weather conditions are causing sea levels to rice in Vietnam. Vietnam's rice farms are being affected by salty waters from the sea. What will happen if this trend continues? A possible revenue loss for Vienam? Loss of livelihood for rice farmers? An imminent food shortage in Africa and Vietnam? Hunger? Deaths?

Time is up for a change. Nature is life. The environment is our life. Protect Nature, Protect the Environment, Protect our Lives. Green is the word - The last stop must be Copenhagen!

Green - The New Global Big Deal

2009-12-08T08:40:00.004Z

As I listened to the 08:00 BBC news yesterday morning, I was saddened by a comment passed by a man who was being interviewed about what he thinks concerning the Climate Talks in Copenhagen.

He said "I kind of like it when it's hot, so I really think nothing should be done about the environment". Huh, what have I got to say, I just think otherwise, like many of you do, I hope. I believe the time is up – the deadline is Copenhagen and failure is not an option.

To the world leaders, I hope you will put aside all
interests and push for a politically binding agreement on
emission cuts.

Posterity is watching us.

How green is your tomorrow?

2009-10-15T10:12:00.009Z

After a long sleep I am awake to the call of Blog Action Day ‘09, which is focused on Climate Change. So what am I gonna do....talk about some green technology news that I have been following so far.

In one of the very few posts I have made, I talked about the importance of jatropha and the fact that Ghana, and its government, and maybe Africa, is not

taking this seriously. Can you believe that even the airlines are taking this order?

In January this year, Continental Airlines, the fourth largest United States-based airline, used a fuel blend made from algae and the jatropha plant to power an unmodified, twin-engine Boeing 737-800 jet.

A statement from Continental Airlines said that the test flight, which took off without incident around 12:15 p.m. (Houston time) on January 7, 2009, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, lasted about 90 minutes. And what is their mission? “To have member-carriers use 10% alternative fuels by 2017 to reduce global warming.” Sweeeeet ! Read more? Barely a year ago, Air New Zealand, the flag-carrier airline of New Zealand and the country’s biggest airline, flew a Boeing 747-400 plane that used a 50-50 blend of oil derived from the jatropha plant and conventional fuel in one of the jumbo jet’s four engines. How does that sound?

And what’s the good news for Africa? Jatropha is limited to warm climates only (according to a 2009 research by Boeing). I rest my case.

How about Ecocho.com? Imagine searching the web and saving the planet at the same time. Ecocho is a free service, and it's one of the easiest ways people can change everyday behaviour to make a positive impact on the environment.

When you search on ecocho.com, the company is able to raise enough money (through ads) to buy carbon offsets which are then used to plant trees to offset carbon pollution emissions.

Wondering how this works?. The company says that for every 1000 searches, monies that are raised from adverts on the returned pages are used to purchase carbon offsets capable of planting two trees. Within a year, two trees have the capacity to suck out 1 ton of CO₂ from the atmosphere. And you don’t have to worry about the quality of search because it is based on Yahoo!’s search technology. I think you could do something too........

To wrap up, and like I said earlier on, today is Blog Action Day, an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. This year was dedicated to climate change, and how awesome that was.

So there you go. This is the little piece I could do for mother earth today. What about you? How green is your tomorrow? What legacy are you leaving behind? The ball is in your court...take over.....

What are you doing?

2009-03-26T11:53:00.004Z

Readwide Ghana Limited, the major sponsors of the weekly “What Do You Know” quiz contest on Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), did a very good job by focusing this week’s contest on environmental issues. The Sunday 22nd March edition of the popular contest was held in commemoration of World Water Day. The three-round contest focused on several topics related to water and its management. One question, to which none of the contestants was able to provide an answer, was: “In which ways can water pollution be compounded?” As usual, every subject area has its own wide array of terminologies. All the contestants assumed that “compounded” meant curtailed, prevented, reduced or solved, as their responses proved. Apparently, “compounded” in this context meant “worsened”. The National Quiz Master, Dan Afare Yeboah, therefore provided responses like; increasing population, urbanization and improper sanitation measures. At the end of the three-round keenly contested competition, Alhassan Hassan of the Commonwealth Hall of the University of Ghana topped with 21 points. Samuel of UEW, Samuel Dwumoh of CUC, Daniel Aboagye, formerly of UCC, and Swala Abubakari of UG were 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively.

So why would I write this on this blog. I believe it’s about time individuals, corporate society and the government took steps to improve water and environmental sanitation. I think that focusing an episode of the popular contest on water issues was a very good initiative worth commending.

However, there is a lot more that can be done. With only two months to the commemoration of the World Environment Day, the government, NGOs and private bodies can take several initiatives to promote the environmental sustainability agenda. Essay competitions focused on several aspects of environmental sustainability can be organized for the various levels of the education in Ghana, the results of which should not be left on the shelves. What about a national clean-up exercise on one Saturday in June? This may seem complex, but if the Asantehene, Otumfour Osei-Tutu II, could use one day to promote such an exercise in Kumasi, why can’t the rest of the nation do same?

The power of individuals is very important. Sometime in July 2008, my colleague, Emmanuel Kofi Gavu, who was then a Teaching assistant at the Land Economy Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (and now a masters student at ITC, Netherland), undertook project dubbed “Waste to Wealth”. He was able to sensitize some primary and junior secondary students of the Ayeduase Catholic School in Kumasi, Ghana, to learn how to convert waste into useful products. One of the primary pupils used rubber and polythene bags he had picked from the ground to produce a “soccer ball”. What if there were tools to make this ball a long lasting one? Wouldn’t that be helpful to the environment? Like Mr. Gavu, many individuals in Ghana and Africa can undertake similar and more advanced programmes to promote environmental sustainability.

My question to you as an individual is what are you doing to protect, conserve and sustain the environment? This June 5, what concrete activities will the government be undertaking, apart from the usual paper presentations on World Environment Days?

I congratulate Alhassan Hassan on winning the contest, and Mr. Gavu on the success of his project.

What are you doing about our environment?

Stop Global Warming

2009-01-22T15:39:00.007Z

It is not surprising that there is so much talk about the environment in recent times. The world is deteriorating more rapidly than we thought. The effects of this are catastrophic. The signs: “melting glaciers, heat waves, rising seas (eg. Keta, in the Volta Region of Ghana), trees flowering earlier (even ripe fruits are not as sweet as they used to be-either the cause of the environment or they were forced to ripen with chemicals) and extinction of species - when was the last time you saw or heard about a parrot? The unmistakable signs of climate change are everywhere.

I was inspired to write this after I read an article in the June 2008 edition of the National Geographic magazine ("Where We Go", written by Bill McKibben. The objective is to draw Ghanaians' and mankind’s attention to environmental sustainability. Our planet is fast deteriorating and we must help safeguard it.

As a society we are faced with the biggest problem humans have ever made for ourselves - global warming. In our various efforts to improve our standards of living and create wonderful habitats for ourselves, we have ended up causing irreparable damage to the environment that sustains us. Many studies have correctly asserted that the root of this is carbon emissions.

From the African point of view, it may seem that we emit less than the East and West and therefore we are not in so much danger. However, we here in Ghana can talk of numerous intances where we noticed much pollution, and in fact we shook our heads, complaining or wishing it were not so. Whereas the Americas and the like are even reducing the use of high fuel consuming luxury vehicles, it is interesting that we have chosen to use them. There are plenty of changes we need to make in our habits as well as technology. We need to reduce the use of luxury vehicles which consume much fuel and use more ceiling fans instead of the AC.

We need to develop new solar panels rather than rely on thermal plants. We need to get out of the cars and do more walking and biking - a healthier society! Farmers (and for that matter, the Ministry of Agriculture) are encouraged to stop the use of petroleum based pesticides and fertilizers. We need to adopt climate friendly ways of producing fuel. For example “about 40 percent of Brazil’s transportation fuel now comes from ethanol, (gotten from sugarcane) which generates up to 90 percent less CO₂ than gasoline.

With the recent discovery of oil in Cape Three Points, we need to adopt environmantally friendly measures that can help sustain the Ghanaian environment. For now, we are all thinking of the money, and not the environment.

Quite recently, Ghana was fortunate to discover with others that one of our "our childhood playing plants", JATROPHA, can be used to produce fuel for vehicle consumption. Unfortunatly, the government, as usual in Africa, paid deaf ear to this and we do not hear much about it anymore.

Gloobal warming is on the increase, and its resultant effects are a great danger to human, animal and plant species. Hence, the need for environmental sensitivity & sustainability cannot be overemphasized, and the fact that we need to halt carbon emissions as soon as possible is non-negotiable. Once we have played a bigger role in changing the earth’s climate, we should be part of the solution as well.

I therefore humbly call on all Ghanaians to act in our own little way to save the planet. Stop wasting fuel, electricity, water and improper refuse disposal. Can we all "Zoomlionise" a bit?

God bless our homeland Ghana

Ghana's Environment

2008-11-26T15:55:00.002Z

Environmental issues are of much importance in today's world , and most especially for a developing country like Ghana. I am very much passionate about the environment and its sustainability. This blog is intended for well-meaning Ghanainans in the land, environment, property and construction industry, as well as the general public, to collaborate, bring out and discuss Ghana's land issues, with the goal of promoting highest and best use of land and sustainability.

-Kwesi Asiamah Acquah