Renewable Energy: A Solution To Farmers' Grief In Ghana

Worldwide, agriculture contributes between 14 and 30 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because of its heavy land, water, and energy use—that's more than every car, train, and plane in the global transportation sector. Livestock production alone contributes around 18 percent of global emissions, including 9 percent of carbon dioxide, 35 percent of methane, and 65 percent of nitrous oxide.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the three main causes of the increase in greenhouse gases observed over the past 250 years have been fossil fuels, land use, and agriculture.

Activities like running fuel-powered farm equipment, pumping water for irrigation, raising dense populations of livestock in indoor facilities, and applying nitrogen-rich fertilizers all contribute to agriculture’s high GHG footprint.

Farmers in Ghana depend solely on inorganic fertilizers for their farms but when farmers shift their dependence to practices such as using animal manure rather than artificial fertilizer, planting trees on farms to reduce soil erosion and sequester carbon, and growing food in cities all hold huge potential for reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint.

However, agriculture can also help to provide solutions to the overall climate change problem. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that the sector has “significant” potential to reduce its emissions, including removing 80 to 88 percent of the carbon dioxide that it currently produces.

Citizens in Ghana resort to burning kerosene for light and biomass for cooking, risking their health while businesses and farmers resort to using diesel generators sets to power electrical equipment such as irrigation pumps. At predicted levels of oil production and consumption, Ghana will be increasingly dependent on foreign oil imports in the years ahead, making the nation even more vulnerable to oil disruptions and price spikes.

In agriculture, an energy supply disruption of even a short duration could mean a substantial reduction or the complete loss of an entire growing season. As price-takers for their commodities, farmers are generally unable to pass price increases for energy or fertilizer on to the consumer, and therefore receive a lower return for their products when price rises.

Making additional money from solar power would ensure greater income stability for farmers, who often complain of low margins and weather damage. Some of these benefits can be achieved by substituting renewable energy for the fossil fuels typically used to power day-to-day farm activities. For example, solar heat collectors can warm livestock buildings, greenhouses, and homes; small or cooperatively owned wind and water turbines can pump water and power equipment; photovoltaic panels can power critical farm operations like electric fencing and drip irrigation systems; and designing or renovating buildings and barns to maximize natural daylight can dramatically reduce the electricity required to light and warm farm buildings.

Ghana already experience high levels of post-harvest losses annually for perishable produce, and are anticipated to experience some of the most extreme impacts of global warming, making it critical to ensure that as much of the food harvested in these regions as possible reaches its intended final market place.

According to Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei, the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, the country loses between 20 and 50 per cent of all vegetables, fruits, cereals, roots and tubers produced each year, while it struggles to achieve food security and eradicate hunger. Ghana may not achieve the Millennium Development Goal of curbing food security and eradicating hunger within the stipulated period by the United Nations.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report Uses of Geothermal Energy in Food and Agriculture says that geothermal energy can help prevent the huge post-harvest currently faced by many developing countries, and can be a prime source of heat for greenhouses, soils and water for fish farming.

In the Upper East Region of Ghana, there is no farming season that passes by without tomato farmers committing suicide due to unpaid loan and lack of ready market for their produce.

Historically, no country has significantly reduced the poverty of its population without achieving a higher level of agricultural productivity and successfully connecting farmers to market options especially with the rise in population.

According to Dr. Tim Fox, a mix of technologies including storage and solar could transform the way rural communities live and work. In this way farm incomes can be increased, enabling farmers to invest in agriculture and thereby drive economic development forward.

Ghana needs to identify and connect local farmers with higher value market options locally, nationally and internationally through sustainable cold chains; both renewable and energy storage are essential to making that happen.

By
Farida Abubakari, Ghana
Global Ambassador for Youth and Enlightenment and Welfare (YEW) Ghana

Agricultural Economist, Soil Scientist and a Climate Tracker for the Adopt a Negotiator program. Email: [email protected]