Dr. Kwekucher Ackah a crop scientist from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has called on urban residents to take advantage of available spaces in their homes to cultivate food, contributing to improved food security.
Speaking to THSJ, he outlined practical methods like rooftop gardening, container farming, and the repurposing of everyday household materials to grow vegetables and other crops.
According to Dr. Ackah, rooftop spaces, commonly underutilized, can be transformed into productive gardens. He highlighted an example from UCC, where students have turned the rooftop of one of the halls into a vegetable garden, growing produce for sale.
“People can also utilize any space within their homes to grow food,” he said. “Even those with lawns who don’t want to disturb the landscape can use raised beds, which can be beautifully arranged without damaging the lawn.”
Dr. Ackah also encouraged the use of flower pots for growing vegetables, sharing how a member of his Home Gardening Ghana group converted ornamental flower pots into productive vegetable-growing containers.
“If flowers can grow in these pots, crops can as well,” he noted, urging homeowners to adopt this practice. In addition to flower pots, Dr. Ackah proposed reusing discarded car tires and rice sacks as planting containers. For example, yam can be successfully grown in 25-kilo rice sacks,” he explained.
“By filling the sacks with soil and planting yam sets, you’ll be able to harvest your yams in about eight months.”
He also recommended cutting plastic buckets or gallons in half and creating drainage holes to grow crops like lettuce. Dr. Ackah, who oversees the Home Gardening Ghana Facebook group with over 300,000 members, invited urban residents to join and learn from experienced gardeners.
He emphasized that urban gardening not only provides households with fresh produce but also offers a sustainable way to repurpose waste materials, helping both food production and environmental conservation. Through his advocacy, Dr. Ackah continues to inspire Ghanaians to embrace innovative gardening techniques, contributing to a more sustainable urban food supply system.
