Peasant farmers in Ghana are warning that the country’s already staggering annual food import bill of over $3.5 billion could rise further unless stronger action is taken against illegal mining.
Their concerns follow a new year-long study by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), which revealed alarming levels of mercury, arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals in soil, water, fish, and food crops across six mining-affected regions.
Mr. Bismark Nortey, Executive Director of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, said the findings paint a dire picture of the risks illegal mining poses to both food security and public health.
“I urge all ministries and government agencies responsible to use this report as a benchmark to protect our farmers. If the situation continues and farmers are forced to abandon production, the impact on our nation will be catastrophic,” he said.
Mr. Nortey stressed that consumers are already becoming wary of locally produced food because of contamination concerns.
“The current amount we spend on food imports, which we have already complained about, could escalate even more if nothing is done,” he cautioned.
The study, conducted between August 2024 and September 2025, documented severe pollution across artisanal and small-scale gold mining areas in Ashanti, Eastern, Central, Western, Western North, and Savannah regions.
In Konongo Zongo (Ashanti Region), soil mercury levels reached 1,342 ppm, more than 130 times the safe limit while airborne mercury at Wassa Kayianko (Western Region) peaked at 150 μg/m³, 150 times above Ghana’s permissible level.
However, arsenic contamination was found in nearly all regions, with soil at Konongo Zongo recording 10,060 ppm, 4000% above safety thresholds, and water at Konongo Odumase showing 3.3 mg/L, far beyond drinking water standards.
Lead concentrations in fish from Akwaboso (Central Region) and Konongo Zongo exceeded WHO safety limits, reaching 2.8 mg/kg, while pumpkin leaves in Western North contained as much as 3.1 mg/kg.
Furthermore, common staples including kontomire, tomatoes, cereals, legumes, and tubers tested positive for mercury, arsenic, and lead in some cases well above international food safety thresholds.
The findings confirm that heavy metal contamination is entering Ghana’s food chain, threatening not only farming livelihoods but also consumer health.
Chronic exposure to mercury, arsenic, and lead has been linked to nervous system damage, kidney failure, impaired child development, and other long-term health complications.
Experts warn that if farmlands and water sources continue to be compromised, farmers will be forced to scale back or abandon production altogether, making Ghana increasingly dependent on food imports.
This dependency, analysts say, will not only worsen the trade deficit but also expose consumers to global price shocks, as seen in the 2022–2023 food inflation crisis.
The researchers propose urgent, multi-sectoral action, including pilot remediation projects in hotspots such as Konongo Zongo using low-cost technologies like phytoremediation.
They also call for stricter enforcement of mining regulations, investments in clean water infrastructure, and expanded testing of food and agricultural produce.
“We cannot watch our soils and water poisoned while we spend billions importing what we could grow here safely,” Mr. Nortey stressed.
