By Asem, Amissah, Kolog, Hodey & Amissah | University of Ghana
Walk through any market in Ghana – Madina, Kumasi Central, Tamale, or Cape Coast – and you will see baskets piled high with garden eggs, okra, turkey berries, and roselle leaves. These foods are central to everyday Ghanaian cooking and deeply rooted in local culture. Yet behind each basket lies a farmer who has faced difficult choices about how and where to sell their produce. Those choices, shaped by gender, education, geography, and access to infrastructure, often determine whether farming is barely survivable or truly rewarding.
Indigenous fruits and vegetables (IFVs) are among Ghana’s most valuable yet overlooked crops. They are nutrient‑rich, climate‑resilient, and well adapted to local growing conditions. For generations, farmers have cultivated crops like African eggplant and turkey berries with little external input. In recent years, production has even increased: okra output has risen markedly since 2010, and garden egg production has grown by nearly a third. Despite this, IFVs remain largely absent from formal value chains. Few reach supermarkets or structured buyers. Instead, they move through informal channels where farmers often have little power to influence prices.
To better understand this reality, researchers from the University of Ghana surveyed 289 IFV farmers across all sixteen regions of the country between December 2023 and February 2024. Farmers were asked where they sold their produce and what influenced those decisions. Four main market channels emerged: selling at the farm gate, selling at local markets, using intermediaries, or selling collectively through farmer‑based organizations (FBOs).
The results were telling. Most farmers (84 percent) sell at local markets, while nearly 70 percent rely on farm gate sales, waiting for buyers to come to them. About one‑third sell through intermediaries, and only around one in ten sell through FBOs, despite their widely recognised benefits.
Who a farmer is often determines where they sell. Gender also plays a major role. Female farmers are far more likely to sell at the farm gate, not by choice but by necessity. Household responsibilities, childcare, and limited mobility restrict their ability to travel to markets or participate actively in farmer groups. As a result, many women accept low prices simply to avoid losses.
Geography is equally influential. Farmers in northern Ghana depend more heavily on intermediaries than those in the south. Poor road networks, long distances to urban markets, and limited buyer connections make middlemen seem like the only viable option, even when they take a substantial cut. Education also matters. Better‑educated farmers are more likely to seek alternative buyers, understand price dynamics, and avoid exploitative arrangements.
Two factors stand out as game‑changers: membership in farmer‑based organizations and access to extension services. Farmers who belong to FBOs benefit from shared information, pooled produce, and stronger negotiating power. Those who regularly interact with extension officers are less dependent on middlemen because they gain access to market information and buyer networks, not just farming advice.
Post‑harvest losses further complicate farmers’ decisions. Fear of spoilage pushes many to sell quickly at whatever price is offered. Farmers with even basic storage or better handling practices can afford to wait for better deals and they do.
The study’s message is clear. Strengthening farmer organizations, investing in rural infrastructure, especially in northern Ghana, expanding market‑focused extension services, improving post‑harvest storage, and promoting fair contract farming could dramatically improve outcomes for IFV producers.
Every bowl of light soup or garden egg stew tells a bigger story. Supporting indigenous food farmers is not only about incomes. It is about food security, cultural preservation, and building a fairer, more resilient food system for Ghana’s future.
About the Research
This blog post is based on the peer-reviewed article “Choice of Market Participation Channels for Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables Producers in Ghana” by Freda Elikplim Asem, Jacqueline Naalamle Amissah, Jude Dokbila Kolog, Louis Sitsofe Hodey, and Joris Gerald Niilante Amissah, all from the University of Ghana. The study was published in Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal (2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/2160-1933/CGP/A222