Food security - a global concern - OCRCase study - food sustainability - Ghana

Increasing food supplies without damaging the environment is a challenge for all countries. Ghana is aiming at food security by using sustainable methods in fish farming.

Case study: the Tropo fish farm, Ghana

The Tropo fish farm was set up in 1997 on Lake Volta, 80 km northeast of the capital Accra. It is the second largest fish farm in Africa. It began selling in 2003. In 2014 the farm had 800 workers and produced 6,000 tonnes of fish. It now aims at producing more than 10,000 tonnes per year. Within the 32 hectares hatchery, there are 20 million fingerlings.

The main species produced is the Tilapia, a local species. 400,000 tonnes of fish are eaten in Ghana each year. Ghana's natural fishing lakes and marine sources are overfished and degraded, so fish farming has the potential to play a key part in Ghana's food security.

Social impacts

• The jobs and wages transform the lives of the workers and fish traders.
• Workers learn new skills. Some have now set up small fish farms to support their income.
• The company funds schools, students and boreholes for fresh water.
• More fresh protein is available to the population. This improves health and well-being.

Economic impacts

• Workers and traders have more money.
• The company finances some small fish traders and arranged bank credit for others who sold their fish.
• The farm is economically sustainable but not yet fully profitable, as money has been reinvested for expansion.

Environmental impacts

• The area has poor soils which are protected from arable farming by the fish farming.
• The farm management has sustained the Tilapia and seen more species thrive in the lake.
• The lake's shores have been planted with trees to protect the shores and encourage wildlife.
• Food waste and faeces levels are carefully monitored in the water. Some waste is eaten by fish in the lake but not by the ones in the hatchery cages.