Cropping Systems: With particular emphasis on dry season vegetable production in Ghana.

2008

English

In Ghana the main vegetables grown include tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum), onion (Allium cepa L.), shallots (Allium cepa var ascalonicum Don), pepper, okra, garden eggs, Kontomire (cocoyam leaves), Carrots, (Cowpea leaves, Alefi leaves (Amaranthus incurvatus), Lettuce, Cabbage, Sweet potato leaves (Ipomea batatas) and Eyoyio leaves (Corchurus tridens). However there are others, which are less known or under-utilised. The green leaf vegetable "Bokoboko" (Talinum triangulare) and the unripe pawpaw (Carica papaya L.) fruit are examples. In the northern part of the country vegetables are usually cultivated during the dry season along dam sites, dug-outs and wells and also during the rainy season, while in the southern part they are often grown in the Home garden within the compound of individual houses and also along water-ways in the cities. Due to the fast growing population, the high demand for these vegetables and a deficit in production, there is a need to increase the production of both local and exotic vegetables in urban areas to meet the nutritional requirements of the people. Unlike other crops such as cereal, legumes and root and tuber crops there has been very little research on both local and exotic vegetable crops in the Ghana. This chapter reviews the little research that has been conducted in Ghana on the vegetable crop and discusses potential future research areas.

Kanton, R. A. L.