Three young men from Nankpaanabule in the Vieri Electoral Area of the Wa West District have ditched illegal mining, also known locally as galamsey, for dry season vegetable cultivation in nearby Balawa.
Balawa, famed for traditional bone-setting, boasts a year-round dam shared with communities like Siiru. Yet, the resource remains largely untapped for dry season farming, particularly tomatoes, which become scarce across Ghana during the harmattan.
With vast lands lying fallow in the dry season, the trio, all former galamsey operators in southern Ghana approached relatives in Balawa for farming plots.
Speaking to Yiri News, Dari Donatus explained: “We hail from Nankpaanabule, but there’s no dam there. We’d turn to galamsey every dry season, constantly chased by security. This year, we’re done. We begged our in-laws for land.”
Donatus described the venture as capital-intensive. Their relatives provided a large plot, but fencing and irrigation proved daunting. “We bought a water pump for GH¢3,000, a few yards of hose for GH¢500, and wire fencing for GH¢1,000,” he said.
To avoid bankruptcy, they improvised with sticks and thorns for barriers and borrowed extra hoses.Initial costs exceeded GH¢250 on fuel for the pump and pesticides.
Despite this, yields are promising but market woes persist.
“Buyers in Wa, Ponyentanga, and other markets lowball our tomatoes, claiming they’re too perishable compared to Burkina Faso imports,” Donatus lamented.
The group urges government policies to boost dry season farming in remote areas, arguing Ghana could meet its vegetable needs.
They appeal to Wa West MP Peter Lanchene Toobu and DCE Richard Wullo for a dam in Nankpaanabule. They also seek NGO and philanthropist support to expand operations and encourage other youth.
