The 3News Research Desk has found that food wasted in Ghana in a single year could feed the entire Ashanti Region for more than 18 months.
Other findings made include:
- Every GHC100 a Ghanaian makes, GHC42 goes straight into food.
- Fruits and vegetables experience up to 66% losses before reaching consumers.
- Only about 3% of Ghana’s cultivated land is irrigated.
- Ashanti Region had the most farming households (910,647 total households, of which 436,019 were agricultural)
Read full research report below:
Agricultural Workforce & Farmers:
In 2018, about 2.57 million households in Ghana were engaged in agriculture (out of ~4.86 million total households). Farming dominates rural livelihoods: roughly 39.5% of Ghana’s workforce was employed in agriculture in 2021, and an estimated 75% of the rural population works in farming (2023). By region, the Ashanti Region had the most farming households (910,647 total households, of which 436,019 were agricultural), whereas Greater Accra had only 11% of its households in agriculture (91,236 agri-households out of 834,058). (For comparison, Northern and Upper East regions each have very high agricultural shares – 80–87% of households farming.)
Challenges Facing Farmers:
Ghanaian farmers face multiple structural and market challenges. Climate shocks are growing: for example, drought followed by floods in 2021 caused northern farmers to expect ~50% smaller harvests than normal. The sector remains almost entirely rainfed: only about 3% of cultivated land is irrigated, leaving yields highly weather-dependent. Pest and disease losses are severe – the fall armyworm pest alone cost Ghana an estimated US$177 million in maize losses in 2018, and cocoa farmers have lost over 500,000 ha of cocoa farms to swollen-shoot virus by 2024. Farmers also grapple with poor post-harvest storage and market access: in 2024 an estimated 100,000+ metric tons of maize and rice remained unsold, trapping farmers in debt and driving prices below production costs. Cheap imports and smuggling of rice and poultry further depress local prices. High input costs are another issue: food-price inflation soared into the 20–30% range in 2023–24 (e.g. food CPI +29.6% y/y in Mar 2024), raising costs for seeds, fertilizer and diesel faster than farmers’ incomes. Limited infrastructure (roads, storage, processing) and weak credit access compound these problems. In sum, climate variability, pests/disease, low mechanization, market gluts and high input prices jointly burden Ghana’s smallholder farmers, eroding incomes and productivity.
Agriculture’s GDP Contribution
Agriculture’s share of Ghana’s GDP has been declining over decades. In the 1970s it was the economy’s largest sector (over 60% of GDP in 1978); by 2019 it had fallen to about 17%. In recent years it has stabilized around one-fifth of GDP. World Bank data show agriculture (including forestry and fishing) was about 20.7% of GDP in 2024 (down from 20.9% in 2023). In 2024 and early 2025 quarterly reports this share fluctuated in the low-20s: e.g. 23.5% in Q1 2025. 2025 Q1 figures show the agricultural sector growing robustly (real GDP growth ~+6.6% year-on-year, highest among sectors). Nevertheless, services (and industry) now dominate Ghana’s economy. Within agriculture, export crops are especially significant: for example, cocoa remains vital, contributing roughly 15% of GDP and supporting an estimated 3.2 million people (directly or indirectly). Overall, Ghana’s agriculture is a large but steadily shrinking part of the economy: historical highs (~60%) have given way to the ~20–25% range in recent years.
Food Insecurity and Nutrition
Despite abundant farmland, hunger persists. World Food Programme data (2024) report about 2.02 million Ghanaians currently facing acute food insecurity. Chronic undernutrition is also substantial: around 22.2% of the population is undernourished (Global Hunger Index). Over 1 million children under 5 suffer chronic malnutrition (stunting). Ghana’s 2023 Hunger Index score is 28.5 (classified as “serious” hunger), with ~15.7% of under-5s stunted and under-5 mortality 13.7%. Regional disparities are stark: the Northern and “transition” zones (together 28% of population) account for 56% of all food-insecure people. And trends are worrying: some forecasts suggest that by 2029 about 11.7% of Ghanaians (≈3.6 million people) could be food-insecure.
- Key figures: Current food insecurity ~2.0 million people (worsened in 2024). Global Hunger Index 2023: 5 overall (undernourished 22.2%, child stunting 15.7%)[16]. Stunting (under-5) ~17.5% (2019 data), wasting ~6.8%. (By contrast, Ghana’s malnutrition rates are lower than some regional neighbors, but still far above desirable levels.)
Food Import Bill
Ghana is a net importer of food, especially staples and livestock products. In 2024 alone Ghana spent about GH₵38.95 billion on imported food (roughly US$3.2–3.3 billion). This was up by GH₵12.2b from 2023. Over half of all key food supplies in 2024 came from imports. Major import categories include: cereals (rice, wheat, etc.) at GH₵3.37b (8.6% of food imports), frozen poultry at GH₵5.27b (combined cuts and offal, ~13.5%), sugar (GH₵2.37b), raw cocoa beans (GH₵2.00b), milled rice (GH₵3.05b), and even shea products (GH₵3.48b total). A broad “other food products” category is the largest (46.6% of the total). Dependence on few source countries (over 53% of imports from three countries in key items) heightens risk. This massive import bill highlights Ghana’s domestic production shortfalls in cereals, meats and other food commodities.
Household Food Expenditure
Food consumes a very large share of Ghanaian household budgets. The Consumer Price Index weights food & non-alcoholic beverages at 42.7%, meaning more than two-fifths of average household spending is on food. (Lower-income families typically spend an even higher share on food.) Surveys indicate this share has been rising: for example, recent reports cite ~62% of household spending going to food in 2022. High food inflation compounds this burden – with CPI food inflation running into the 20–30% range, many households are spending more and more just to maintain caloric intake.
Food Waste and Post-Harvest Losses
Food waste is a colossal problem. Recent estimates suggest Ghana loses about $1.9 billion (USD) per year to post-harvest agricultural losses. At the same time, Ghana wastes roughly 3.2 million metric tons of food annually (equivalent to GH₵762.3 billion) – enough to feed millions. Losses are heaviest in perishables: about 66% of fruits & vegetables, 40% of root crops (tubers), and 21% of grains produced go to waste somewhere along the farm-to-table chain. Much of this waste occurs at harvest, storage and market due to inadequate roads, lack of storage/cold-chain, and limited processing. For scale: the annual food and beverage consumption of the entire Ashanti Region (~$1.2 billion) could be supplied by just 18 months worth of the country’s food waste. Reducing these losses is critical: Ghana has even set targets to cut post-harvest losses 50% and food waste 30% by 2030. But current infrastructure and logistics gaps mean large quantities of nutritious food never reach consumers.
Other Key Indicators
- Land & Farming: About 4% of Ghana’s land area is agricultural (cropland + permanent pasture), with 20.7% arable land (2022). Despite this potential, only ~3% of cultivated land is irrigated, making farming highly rain-dependent.
- Inputs & Productivity: Fertilizer use is low (28.9 kg/ha of arable land in 2023), and cereal yields are modest (~2.69 tonnes/ha in 2023), reflecting limited technology adoption.
- Employment: Agricultural employment (incl. forestry/fisheries) is about 4% of total employment (2023), underscoring the sector’s role as a major employer. In contrast, only ~10–12% of urban households are engaged in farming.
- Nutrition & Hunger: Ghana’s 2023 Global Hunger Index is 5 (“serious” hunger). Child under-5 stunting is ~17.5%, and wasting ~6.8%. Around 22% of Ghanaians are undernourished (GHI indicator).
- Agricultural Growth: In recent quarters agriculture has outpaced other sectors in growth. For example, in Q1 2025 agriculture grew ~6% year-on-year (vs 5.9% services, 3.4% industry), contributing to a GDP share of ~23.5% for that quarter.
- Inflation: Food price inflation has been much higher than general inflation (e.g. ~29.6% y/y in Mar 2024), significantly impacting purchasing power.
Each of these statistics – from the millions of farmers to the tons of food wasted – highlights Ghana’s agricultural structure: a predominantly smallholder, rainfed farming system facing climate shocks, pests, and market constraints. Improving productivity, market access and post-harvest infrastructure will be essential to transform these challenges and reduce the country’s heavy reliance on imported food.
By Wisdom Sarfo
