The initiative seeks to boost farmers’ livelihoods by promoting the adoption of improved vegetable varieties, increasing productivity, and strengthening the vegetable value chain.
It also includes nutrition education to encourage daily consumption of vegetables such as tomato, okra, and amaranth.

At a farmers’ field day on Tuesday, September 2, participants took part in a sensory test of dishes prepared from the new varieties, received training on best agronomic practices, and were supplied with seeds for trials on their farms.

Dr Michael Kwabena Osei, Principal Research Scientist at CSIR-CRI, said the improved varieties—such as CRI Kwabena and Copia tomatoes—were early-maturing, high-yielding, and tolerant to blight, with yields of up to 20 tons per hectare compared to the local average of seven to 10 tons.

He noted that the varieties were suitable both for fresh markets and processing, and urged farmers to adopt them as part of efforts to improve nutrition and reduce dependence on medicines.

“We want to go beyond field demonstrations. Today, farmers are tasting the food to assess aroma, taste, and overall acceptability. Once they embrace it, we link them to commercial seed producers so they can access these varieties on a larger scale,” he explained.

Mr Mawuli Abusah, District Director of Agriculture, noted that the new varieties have not only doubled yields compared to local seeds but also offer longer shelf life, which could reduce post-harvest losses and increase farmer incomes.

“We are also encouraging pregnant women and children to consume more vegetables for better nutrition,” he added.

Mr Paul Alhassan Zaato, Research Associate at the World Vegetable Centre, said the Centre’s role was to ensure that technologies developed under TAAT reached smallholder farmers, with CSIR serving as a key partner in Ghana.

Some farmers, including Tornu Bright and Kuatudzo Esther Deladem, testified to the superior performance of the new seeds.

“Kwabena Kwabena tomatoes yield far more than our local seeds and can stay up to two weeks without rotting. However, the seeds are expensive, so we recommend government subsidies,” they appealed.

Ms Deladem, a tomato processor, said the improved varieties have lower water content, which has significantly boosted her production efficiency.

“We encourage more farmers to embrace these varieties so we can reduce post-harvest losses in our communities,” she told Ghana News Agency.