Gold over crops: Illegal mining drives farmers away from food cultivation in Prestea  

It was one hot morning in 2023 when Mr. John Tawiah, popularly known as KK, a farmer in Amoanda, a community in the Prestea Huni-Valley District of the Western Region, lost his 35-acre farmland to illegal mining operations.

He had been cultivating palm trees and cocoyam on the land for seven years. However, the head of the family, from whom he acquired the land, one day cancelled the tenancy, claimed the land for himself and sold it out to illegal miners.

That marked the end of KK’s farm. What was once a thriving green farmland is now a barren, brown landscape – devastated in the search for gold.

“I was deeply hurt, but I had to move on,” KK says. “Imagine what someone without my farming capacity would do.”

The shift from farming to mining

Amoanda is a heavily mined community, home to thousands of illegal miners. An acre of land here is sold for between GHC60,000 and GHC80,000, amounts most farmers cannot afford. These amounts are too enticing for landowners to reject when offered by illegal miners.   

The rapid expansion of illegal mining in the area has led to the loss of farmlands, the migration of agricultural labourers to mining sites, the pollution of water bodies, and soil contamination.

– Mr. KK, a farmer in Amoada

Every day at about 7:00 AM in communities like Amoanda, Aboso, Dompem and Huni-Valley, hundreds of young men can be seen carrying gallons of fuel, preparing for another day in the illegal mining pits. Many of these young labourers had migrated to this part of the country from other regions for farming jobs but are now heavily into illegal mining activities.

“Most of the boys I brought in as farm labourers have abandoned farming for galamsey,” KK notes sadly. “Farmers here struggle to find workers because everyone is chasing gold money.”

Beyond losing his farmland, KK also lost his primary source of irrigation water. The once-reliable stream has been polluted by chemicals used in mining operations. Farmers in the area say the contaminated water affects cocoa and other crops, leading to declining yields.

“As we speak, water for our crops has become scarce. Today, if you go to the farm without purified water, you won’t have access to drinking water. Sometimes, to water our crops, we carry water in ‘Aboboyaa’ [tricycles] to the farm because the rivers have been polluted with chemicals,” Mr. KK laments.  “Last year, I planted some acres of cabbage and garden eggs, but within a few days of using the river water, the leaves turned yellow. I had to stop immediately and create my own dam.”

In Banso, another mining town in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, also in the Western Region, the situation is no different. Many farmlands have been dug up for illegal mining and many farmers are ready to sell their lands for mining rather than continue farming.

During a visit, a local resident, Nana Yaw, eagerly approached The Fourth Estate, readily offering to lease his land for mining. Upon realizing we were there to report on illegal mining, he responded in disappointment, “I thought you were searching for land for mining.”

Impact on food security

The loss of farmlands and declining agricultural yields has led to food shortages and inflation.

“With climate change worsening due to hot weather patterns, the plight of farmers has become even more difficult,” KK says. “Two years ago, I could harvest about one Kia Rhino truckload of produce from an acre of land, including 35 bags of pepper a day and seventy bags of garden eggs. But now, yields have dropped drastically.”

KK’s friend, another farmer in the area who wants to remain anonymous, shared a similar experience. He says he lost seven acres of cabbage because he used chemically polluted water on his farm.

When one farmer loses so much in a season as a result of pollution, the multiplying effect is that food becomes scarce, leading inevitably to increased food prices – according to the law of supply and demand.

“Today, cassava is so expensive that people can’t even afford it. Garden eggs that used to be GHC1,000 now sell for GHC2,500 to 2,800. This is due to several factors, including the agricultural workforce moving to galamsey,” KK explains. “We do this to cover our production costs. This is why foodstuffs have become expensive.”

He revealed that due to declining crop yields, chemicals are being used to inject cabbages to make them appear bigger.

“This year, we can’t anticipate but if it should continue then we are likely to face the same problem we faced last year. And, crops like water melon, cucumber, cabbage, garden egg and maize would be very difficult to plant because all these waters have been destroyed,” KK adds ruefully.  

The increasing disinterest in farming and food production in preference for illegal mining has also left idle at Amoanda, a gari and palm processing factory, built by Barbara Oteng Gyasi, a former Member of Parliament for the area who was also the Deputy Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts. The factory was meant to process cassava from local farmers but remains under lock and key as farmers either abandon or are forced to vacate their farmlands, which have been taken over by illegal miners. There is therefore a shortage of raw material (cassava) to feed the factory. 

In September 2023, with the help of Barbara Oteng Gyasi, a joint initiative between the district assembly and local farmers secured about 500 acres of land from the Minerals Commission for cassava cultivation and also palm plantation. However, that effort was abandoned as many farmers drifted into gold mining, with its promise of quick money.

In the same year, over 50,000 plantation seedlings were distributed to farmers for palm plantations, but the initiative was also abandoned because farmers considered crop cultivation more time consuming and less profitable unlike mining.

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) paints a concerning picture, as prices of numerous staple foodstuffs have increased, placing additional strain on household budgets.

Leading the list is ginger, which has recorded a staggering 114.4% price hike, making it the most inflated food product in Ghana. Beans have also experienced a significant 84.6% increase year-on-year. Meanwhile, dried pepper prices have surged by 82.1%, and okra and onions have each jumped by 79.6%. Yam prices have risen by 72.9%, cocoyam increased by 59.3%, and citrus fruits, such as lime, saw a 58.4% rise.

To ban or not to ban?

Despite acknowledging the devastating impact of illegal mining on farming, Mr. KK does not support a total ban on the activity.

“In a way, galamsey has reduced crime and improved livelihoods for many people,” he explains. “I don’t support banning it entirely, but the government must regulate it to ensure sustainability.”

He advocates for better support systems, including the establishment of dams and the provision of modern farming machinery, to make agriculture attractive to young people.

Mr. Thompson Acquah Nana Banyin, Western Regional Agriculture Director, warns that illegal mining is severely threatening the agricultural sector.

“I don’t know of any community in Tarkwa where illegal mining is not taking place,” he says. “This practice has been rampant since 2017, affecting crops like coffee, rubber, and cocoa.”

Out of the municipality’s total land area of 978.26 square kilometers, 31% is classified for agricultural production. A least one-tenth of the land earmarked for farming has already been lost to illegal mining, according to Nana Banyin.

Rice production in Simpa, for example, is under serious threat, with vast farmlands lost and water sources polluted by illegal mining activities.

“The situation is very pathetic,” Nana Banyin laments. “If stringent policies are not implemented, Ghana may soon have to import food to survive.”

Dr. Charles Nyaaba, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Akuafo Nketewa Company Limited, the business wing of the Peasant Farmers Association (PFAG), estimates that about two million farmers across the country have given away their farmland for illegal mining.

“In many cases, miners acquire land near farms, pollute the surrounding area, and make it difficult for farmers to access their fields, forcing them to sell,” he says. “Other times, chiefs and traditional leaders forcefully change land ownership in favor of illegal miners.”

The association, Dr. Nyaaba says, only has data on farmers who have lost their lands, but lacks comprehensive figures on how illegal mining has impacted overall crop production in Ghana. The most affected area, he said, include Ahafo, Central, Western, Western North, Ashanti, Bono and Eastern Regions, he says. He is proposing the demarcation and protection of farmlands from illegal mining.

Apart from contributing to a reduced food supply, illegal mining is also polluting soil and underground water. A recent study by the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Adansi North, in the Ashanti Region, revealed that the concentration of harmful chemicals in water sources has increased significantly, further endangering food security.

On average, in each kilogram of soil tested, the permissible mercury concentration rose from 0.03 milligrams to 2.5 milligrams, lead from 0.1 milligrams to 0.5 milligrams, and arsenic from 0.5 milligrams to 1.15 milligrams, while cadmium levels remained between 0.5 and 0.6 milligrams.

The transfer of heavy metals to crops for human consumption has the potential to cause lung damage, kidney damage, allergies, multi-organ dysfunction, encephalopathy, bone marrow depression, and diarrhea.

Children are particularly vulnerable, experiencing problems with learning and concentration, while cardiovascular issues and kidney dysfunction are also common risks.

Dr. Kwaku Onwona-Hwesofour Asante, Research Scientist at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute and an Agroecology and Environmental Governance Expert, noted that the findings of heavy metals are “worrying to scientists.”