Sydney Morical: Ghana Fellows, USC

6.28.12

Abuenu visit

“Obroni! Wha a you going?” Foreigner. White person. Where are you going? The cry has trailed me for the last month every time I step to a roadside.

“Abuenu,” Donatus says, haggling the cabbie down to 5 cedi.

We are on our way to a farming community in the Central Region, about 45 minutes drive from Asuansi Farm, our home away from home.

I have spent the last slice of my life here researching sustainable agriculture—how to grow food using methods that simultaneously preserve the environment for usage by the present and future ecological community, as well as nourishes the people that grow and consume the food—specifically examining cassava and oranges. I chose these two seemingly unrelated crops because I wanted to understand the barriers to implementing sustainable methodologies within opposite ends of the agricultural spectrum. On the one hand, the locally consumed and (to the small degree that it occurs) processed cassava has received relatively little foreign aid or national development, whereas the oranges, primarily destined for intranational processing and global export, are heavily influenced by the interests of the foreign consumers. Using this case study to understand how the barriers for implementation of sustainable methodologies differ between food and export cash crops, I then extrapolate from there about how sustainable agriculture can effectively be incorporated into national food security, economic security, and ecological preservation.

Rising out of the lush forest emerges a river of rock flowing directly into the village. Getting out of the cab, everyone immediately knows we have arrived. We meander between houses that are little more than cement framings with thatch or tin roofing, navigating around chickens and goats until we come to an unremarkable house. As we arrive, Nicholas is waiting for us. What seems like infinite extended family and children are clustered around the fire where fish and rat are smoking for dinner.

From there we began our trek into the “bush”, small pathways that ultimately spit you out into the middle of cassava field. Donatus quickly begins to explain through the rain the schema for how the plots were set up. Throughout my entire experience here, Donatus has been a constant figure. As the agricultural extension officer for the Asebu district, his intimate relationships with the regional farmers, access to information sessions, and translational skills have been indispensible to my research. He and many others from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), University of Cape Coast, and GIZ have been so gracious with their time, often speaking with me or showing me around for hours at a time.

Today is no different. After we machete our way out of the forest, we return to the unremarkable house, where the women with dirty children beseech me to wash and towel dry my feet. The whole cassava farming group had been mustered. The field we visited was a demo plot sponsored by MOFA that they were in charge of caring for intended to teach best practices, serve as an opportunity for farmers to show their dedication to a community project, and eventually become an establish Farmer Based Organization (FBO).

All but one of the cassava farmers were women at this session. They had come from their cooking and hauling to speak to me. With avid eyes and children on their laps, they told me about how the cassava wasn’t enough to make a living, that the market was bad, and that there was no opportunity to grow other crops.

I left with a feeling that I’d felt all too often while I was here: gratitude. I didn’t come here with the impression that I was going to do some good or cause some change. I came here to listen, listen to a language that I can’t understand but to thoughts that I can and try to discern. How fortunate am I to have found so many who are quite literally trying to put food into mouths that are excited about being interviewed and willing to speak about their experiences. Gathering personal insight such as this would have been near impossible in this kind of timeframe in the US. In a land where the color of my skin often connotes money and foreigner, it is amazing to have people treat you so genuinely.

As Donatus and I waited for the impending rains and the dilapidated taxi, I voiced my concern, “I just don’t know where any of this is going. I don’t think it will make a difference.” Obroni, where are you going? Despite my predetermination that I wasn’t going to make an impact, a part of me desperately longed to be a part of this community effort to feed and preserve despite knowing that the community members were the best ones to solve their own issues.

“No, it will,” he said. “It just takes a while. But you will come back. You must.”

Patience. I suppose only by acknowledging differences and returning to become a part of the community can I slowly begin to be a part of the solution on the ground. Until then, I will be content with the personal community I’ve found for myself here and work towards similar endeavors on the ground that I stand on.

Jessica Friedmann: Ghana Fellow, USC

I’ve started writing this blog post several times, and each time have gotten distracted by one of my fellow group members, my research, or occasionally a delicious Ghanaian meal. With so many exciting things going on all the time, I’ve struggled to find time to sit down and reflect, but here goes!

First, a little bit about myself. My name is Jessie Friedmann and I am an incoming junior at USC studying Public Policy and Psychology. Both in the classroom and out, I am very interested in youth development, especially as it pertains to public health. Here in Ghana, I have been researching HIV/AIDS prevention in youth populations, primarily teenagers. In the past five weeks I have been visiting schools, talking to government officials, and interviewing non-governmental organizations with the hopes of eventually understanding what resources are available to teens through the education system, governmental medical support, and NGO outreach. To say this has been interesting would be an enormous understatement.

While I love my classes and extra-curricular activities at USC, being able to perform first-hand research about a topic that I’m passionate about has been beyond rewarding. Last week, I was fortunate enough to speak with a project manager at Planned Parenthood of Ghana about my research topic, and ended up in his office for upwards of two hours. Despite us having few similarities, we had a gripping conversation about the Ghanaian education system, HIV stigma, and girl’s empowerment. I left his office feeling not only informed, but also extremely inspired.

Inspiring is how I would describe this entire experience. From our group’s gripping dinner conversations, to meeting with Senior Secondary teachers about the importance of education, I have been in constant awe for the past five weeks. Though going back to the United States will be bittersweet, I am confident that the knowledge, memories, and possibly the mosquito bites I have acquired over the past month will stay with me forever. I am so thankful to have had this experience, and can’t wait to travel more in the future.

Jonathan Tsang: Ghana Fellow, USC

My Journey Thus Far (6/20)

After having been in the country for nearly a month, I can now collect my thoughts and present a more well-rounded view of my experience in Ghana. At first the task seemed difficult. How exactly is one supposed to feel when one is confronted with spellbinding rainforests while simultaneously witnessing the ubiquitous shanties that dot the mountainside? Or when beautiful instances of human generosity are extended against blatant acts of discrimination? Instead of settling on one grand, overarching adjective, I am of the opinion that Ghana’s story and character is yet to be decided. There is much at stake even in this coming year. Elections for a new president will take place against a backdrop of economic revival. Talk of change and of a brighter future is in the air. I think that anything less than a mixed review is disservice to the former British colony.

But I did not expect to feel that way. I came in to the Fellowship thinking that I was going to help make a difference. To be sure, I was expecting a huge learning curve and plenty of opportunities to be humiliated, but few enter into an independent research project thinking otherwise. Having taken a class about the economics of less developed countries with John Strauss at USC, I started my research into cocoa fertilizer usage with a lot of frustrations. Why aren’t the Ghanaian farmers using fertilizers? Why don’t they fix the inaccessible roads that increase transport costs? I posed these questions to district directors from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, professors from the University of Cape Coast and consultants at non-governmental organizations. Naturally, they all gave me different answers. The farmers don’t have the financial ability to afford fertilizers, one would say, and the potholed roads are at the end of the priority list. Another would venture that farmers wanted to subvert government efforts as an act of rebellion, and that the roads were being fixed as we spoke. The myriad of responses were intriguing but exasperating as well.

On the day of my 22^nd birthday I took a trotro to Kruwa, a small farming village twenty minutes away from Nyamedom, the village neighboring our quaint Asuansi. Upon the request of the farmer group leader I had bought 54 packets of soda crackers at 9 cedis (around US$4.81). We give away presents on our birthdays, the leader says. What altruism, I thought. As the farmers snacked on my meager offering, I interviewed them one by one. How many years have you been a farmer? How big is your farm? Do you use fertilizer? Here, without the pretenses of academia, was the forefront of grassroots research. Data were the toothy grins and inquisitive smiles in front of me. The farmers welcomed my questions and thanked me for the great help I was being. I was horrified. No, thank you! I was riding a huge high.

I have more than a week left in Ghana, but I am excited to continue my research. I still have unanswered questions, but one thing is increasingly clear: people, not crunched data, are what we need to care about. I’ve never been so humbled in my life.

Natalie Sarubbi: Ghana Fellow, Rochester

Akwaaba (Hello)!

My name is Natalie Sarubbi and I am from Rochester, NY. I graduated last year with a degree in Marketing and plan to pursue my Masters in non-profit management or international development. It has been so much fun getting to know everyone from the West Coast. Our group has a very diverse set of personalities, yet we all get along so well with one another. Our nightly dinners inevitably end with us deep in discussion about various life topics and the things we feel passionate about. It is nice to be with a group of people who respect each others’ differences as well as our similarities.

Adapting to Ghana and its culture has been incredibly interesting and fun. I was surprised to find out that apparently I am the one with the weakest stomach! Luckily, my few bouts of sickness have been very short-lived and I am up and working again in no time. Asuansi farm is a beautiful place to live, but our weekend excursions have given us the opportunity to see more of Ghana and even enjoy a shower. Although I have to say that living in a place where you have to carry and fill up your own buckets of water really makes you realize how wasteful we are. Generally speaking, Ghanaians are very nice and welcoming- although we do have to fight off the occasional marriage proposal.  

I decided I wanted my research to focus on the impact Western culture has had on Ghanaian society, and more specifically, how Ghanaians feel about our culture in relation to their own. Ghana is very much a religious country (the vast majority are Christian) and plays a major role in most every family and community. Having said that, it has been interesting to read through my surveys of high school students because a large percentage of them have stated that what they do not like about our culture is our acceptance of homosexuality. Ghanaians generally seem to love Obama, but since his recent decision to support gay marriage it is clear that it has become a hot topic amongst a culture that does not condone homosexuality. They do, however, tend to like our entertainment and generally find Americans to be friendly and helpful people. So far the biggest surprise in my research has been that if given a significant amount of money, the vast majority would spend it on their education; not cars, clothes, and other things we might expect many people in the U.S. to spend it on.

I can’t believe we have less than two weeks left already! I really have no idea where the time went. Probably mostly due to the fact that almost no one here owns a watch or goes by any set schedule- contrary to our way of life back home. I wish I had more time to spend here, but I am excited to make the most out of the time we have left and am grateful for the time I have had. So far my experience has been wonderful, and I have no doubt that it will continue to be.

Megan Horowitz: Ghana Fellow, USC

It is June 12th, and I can’t believe I’ve already spent over two weeks in this beautiful country. It is truly a world away from everything I am accustomed to, yet it has been one of the most eye-opening and defining experiences of my life. I could write for days about my experiences so far, but here a few tidbits from my life in Ghana so far:

5/29/12

A few things I will never take for granted after today…some obvious, some not so much:
 • Showers
• Flush-able toilets
• Water from the tap (or any other source other than a bag)
• Fresh air
• Non-corrupt police

Today has been the first of many adventures in Ghana. We woke up this morning to a beautiful view of the ocean and a delicious breakfast cooked by the women at the Rising Phoenix. Their kitchen is very small, so they brought one meal out a time, but the food was delicious. The drive through Accra was unlike anything I have experienced before. The city is one of extreme poverty with trash-filled streets, reckless drivers, and tiny shack dwellings packed together. While we sat in traffic, listening to the sounds of constant horns, venders were crowding at our windows with bags of water, candy, and other strange food items. It was definitely a strange experience, but then again, I’m sure a van full of Americans isn’t something they see everyday either. When we finally got out of the city, we were met with fresh air and lush greenery on either side of the road. After getting settled at Asuansi, we took a walk into the nearest town, called Yamadam, to buy some bread, fruit, and nuts to have at the house. The kids were just getting out of school, and most were astonished to see white people in their village. Everyone was extremely friendly though, and I definitely felt more at ease than in Accra. The town is tiny and also extremely poor, but the people seem genuinely happy. It was such a breath of fresh air from the often materialistic US.

6/1/12

The past two days have been extremely productive on the research front! After a quick bucket shower and breakfast, we headed to Yamadam to catch a Tro Tro to the district office in Abura Dunkwa. After a long wait and two Indiana Jones style rides, we arrived in Abura Dunkwa, and I was immediately taken aback by the striking district office building. It was quite a change from the tiny hut-like homes and broken down buildings that make up most of the villages, and everyone was dressed in sharp business attire. We met with the District Head of Education and each wrote up an outline our individual research for him to read. He was extremely helpful and told us to come back the next day so he could look over our summaries and figure out how to best assist us. We then headed over to the Asuansi Technical Institute, which is a little ways down the road, and it is a beautiful school. It is a three-year trade college set on a huge piece of property, and we ran into a herd of goats that were absolutely hilarious to watch. We wandered around for a while until we found the principle and asked if we could talk with him. He was also extremely helpful and told us we could come to the school anytime and he would help with whatever we needed. Although some Ghanaians seem to be irritated by the presence of Americans in their country, most are incredibly generous and show a genuine interest in our work. We met Kwe-que, a mechanical engineering professor from Cape Coast, and he was fascinating. He was very proficient in English, and he walked back to the farm with us so he could tell us about Ghana’s economic status. Once we got back, we attempted to visit the headmaster at the farm school again, but she had gone home for the day, so we spent the afternoon working on research. Lawrence gave us the key to his conference room (which has fans!), so we’ve all been sitting in there typing away.