Abstract
Vegetable farming is the most practiced urban agriculture in Ghana. A previous study of our laboratory revealed poor microbial quality of, and presence of Salmonella on, leafy green vegetables grown or sold in Accra, Ghana. The aims of this study were to determine agricultural practices of urban vegetable farmers and the association between agricultural practices and microbial safety of vegetables produced. A survey was conducted among 102 farmers from 12 farming areas who produced exotic and indigenous leafy greens in Accra, Ghana to identify their farming practices. It was observed that water from waste drains pumped into shallow wells was used for irrigation by 70% of the farmers. Incompletely composted manure was commonly used (99%) in farming. Vegetables were usually harvested using bare hands (96%) and knives (73%) and transported mainly in sacks (94%) to market centers under non-refrigerated conditions. Over 60% of the farmers disagreed that the use of polluted irrigation water can contaminate vegetables or make consumers sick. According to the seemingly unrelated regression model, farmers with no formal education and less food safety knowledge and had been planting on their current farmlands for several years were likely to produced vegetables with higher fecal coliform and Enterococcus sp. counts compared to other farmers. Vegetables cultivated by farmers who disagreed that the use of contaminated water can make consumers sick were associated with the production of vegetables with high fecal coliform and Enterococcus sp. counts. Education and improved agricultural and post-harvest handling practices should be encouraged among vegetable producers in the area to improve food safety.
Highlights
Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) includes agricultural activities such as production, processing and distribution occurring within, and around cities for home consumption and/or for the urban market
The UPA vegetable farming is usually implemented as: year-round production of vegetables mainly for commercial purposes, peri-urban farming where vegetables are grown on a seasonal basis for commercial purposes, and backyard farming where vegetables are cultivated usually for home consumption or commercial purposes [8]
Semi structured questionnaires were administered to 102 farmers from 12 farming areas to obtain information on farming and postharvest practices associated with leafy green vegetable cultivation
Summary
Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) includes agricultural activities such as production, processing and distribution occurring within, and around cities for home consumption and/or for the urban market. Increased UPA activities have been attributed to increasing urbanization in many countries around the world. It is a significant source of fresh and perishable food, income and food security [1,3,4,5,6]. The UPA vegetable farming is usually implemented as: year-round production of vegetables mainly for commercial purposes, peri-urban farming where vegetables are grown on a seasonal basis for commercial purposes, and backyard farming where vegetables are cultivated usually for home consumption or commercial purposes [8]. Vegetable farms are usually situated close to various sources of water to meet year-round irrigation and production demands [8]. Vegetables are harvested and usually bought by wholesalers and retailers who transport them to markets [9]
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