CSIR warns of decline in indigenous Ghanaian Crops amid rising global demand
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has raised concerns over the gradual disappearance of several indigenous Ghanaian crop varieties from farms and local diets, even as international demand for these crops continues to increase.
According to a report by graphic.com.gh dated June 10, 2026, the Director of the Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute at Bunso, Dr Daniel Ashie Kotey, said many traditional crops that were once widely consumed in Ghana are becoming increasingly rare, raising fears of a possible irreversible loss of the country’s plant genetic heritage.
He described the trend as a “quiet emergency” affecting Ghana’s food systems, noting that both production and consumption of indigenous crops are in steady decline.
“The West is looking for these, our indigenous stuff, which are way healthier, and they are pricing them higher,” Dr Kotey said.
He stressed that the National Gene Bank’s mandate is to ensure that such genetic resources are preserved for future generations.
To protect these resources, the institute has conserved thousands of crop varieties and deposited duplicate samples at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. Ghana became the 100th institution globally to make a deposit at the facility in October 2023, sending seeds of maize, rice, eggplant and cowpea.
“If we lose everything in Ghana, we can recall some of this material,” Dr Kotey explained.
He identified crops such as water yam (Afaseɛ), yellow yam (Mankani) and African rice (Oryza glaberrima) as among indigenous varieties experiencing significant declines in cultivation and consumption.
Even commonly grown crops like cowpea are reportedly shifting away from traditional varieties in favour of improved types with larger seeds and faster cooking times.
Dr Kotey attributed the situation to changing dietary habits, urbanisation, climate change and modern farming practices that have reduced crop diversity. He noted that younger generations are increasingly disconnected from traditional foods, contributing to reduced demand.
“Our kids no longer eat some of the things that we used to eat,” he said.
The Bunso-based institute currently maintains about 6,000 accessions of crop genetic resources, including more than 600 varieties each of maize, rice and cowpea, as well as numerous varieties of tomato and pepper.
It also preserves indigenous leafy vegetables such as ayoyo, ademe and alefu, alongside crops including African yam bean, pigeon pea and bambara groundnut.
Dr Kotey further warned that Ghana is missing out on economic opportunities linked to indigenous crops, citing baobab as an example of a plant that is being commercialised abroad while remaining underutilised locally.
“Over here, we have left it in the wild,” he noted.
Beyond conservation, the institute supplies planting materials to farmers, researchers, breeders and students, and works to regenerate rare crop varieties when demand arises.
“The value of what we do is justified by use. If we collect and conserve and nobody uses them, there’s no point,” he said.
He reiterated the institute’s commitment to safeguarding Ghana’s agricultural biodiversity, describing it as a “living library” that preserves the country’s food heritage for future generations.
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