We are Liza and Evi and we just completed 2,5 months of research in Ghana. We looked at greenhouses in Ghana, mainly focussing on the challenges greenhouse farmers face here. Furthermore, the greenhouses are partly made of a UV resistant plastic that has a lifespan of about three to five years. To ensure sustainable farming we also looked at how these plastics are disposed of now and how these materials could be recycled. Both of us did not have a background in agriculture, but we were excited to learn. In Ghana we worked together with the University of Cape Coast. To collect data we interviewed a number of greenhouse farmers, as well as other stakeholders, like greenhouse suppliers. Our research was focused on the provinces Central Region and Greater Accra. After collecting our data we mapped the challenges we found and looked at possible ways to overcome them. To know more about waste disposal and recycling in Ghana we talked with a professor specialized in this field. This helped us understand what might be possible for the recycling of greenhouse plastics. In the end we put everything together in a report. We learned a lot during our time in Ghana. It was interesting seeing how (greenhouse) farming is done there, but, besides agriculture knowledge, we also improved our research knowledge. We learned how to properly conduct interviews and worked a lot on our qualitative research skills. These are definitely attributes that we will be using in the rest of our academic career.
