Did you know you can grow toma­toes, peppers, kontomire, and even carrots in plastic bottles, buckets, or old cooking pots right on your balcony or backyard?

Across Ghana, families are re­discovering the joy and power of growing their food, even with limited space and resources. With rising food prices and growing concerns about chemically treated produce, more people are turning to home gardens as a low-cost, healthy, and empower­ing solution to address malnutrition and food insecurity.

Malnutrition remains one of Gha­na’s most urgent challenges, with children facing stunted growth and anaemia, while adults battle increas­ing cases of obesity and diet-related illnesses. But solving this crisis isn’t just about eating more, it’s about eating right, eating safely, and eat­ing smart. And that starts with going back to our roots.

By planting vegetables at home, families can cut food costs, eat fresher meals, and reduce depen­dence on produce grown with harm­ful chemicals. Schools, churches, and even workplaces are joining the movement by creating small gar­dens to promote good nutrition and self-reliance.

The revival of traditional Ghana­ian foods

At the heart of this movement is a revival of traditional Ghanaian foods. Once staples in every kitchen, crops like millet, legumes, baobab, and cocoyam are naturally packed with nutrients our bodies need. These local superfoods are making a comeback, not just for their health benefits, but also for their cultural pride and affordability. They grow well in our soil, suit our climate, and nourish our families.

Ensuring food safety and sustain­ability

Good nutrition also means know­ing how our food is grown. With increased use of pesticides and environmental threats like illegal mining contaminating farmlands and water sources, the need for safe, sustainable farming is urgent. Home gardening allows us to control how we grow, what we grow, and how we feed our families.

Education and awareness are key. Through school programs, community cooking demos, and social media, more people are learning that nutritious eating doesn’t require import­ed products or expensive sup­plements. It starts with what’s already around us, our land, our seeds, our knowledge.

The fight against malnutri­tion in Ghana doesn’t have to be complicated. It starts with a simple act: planting some­thing. Whether it’s in a sack, a bottle, or a backyard plot, growing your food is a powerful step toward better health, lower food costs, and stronger communities.

Ready to start your own garden? Here’s how

Starting your home garden might seem daunting, but it’s easier than you think. Here are three simple steps to get you going:

Choose your spot: Look for an area that gets at least 6 hours of sun­light daily. This could be a balcony, a small patch in your backyard, or even a sunny windowsill.

Pick your container: You don’t need fancy pots, you can use old buckets, used plastic bottles (cut in half with drainage holes), or even firm sacks can be perfect. Just ensure they have holes at the bottom for water to drain.

Select easy to grow crops: For beginners, start with resilient and fast-growing vegetables. Good choic­es in include kontomire (cocoyam leaves), spring onions, garden eggs, and various types of peppers. These thrive with minimal attention.

For more in-depth guidance and local tips, consider connecting with your local agricultural extension officers in your community.

Feature Article by Women, Media and Change on its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition Project.

Ingredients

-1 tin of milk

-1 tablespoonful of golden caster sugar

-2 tablespoonful of dried yeast

-500grams of bread flour

-1 tablespoonful of olive oil

-4 large tomatoes

-2 garlic cloves, crushed

-80grams of bag baby spinach

-10 grams of cheese

-4 large eggs

Method

-Pour boiling water into a jug with the milk and sugar. Sprin­kle in the yeast and leave it for 10 minutes until frothy.

-Pour flour in a large bowl. (Add one tablespoonful of salt, oil and yeast mixture knead together in the bowl to form a soft dough).

-Put the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for one hour.

-Drain the water after 2-3 minutes and the skins will peel away easily

-Coarsely grate the toma­toes, then stir in the garlic and oregano

-Heat oven to 220 /200de­grees Celsius

– Divide your dough into four and shape each piece into a ball

-Roll the bases out flat to about 25centimetre and dimple the surfaces with fingers

-Spread each one with the tomato paste, season, and cheese and then divide the cooked spinach between the four pizzas.

-Slide the pizzas directly onto hot oven shelves or baking sheets. Bake two at a time for five minutes, then nudge the toppings away from the center slightly to create a gap in which to crack the eggs.

-Return the pizzas to the oven to bake well (it should take another 6-7 minutes, de­pending on how you like your yolk). recipejoint