Indigenous and exotic vegetable choice and available water used among urban farmers in Ghana

This study analyses the frequency and intensity of growing indigenous and exotic vegetables by urban farmers and available water used. It also considers the factors influencing farmers’ crop choice intensities. We surveyed 251 farmers from the Greater-Accra Metropolitan Area to describe farmers’ demographic and farm characteristics, used chi-square tests to assess the relationship between crop intensities and available water used, and a Tobit regression to analyse the factors influencing crop choice intensities and available water used. The results show that most farmers did not choose to grow both vegetables annually, although the rate is lower for indigenous vegetables. Also, farmers’ choices of water for irrigation are not by chance, but influenced by the intensity of crops they choose to grow. Furthermore, more farmers grow indigenous vegetables than exotics, but the intensity of the exotics grown outweighs that of the indigenous. Regardless of the intensities, crop type, and choices, farmers are likely to rely on clean streams for vegetable production. Gender, age, land size, modern inputs, market access, and infrastructure were found to be influencing farmers’ crop choice intensity. The results have implications for agriculture in major cities, where heterogeneity in market demand contributes to tastes and preferences for specific vegetables.