An Exciting Venture Starting in Canada

"As KNEF has a track record of using farming to solve problems in Ghana. We are pleased to introduce KNEF Canada with the goal of starting a not-for-profit farm to aid and help our fellow Canadians by providing affordable vegetables."

KNEF Ghana began with helping pay fees for students who could not afford to attend High school in Ghana before it became free for all. This led to us eventually building our own school in Offuman in the Bono east region of Ghana to tackle the problem of Education and poverty. As the school is in a small farming community and parents cannot afford school fees, we began farming to offset some of the costs of the operation of the school.

In 2019, I returned from Ghana after the KNEF Cashew farm experienced a severe fire outbreak that burned part of the farm to ashes.

Moreover, the revenue is intended to be used to supplement teachers’ salaries.

Despite the fire, we did have some success in 2021 and for four months straight we did not have to send money from Canada to pay teachers' salaries in Ghana.

This Cashew plantation project was initiated to create sustainable annual income to support the objectives. It was estimated to generate $250,000 annually.

It was devastating to see the farm burned, to make but we never gave up. We gathered resources to make it work for the second time. After three years of proper maintenance, we still had a second fire outbreak because our neighbor's burning around their farms caused our farm to be burnt again. In 2022, we continue working on how to prevent that from happening again. This farm is for profit-making only, as our student's parents are all farmers Ghana has enough food in the local markets, so cashews are for export.

The second farm project:

KNEF grew tomatoes in 2022 when they became extraordinarily expensive in Ghana. Because tomatoes were too expensive, we decided to grow our own in Ghana to feed our students, it was a success!

KNEF has seen the need to grow food in Canada to bring down the cost of food and if possible, export some to Ghana when and if they need it.

in Canada, food prices have gone up and will continue to rise. "This year’s report predicts that a family of four, including a man (age 31-50), woman (age 31-50), boy (age 14-18), and girl (age 9-13) will pay up to $14,767.36 for food, an increase of up to $966.08 from the total annual cost in 2021"

Most people in our communities are from low-income families and cannot afford such cost.

We need to grow our own food

"Food price increases in Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and Saskatchewan will likely be higher than the national average in 2022.

“Most Canadians could not eat more vegetables," says Dr. Kelleen Wiseman, UBC campus lead. "The forecasted increase in price in this healthy food category is worrying from a public health perspective because consumers might be tempted to further reduce their consumption of fresh and mainstream vegetables. However, options are available in selecting alternative vegetables or frozen vegetables — which can provide high nutritional value at a lower price point.”

We must grow our local Canadian veggies in quantity and freeze them for later.

Canada’s Food Price Report 2022 focuses on COVID-19-related disruptions to the food supply chain, climate change and adverse weather effects, labor force challenges, high inflation, and food transportation challenges"

We have no place to call home after spending so many years in Canada. We only must make it better and safer for raising families. KNEF believes we can help through growing and delivering.

“We are aware of how much we spend in the market. Supply chain disruptions and labor market challenges will persist in 2022,” explains Alyssa Gerhardt, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Dalhousie who worked on the project.

“COVID-19 is still here. The food supply chain will continue to grapple with the cost of sanitation and PPE, high transportation costs and reduced maritime transport capacity, as well as decreased efficiency and disruptions due to closures.”

Despite these challenges, consumers’ food choices continue to be motivated by health and environmental sustainability and a commitment to supporting local food supply chains, and overall food literacy appears to be improving. “Canada is a leader in the production of safe, sustainable foods,” explains Dr. Stuart Smyth, University of Saskatchewan campus lead.

“Buying products that are made in Canada is a good way to support sustainable, ethical, and healthy choices.”

As KNEF has a track record of using farming to solve problems in Ghana. We are pleased to introduce KNEF Canada with the goal of starting a not-for-profit farm to aid and help our fellow Canadians by providing affordable vegetables.

Become a part of improving the lives of vulnerable individuals. Check out KNEF Canada's job openings and learn about how you can work with us.

Article Reference

https://www.dal.ca/sites/agri-food/publications.html