Why the health of Ghanaians depends on redefining how we see, manage, and talk about food.
A Bigger Picture Than Farms and Harvests
When we hear the term food system, many of us think about farms, crops, harvests, and markets. But Professor Richmond Aryeetey, in his inaugural lecture at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, challenged this narrow view.
“For many people, when we think of food systems, we think about agriculture and harvesting,” he said. “But it’s actually more than that. It’s a process that includes everything — all the way up to waste management.”
In essence, Ghana’s food system isn’t just about what’s produced on the farm; it’s about everything that happens from seed to waste, and everyone including farmers, traders, processors, retailers, consumers, and policymakers who interacts with food along that chain.
The Food Environment: Where Choices and Health Meet
At the heart of Prof. Aryeetey’s message is the concept of the food environment — the spaces and circumstances where people make decisions about what to eat. It includes the market stalls, school canteens, advertising on our streets, and the prices that determine whether a family buys fresh vegetables or cheaper, processed snacks.
“Our interactions with food,” he emphasized, “have implications for our health and our survival as a people.”
The food environment, therefore, isn’t just a consumer issue, it’s a public health issue. And it mirrors broader social and economic inequalities in Ghanaian society.
Nutrition Is More Than Biology
For decades, nutrition was taught and practiced mainly as a biological science which focused on calories, vitamins, and metabolism. But Aryeetey urged that this approach, though important, is incomplete.
“Evidence from the 1980s and 1990s taught us that we have to rethink nutrition,” he said. “It’s more than nutrients and genetics. There’s also a social and environmental dimension.”
This shift in perspective is crucial. Nutrition is influenced not just by what food is available, but by who can access it, where they live, and how social norms, gender, and cultural identities shape what is eaten.
Poverty, for example, remains a key driver of malnutrition — but as Aryeetey noted, “it’s not every family that is poor that is malnourished.” Even wealthy households can have unhealthy diets because of cultural habits or exposure to aggressive marketing of processed foods.
The Web of Inequality and Diet
Across Ghana, disparities in location, income, and opportunity shape people’s diets.
A trader in Makola may have access to fresh produce daily but lack the time to prepare balanced meals. A student in Tamale might rely on instant noodles because campus canteens don’t offer diverse options.
Aryeetey described this as the environmental dimension of nutrition — where the built environment, work schedules, and economic realities all determine dietary outcomes.
To fix Ghana’s nutrition challenges, he said, “we must think of it as a broader issue and not just about food and nutrients.”
A System That Should Sustain and Not Harm
An ideal food system, according to Aryeetey, should be dynamic, sustainable, and regenerative. It should provide food that nourishes the population without depleting natural resources or harming ecosystems.
Yet, Ghana’s current food system like much of the world’s is not delivering on that promise. Despite producing enough food globally for eight billion people, millions remain hungry, and millions more are sick from unhealthy diets.
Aryeetey warned that the system “sometimes harms us and the planet because of the way we are running it.”
From Production to Policy: The Missing Links
Food systems are inherently complex. They cut across agriculture, health, trade, education, and environment. That complexity demands collaboration. But in practice, Ghana’s food and nutrition sectors often work in silos.
“In 2012, we mapped 11 government ministries that contribute to nutrition,” Aryeetey recalled. “By the time the policy went through the political process, it looked different from what we intended.”
His point was simple but profound: without coordination across sectors, food systems fail to serve people’s needs.
Policies designed in isolation whether by the Ministry of Health or Agriculture risk missing the connections between what farmers grow, what markets sell, and what families actually eat.
Food Systems as a Mirror of Society
Food is a reflection of national priorities. When nutrition is treated as an afterthought in agricultural or economic planning, its effects are felt in public health — rising obesity, child malnutrition, and preventable disease.
“Our food systems,” Aryeetey noted, “should support adequate supply and ensure the nutrients we need are in the food we eat — in a way that contributes to sustainable livelihoods.”
But today, diets are being shaped more by what is cheap and convenient than by what is healthy and sustainable. That’s not just an individual choice; it’s the outcome of a system that has been left to market forces rather than guided by coordinated policy.
From Silos to Systems Thinking
To build a truly resilient and nutrition-sensitive food system, Ghana must move beyond fragmented interventions. That means aligning the efforts of farmers, health workers, local authorities, private businesses, and consumers.
It also means reimagining nutrition not as the work of one ministry, but as the shared responsibility of all.
“Food systems are complex and dynamic,” Aryeetey said. “If we don’t look at them that way, we won’t make headway.”
The solution lies in adopting a systems mindset. One that recognizes how every policy on agriculture, trade, education, and even urban planning shapes what ends up on the Ghanaian plate.
A Call for a New National Food Vision
Aryeetey’s lecture is more than a reflection; it’s a call for a new way of thinking about food and nutrition governance. Ghana needs a national vision that prioritizes food systems as the foundation of human development, not just economic growth.
A well-functioning food system should:
- Nourish people with diverse, affordable, and safe foods
- Sustain livelihoods for farmers and traders
- Protect the environment from harmful practices
- Promote equity, ensuring no one is left behind
This vision demands leadership, coordination, and investment — but also a change in mindset among citizens, researchers, and policymakers alike.
Conclusion: From Awareness to Action
Rethinking Ghana’s food system begins with understanding that it’s not just about what we grow, but what we value.
As Prof. Aryeetey put it, “We must ensure that the food system works for us — and for the generations that come after us.”
The journey from farm to fork must evolve into a journey of equity, nutrition, and sustainability. Ghana’s future health depends on it.
Next in the Series →
📖 “Hunger Amid Plenty: Why Ghana’s Food System is Failing” — a deep dive into food waste, affordability, and the paradox of plenty in Ghana.
