Nutritional Quality of Crops and Surface Water Quality of Selected Communities in Ghana

Abstract

Like any other country, Ghana is working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, part of which is targeted at ending hunger and ensuring clean water by 2030. In line with these, this study investigated what people eat at the household level, assessed the micronutrient concentrations in three varieties of maize, four varieties of plantain, two varieties of cassava and some fruits and vegetables eaten by Ghanaians. The study also investigated the relationship between micronutrient concentration in the soil and the crop. Additionally, the micronutrient content in some surface water bodies and the microbial loads in those water bodies were assessed. A household survey covering 3521 households was conducted in all ten regions of Ghana. Laboratory analyses were conducted to identify the micronutrient concentrations in the food crops and water from different water bodies. Moreover, the microbial loads of the different water bodies were analysed. Findings from this study showed that respondents eat vegetables, fruits, animal products and maize on daily bases, and cassava and plantain on weekly bases.