The Silent Agribusiness Crisis: How Illegal Mining is Poisoning Ghana’s Food System
The silent poison in Ghana’s food system
Ghana, known for its rich natural resources and agricultural heritage, faces an unprecedented environmental and agricultural crisis. Illegal small-scale mining, locally known as ‘galamsey’, has evolved from an environmental concern into a full-blown ecocide, a threat to the country’s food security, public health, and economic stability. As these activities continue unchecked, Ghana’s agribusiness sector, which employs approximately 38% of the population, faces existential threats that demand immediate attention and action.
The consequences extend far beyond the visible biodiversity and water resource destruction. Recent scientific evidence reveals alarming contamination of irrigation water, soil, and food chain including leafy vegetables with heavy metals and pathogens, creating a toxic legacy that could persist for generations. This blog delves into the multifaceted impacts of illegal mining on Ghana’s agribusiness sector and explores potential pathways toward remediation and sustainable development.
The statistics surrounding illegal mining in Ghana paint a grim picture of environmental degradation and economic loss. Ghana loses approximately $2.3 billion annually to illegal mining activities, according to the Forestry Commission. Over the past decade, more than 2.5 million hectares of forest cover have been lost due to illegal mining, equivalent to roughly 12% of Ghana’s total forest area. Furthermore, 60% of Ghana’s water bodies are now polluted by mining activities, and some 4,726 hectares of land across 34 forest reserves have been destroyed by illegal operations.
A recent study conducted along the Dankran River in the Bekwai Municipality provides alarming evidence of heavy metal contamination in irrigation water, soil, and vegetables. Another study, published in Chemosphere (2025), revealed that chromium and arsenic levels in irrigation water exceeded WHO/FAO standards. Soil samples showed similarly high levels of these metals, and vegetable contamination was particularly concerning, with arsenic consistently above safe limits in cabbage and garden eggs. A recent environmental study also uncovered widespread and severe contamination from mercury, arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals across Ghana’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining regions, raising urgent public health and environmental concerns. The findings present a grim picture of pollution that extends far beyond mining sites, infiltrating the very resources that sustain communities and agricultural production. The study reveals dangerous mercury levels that exceed safe limits by staggering margins. Soil samples from Konongo Zongo registered mercury concentrations of 1,342 ppm, more than 130 times the safe limit. Air quality measurements from Wassa Kayianko reached 150 μg/m³, representing 150 times national permissible limit for mercury exposure. Arsenic contamination was equally alarming, with Konongo Zongo soil recording 10,060 ppm, approximately 4,000% above safe levels. Water samples from Konongo Odumase showed arsenic concentrations of 3.3 mg/L, far exceeding drinking water thresholds and posing marked health risks to communities relying on these water sources.
Perhaps most concerning is the contamination of food sources. Fish samples from Akwaboso and Konongo Zongo showed lead levels up to 2.8 mg/kg, while vegetables from the Western North region contained up to 3.1 mg/kg of lead, both exceeding WHO safety limits. This bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the food chain represents a direct threat to food security and public health. The pollution extends to water sources essential for both consumption and agriculture. Testing revealed boreholes and streams with lead and arsenic concentrations above WHO guidelines throughout mining regions. Chronic exposure to these contaminants threatens nervous system function, kidney health, and child development, creating a public health crisis that could have generational consequences. These findings compound the already severe challenges facing Ghana’s agribusiness sector, as heavy metals persist in soils and water systems, entering agricultural produce and threatening both domestic food safety and export markets. The scale of contamination revealed in this study underlines the urgent need for comprehensive remediation strategies and stricter enforcement of environmental regulations in galamsey-affected regions.
The process of illegal gold mining involves using toxic substances including mercury, cyanide, and arsenic to extract gold from ore. These chemicals leach into soil and groundwater during processing operations, enter irrigation systems through runoff during rainfall, accumulate in agricultural soils through repeated irrigation with contaminated water, and are absorbed by food crops, particularly leafy vegetables that have higher metal uptake capabilities. A recent study on leafy vegetables emphasised that, compared to other vegetables, leafy greens have significantly higher heavy metal absorption and accumulation rates, making them particularly vulnerable to contamination.
The contamination crisis extends beyond chemical pollution to include microbial threats. Although comprehensive local studies on pathogen transmission specific to Ghana’s mining areas are limited, research from other regions provides concerning insights. Agricultural waste and contaminated water can introduce dangerous pathogens into the food system, including STEC O157/O26, C. parvum, C. jejuni, and norovirus GI/GII. The combination of chemical and microbial contamination creates a synergistic threat to public health, as heavy metal exposure can compromise immune function whilst pathogen exposure increases susceptibility to infection.
Impacts on agribusiness: From field to market
Illegal mining directly reduces agricultural productivity through land degradation, soil contamination, and water scarcity. The conversion of fertile farmlands into mining pits and tailings, accumulation of heavy metals that inhibit plant growth, microbial population, and pollution of irrigation water sources collectively undermine agricultural activities. Ghana’s agricultural exports face increasing scrutiny in international markets due to food safety concerns, additional certification requirements, and reputational damage. The cocoa sector, which contributes significantly to Ghana’s export earnings, faces particular risks as chocolate consumers globally become increasingly concerned about ethical and environmental production practices.
Smallholder farmers bear the brunt of the mining crisis through reduced yields, increased production costs, market rejection, and potential long-term health implications from exposure to contaminated environments. The contamination of Ghana’s food system has dire implications for public health. Chronic exposure to arsenic, chromium, and mercury is associated with increased cancer risk, neurological disorders, kidney damage, and developmental problems in children. The combined exposure to multiple heavy metals and pathogens may amplify health risks beyond what would be expected from individual contaminants. Additionally, reduced consumption of leafy vegetables due to safety concerns could exacerbate micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable populations.
Policy responses and remedial actions
The government of Ghana has recently implemented several measures to address the illegal mining crisis, including stricter visa procedures for Chinese nationals (who are often implicated in illegal mining operations), establishment of the Ghana Gold Board to regulate artisanal gold trading, and a ban on foreign nationals participating in local gold trading. Despite these measures, many stakeholders are calling for more decisive action. The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has described illegal mining as a ‘national calamity’ and called for a state of emergency in the most affected mining areas. The Coalition Against Galamsey has similarly urged the government to declare a state of emergency in affected area, citing constitutional provisions allowing such actions when essential resources are threatened.
Significant gaps remain in the policy response to the mining-agriculture nexus, including limited focus on agricultural remediation, inadequate monitoring systems, lack of compensation mechanisms for affected farmers, and insufficient inter-ministerial coordination. Addressing the complex interplay between illegal mining and agricultural sustainability requires integrated strategies. Immediate measures should include implementing targeted states of emergency in mining-affected agricultural zones, establishing systematic monitoring of heavy metals and pathogens, and providing alternative livelihoods and compensation for affected farmers.
Medium-term strategies ought to focus on implementing phytoremediation and other approaches to clean contaminated agricultural lands, installing filtration systems to remove heavy metals from irrigation water, and promoting cultivation of low-accumulation crop varieties in affected areas. Long-term transformative changes must involve developing coherent policies that balance mineral extraction with agricultural preservation, creating legal frameworks that bring artisanal miners into the formal economy with environmental safeguards, implementing and enforcing environmentally responsible mining practices, and building demand for verified-safe agricultural products through certification and labelling.
Reclaiming Ghana’s agricultural heritage
The crisis posed by illegal mining to Ghana’s agribusiness sector represents more than an environmental challenge, it is a threat to the nation’s food sovereignty, public health, and economic stability. The evidence of heavy metal contamination in irrigation water, soil, and food chain (vegetables) demands immediate and decisive action at all levels of society. Addressing this complex issue requires moving beyond simplistic solutions to develop integrated approaches that balance economic development with environmental protection and public health. The future of Ghana’s agribusiness sector depends on our ability to acknowledge the scale of the contamination crisis, implement smart monitoring systems, invest in remediation technologies, and develop policy frameworks that prevent further contamination while supporting affected farmers.
The choice before Ghana is not between mining and agriculture, but between short-term exploitation and long-term sustainability. By taking decisive action today, we can protect Ghana’s agricultural heritage for future generations whilst creating a model for other resource-rich regions facing similar challenges. As the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference aptly noted, illegal mining has become ‘a cancer in our national soul’. Healing this cancer requires not just stopping the destruction but actively restoring what has been lost, a task that will demand the commitment of our political and traditional leaders who value both our natural heritage and food security.
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