Title
Saline Aquaculture Network in Ghana

CoPED ID
4f95c2f1-f7da-4cd2-b1ed-7fe272f615d9

Status
Closed


Value
£307,988

Start Date
Dec. 1, 2020

End Date
May 30, 2022

Description

More Like This


The coast of Ghana stretches 350 miles, binds 4 administrative regions, and is home to more than a quarter of the country's population. Due to increasing salinity of the water and soil, indigenous coastal communities are suffering from a scarcity of safe water for drinking and irrigation, leading to poor agricultural productivity. Soil erosion and flooding are also growing problems along Ghana's coast, with millions of dollars invested in flood protection for major coastal cities.

The "Saline Aquaculture Network in Ghana" project - SANGHA - will establish a network of saltmarsh and aquaculture sites to grow halophytic crops from local seawater and solar-powered irrigation. Degraded or redundant coastal lands will be adapted to grow the crops, and existing aquaculture farms will be enhanced with floating beds of samphire halophytes and mangrove reforestation, providing an additional revenue stream for the farmers as well as water cleaning, flood-mitigation, carbon capture, and pollution services.

Scene Connect (SC) is Project Lead with Seawater Solutions (SS) as Technical Lead. SC is an expert in local energy systems and business model development for bottom-of-the-pyramid customers in the Global South. SS launched the first seawater farm in the United Kingdom and will launch Vietnam's first experimental aquaculture farm in early 2020. Various saltwater systems have been developed by SS, including renewable-powered irrigation systems, IoT sensors, and processes to mimic natural ecosystems. This innovation and approach will bring the following benefits to Ghana:

• High carbon capture
• Increased agricultural yields and improved soil/water/air quality
• Promoting organic and regenerative farming practices
• Promoting ecosystem restoration
• Defence of coastlines from flooding and erosion
• Producing high-value 'superfoods' (e.g., Samphire)
• Improving incomes and livelihoods of indigenous coastal farmers, especially women, of coastal communities
• Investigating novel markets across the agricultural supply chain.

Local partner, Maltiti Foundation (MF) facilitates the promotion of quality livelihood for women living in deprived communities in Ghana. MF is the engagement and social research lead, conducting wide ranging analysis of local communities, project impacts and helping to integrate women, young people and marginalised groups into the SANGHANA project, including through awareness raising, training and employment.

Scene Connect Ltd LEAD_ORG
Seawater Solutions Ltd PARTICIPANT_ORG
Save Our Beaches Ghana PARTICIPANT_ORG
Scene Connect Ltd PARTICIPANT_ORG
Maltiti Foundation PARTICIPANT_ORG

Subjects by relevance
  1. Ghana
  2. Irrigation
  3. Agriculture
  4. Coasts
  5. Sustainable development
  6. Women
  7. Farms
  8. Water
  9. Soil
  10. Coastal protection
  11. Means of livelihood
  12. Water services

Extracted key phrases
  1. Saline Aquaculture Network
  2. Ghana
  3. Indigenous coastal community
  4. Indigenous coastal farmer
  5. Major coastal city
  6. Local community
  7. Redundant coastal land
  8. Local energy system
  9. Experimental aquaculture farm
  10. Powered irrigation system
  11. Local seawater
  12. High carbon capture
  13. Safe water
  14. Water cleaning
  15. Soil erosion

Related Pages

UKRI project entry

UK Project Locations