Agro-Livelihoods is a local non-governmental organization in Ghana whose purpose is to enhance the livelihoods of farmers to increase resilience to unforeseen, and regular shocks such as the hunger season where most subsistence farmers and their families are vulnerable.  The goal of Agro-Livelihoods Enhancement is to improve nutritional outcomes of children in vulnerable farming communities especially in the forest belt of Ghana, through increased incomes for farming households. 

In 2018, we introduced Vanilla planifolia into Ghana.  Relying on scientific research, our cutting-edge expertise and agroforestry principles, we have tested and proven the concept of growing vanilla in Ghana.  Today, we have over 15 acres of vanilla plantation and have started developing nurseries to supply vanilla cuttings to small-holder farmers.  In view of increased demand for vanilla cuttings, we will in the future provide tissue-cultured plantlets to both small-holder and commercial farmers to scale up cultivation of vanilla in Ghana.

We facilitate the Ghanaian small-holder farmer to move from subsistence to farming as a business with a focus on vanilla cultivation.  After enhancing the capacity of farmers to produce premium vanilla products, we provide access to global markets through partnership with large and small food and flavor companies to assure sustainable incomes for farmers and their families.

Agro-Livelihoods Enhancement believes that

1.       Integration of high value crops such as Vanilla planifolia into traditional farming systems will provide multiple sources of revenue at different times of the year and increase incomes for farming households especially for women.

2.       Enhanced agroforestry practices into traditional farming systems would not only improve production and productivity of farmlands but would also help to mitigate the impact of climate change within farming communities and increase resilience to shocks.  Trees on farmlands sequester carbon and help to mitigate the effects of climate change.

3.       Farming as a business through agribusiness principles and practices would attract the youth of Ghana into farming thereby revitalizing the agricultural sector and reducing youth employment in the country.

4.       Sustainable cultivation, responsible agronomic practices, and traceability would facilitate transparency and responsible sourcing and, in turn, increase the competitiveness of the Ghanaian farmer to access new markets.

5.       Small-holder farmer irrigation is key to solving low productivity of Ghanaian farms.  In view of climate-change, small-holder farmer irrigation holds the key to averting hunger during prolonged and extremely dry seasons.