DeCo! Ghana

ghana

The soils in the savannah region of northern Ghana are poor and crop yields are low. Chemical fertilizers offer only a temporary solution, and, if not used properly, they can be dangerous to farmers’ health. In addition, a large share of the nutrients is eventually washed away due to the low levels of organic matter in the soil. Moreover, chemical fertilizer is subsidized by the government and there is no official supplier of organic fertilizer. Initiatives to encourage farmers to compost also have failed.

This failure was the genesis of DeCo!, a social enterprise that makes an organic fertilizer by working with the local waste management company that collects the waste, fruit, vegetables, and other biomass. DeCo! composts the waste to create a ready-to-use organic fertilizer that is rich in humus and can potentially double crop yields by improving the water- and nutrient-holding capacity of the soil. The waste treatment plants are located close to the villages to minimize the transport costs.

The treatment plants are run by highly educated graduates from around the world, but the enterprise also offers many positions for unskilled labor, providing crucial employment opportunities during the farming off-season. The goal of DeCo! is to become a financially sustainable social business.

Through a partnership with myclimate, a Swiss company offering carbon offsets, DeCo! could potentially become the first organization in Africa to use carbon credits for composting. The credits could lower the price of organic fertilizer by 30 percent, which would make it more competitive with chemical fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers are currently subsidized by the government. Compared to chemical fertilizer use and the dumping of organic waste into landfills, DeCo! organic fertilizer is an environmentally friendly alternative that reduces the annual emissions by approximately 1,500 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent. DeCo!’s long-term goal is to create a franchise that will enable it to scale-up its operations and encourage local entrepreneurship.