Before we delve into our features for the week, here is our INDEPENDENCE DAY MESSAGE to everyone:

Unsustainably extractive and exploitative capitalism has destroyed a large portion of our arable land and water resources through Galamsey for profits. Our ancestors left much of our lands, forest and water bodies maintained for several decades but in less than 2 in our time, Galamsey has degraded these for money with no consideration of the implications. Our delicate ecosystems have been "kin keeping"  in the background for us to go about our daily life without thoughts about the environment. Thus, many have forgotten to appreciate the magnitude of impact we stand to suffer when these ecosystems are thrown out of balance.

Extraction upon extraction with no thoughts about preservation or restoration for tomorrow spells doom not only for communities in these Galamsey areas, but for every sector of this country's running dependent on these resources – specifically rain patterns, crop cycles and drinkable water that all of us depend on for survival.

We cannot eat and digest profits. We cannot drink currency notes. We cannot ignore what certain Galamsey kingpins are doing to the lifeblood of Ghana – our land, water and forests – and hope the consequences of Galamsey don't touch us long term by exceptional miracle or religious grace. There's no blessing for stewards that run what is in their hands into the mud. We cannot pretend Galamsey isn't wreaking havoc on our future.

Natural resources like forests and water bodies are too fundamental to ignore, especially with the percentage of sustenance they support in every single Ghanaian’s life, knowingly or unknowingly to them.

It is critical to remember “freedom” also includes freedom to access water resources that haven't been poisoned by the hand of man; access to water resources belonging to all of us, not just profiteering Galamsey kingpins who feel they're wiser than everyone else that's not engaging in Galamsey. 

Don't only remember. Hold space to fan the flames of opposition to unsustainable exploitation of our resources for profits that fatten a few pockets at the expense of millions. The investments of Galamsey kingpins are not worth more than your life or the lives of your children coming up after you.

When the last tree dies and the last fish dies, then we will see that we cannot eat the money we ignored everything else to earn.

The message is a call on all of us, whether remotely connected or directly connected to leadership, to unite in pressuring people in office for ending environmental destruction to STOP GALAMSEY NOW! We are the only ones that will lose from poisoned natural resources. 

In the tapestry of our history, there was a time when our communities thrived on self-reliance, cultivating their own sustenance on generational farms and nurturing a deep connection to the land. This bond not only ensured food security but also fostered a holistic approach to health and well-being. However, with the advent of colonialism, our indigenous practices were overshadowed by capitalist paradigms, leading to the emergence of outsourcing our nutritional needs to profiteering corporations while timeless knowledge on sustainable food cultivation and preservation sits collecting dust under the guise of “modernity” and “progress”. This shift prioritized profit over the sanctity of our food and forests, compromising both the quality of produce, the health of our soil and our autonomy over what we choose to ingest or not ingest.

Today, urban dwellers face the repercussions of this: escalating food prices influenced by volatile markets, reliance on highly carcinogenic fertilizers that also degrade soil health over farming seasons, and the environmental fossil fuel toll of transporting produce over vast distances for decades. And these also intersect with the tonnes of mass produced food that goes waste every agricultural year because they don't make it to the market.

Amidst these challenges, an obscure solution lies waiting to be discovered to relieve the stresses in this food production model for our people — urban gardening. By creatively integrating limited space-friendly gardening, we can cultivate fresh, nutritious produce, reduce our carbon footprint, and regain control over our food sources, nutrition and health.

This Independence Week, we celebrate a return along one of the paths to our roots – pride in sustainable farming and cultivation for self, family and trading with people close to us.

Our features for this week are figures in the horticultural space that deal in making medicinal & culinary herb, fruit, vegetable & ornamental plant seeds and seedlings as well as other propagative plant parts available for us to start.

Located at Tetteh Quarshie Avenue, Asandel Garden Centre has provided a comprehensive range of products and services tailored to gardeners, farmers, plant lovers, horticulturalists, and florists since the year 2000. With years of experience in this field, they're a reliable source for your starters in growing your food at home.

Asandel Garden Centre offers:

•a diverse selection of seeds, seedlings, and essential supplies and tools to kickstart your urban gardening and farming

•an array of decorative plants alongside fruit trees and herbs to enhance both aesthetics and utility.

•a variety of pots and garden decorations to personalize and beautify your spaces, not restricted to your urban garden spaces.

•comprehensive solutions, including fertilizers, compost, and pest control products, to maintain plant health. 

Asandel offers both in-store and delivery services to make available to you what they have in stock at your request.

Find Asandel Garden on their site, Instagram or Facebook.

To reach out to Asandel Garden regarding enquiries on starting your very own urban food garden with the space you have, or for supplies to start, contact them via WhatsApp

What is better than one stop-shop for your urban gardening and farming needs? 

Two stop-shops.

Cama Gardens, located on Buade Road in Accra, Ghana, dedicated to promoting urban agriculture with sustainable gardening practices. 

They offer a comprehensive suite of services and products tailored to both novice and seasoned gardeners:

Cama Gardens provides assistance in establishing urban farms & gardens. Their team guides clients through designing and setting up productive green spaces, whether on rooftops, balconies, or limited yard areas, making urban agriculture accessible to city dwellers.

To support self-sufficiency and healthy eating habits, Cama Gardens offers a diverse selection of vegetable plants, aromatic herbs, and fruit tree seedlings, enabling customers to cultivate fresh produce at home, enhancing food security and personal well-being.

To support your urban gardening initiative, Cama Gardens has a wide range of gardening tools and essentials to supply you so you are guaranteed efficient and enjoyable gardening experiences.

Cama Gardens also extends customized support through garden consultations and site visits. Their knowledgeable staff assesses individual gardening spaces, offers tailored advice, and recommends suitable plants and layouts, making it simpler for clients to achieve thriving gardens that suit their specific conditions and preferences.

Committed to eco-friendly practices, Cama Gardens provides organic fumigation services to manage pests and diseases without harming the environment. Utilizing natural methods, they help maintain healthy gardens, protect plant vitality and ecological balance.

You can find Cama Gardens on Facebook, Instagram , and Tiktok

To contact Cama Gardens you can either reach them via WhatsApp here, here or here

or call them via these numbers: 0548199799 or 0507013924

Dondo Gardens, based in Tema, is a horticultural enterprise led by Michael Opoku Antwi, a 2014 graduate of the University of Ghana's School of Agriculture. The business offers agricultural home services and training, aiming to empower individuals to cultivate their own food. 

Dondo Gardens also deals in ready to use oyster substrate bags to make it possible for novices to mushroom farming to grow and harvest their own fresh mushrooms. 

The bags are meticulously prepared to simplify mushroom cultivation and make it the reality of growing mushrooms at home accessible to even novices to mushroom farming. Join satisfied customers who have successfully grown their own mushrooms using Dondo Gardens’ substrate bags for consistent supply of another protein-rich option in your diet.

Beyond products, Dondo Gardens' social media platforms serve as valuable resources for gardening and food farming enthusiasts. Their accounts on Instagram and Facebook share easy-to-understand tips on growing various vegetables and herbs, such as lettuce, to promote sustainable agriculture and self-sufficiency. 

Connect with Dondo Gardens today on WhatsApp to get your oyster mushroom substrate bags as well as consultations on urban gardening to maximize your gardening journey, cultivate fresh produce yourself, and access a life of sustainable food supply.

The escalating costs and environmental impacts of industrial agriculture has to prompt a return to self-sustenance through urban gardening and trading in produce with neighbours next to us, not across regions. By transforming our balconies and porches and idle land on our compounds into mini green spaces, creatively using hanging gardens to make use of limited space, city dwellers can cultivate fresh produce, reduce reliance on commercial food systems, and have more control over our nutrition and health. This practice not only offers economic relief but also enhances mental well-being and relief from worry on how to feed oneself adequately with the present cost of living. Urban gardening allows us to reclaim food autonomy and promote sustainability of the food industry.

Embracing urban gardening allows us to detach from the unpredictable swings of capitalist markets and fosters a renewed sense of independence and well-being.

Consider urban gardening today and approach food autonomy.

MORINGA CORE offers weekly posts called “doses” featuring small business owners, solopreneurs and independent artisans to give them visibility for free in support of indie industry.

If you'd like to be featured on Moringa Core, APPLY HERE.

If there is a small brand you admire that should be featured OR you know more farms or gardens that make cultivation starters like seeds, seedlings, baby trees and mushroom substrate available to the public for people to set up their own farms, refer them to apply for a feature by sharing any of our weekly doses to them so they APPLY too.

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HAPPY INDEPENDENCE COMMEMORATION

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