Food Systems Mapping: A Scoping Review of Challenges and Innovations in Ghana’s Coastal Areas

Abstract

Background: Food systems are sophisticated human-made structures that have evolved through social, cultural, economic, and technological changes. Food systems on the African continent are diversified. However, this diversity is quickly disappearing, primarily because of agriculture and urbanization. This study seeks to map out all the challenges our food systems currently face through an overview of available evidence and the interventions designed to address them. This study seeks to identify and map out challenges within Ghana’s coastal food systems and bottom-up interventions designed by citizens to address them. Methodology: This study employed a qualitative research approach and a desk review of sixteen published literature on challenges in the food system space in Ghana, reviewing the evidence available from 2000 – 2022. Data was accessed from field notes and the Seeds of Good Anthropocene Project database, documenting interventions designed to address challenges faced in the food systems. A thematic approach was employed in analyzing the data. Results/ Findings: The food system challenges identified from studies were categorized into seven main sub-themes: food value chain challenges, marine system challenges, lack of resources, COVID-19, Climate Change, Urban Development and policies, and Economic Challenges. Eighty seeds were identified from the seeds database that addressed challenges across the food system. Findings show that measures were put in place to address coastal food system challenges, but some of them were not sustainable. Conclusion: This study underscores the complexity of challenges within coastal food systems, highlights the promising interventions designed to address these challenges, and emphasizes the need for comprehensive, inclusive, and strategic approaches. By acknowledging the gaps in existing interventions and forging a collaborative path forward, stakeholders can work towards a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable coastal food system landscape in Ghana.