Episode 17 | Grassroots Food Systems and Ghana’s Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development

Development approaches in Ghana need to incorporate indigenous knowledge and worldviews. This is what the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD) does in its work with communities across Ghana, in sectors such as agriculture, health, education, and natural resources management. In this episode, Willie Laate, CIKOD’s Deputy Director, explains how the organization develops localized tools, frameworks, and programs for understanding and supporting diverse, local knowledge and governance systems. Willie describes the problem with the erosion of cultural systems in Ghana and its impacts on food, traditional culinary knowledge, and indigenous seeds. He offers some examples of cooperative systems and practices that empower communities with diverse food systems, from communal cooking, to community seed sharing and seed fairs, to the cultural festivals that help generate development agendas that are more inclusive and not based on predetermined questions and responses. This interview took place in July 2023; it was facilitated by Feeding City Collaborator Dr. Siera Vercillo, who has been conducting participatory action research for food sovereignty with communities and partner organizations in Ghana for over a decade. 

To learn more about the Voices from the Food Frontlines, Sustainable Foodways podcast series, visit the Feeding City Lab at https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/projects/feedingcity/sustainable-foodways/.

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