Background

School farms were introduced across Africa in the 1970s to promote agricultural learning, food security, and entrepreneurship among students.

Africa, despite having the world's largest arable land, imported US$ 83 billion worth of foodstuffs from outside the continent in 2023, raising food security concerns'.

In Ghana, since the popular Operation Feed Yourself of the 1970s, there have been various school farm projects with limited scope and impact; the most recent being the "Planting for Food and Jobs" initiative, which ended in 2024. However, many school farms have either collapsed over the years or struggled to reach their potential.

Introduction

On 21st October 2025, President John Mahama will launch another School Farm Initiative in second cycle schools targeting 17,000 acres of crops like rice, maize and cowpea, which are major staples in secondary schools.

It is envisioned that the programme will reduce the cost of feeding under the government’s free secondary education programme, which spends over US$200 million annually on food alone, while providing opportunities for experiential learning in agriculture and entrepreneurship.

Challenges and Recommendations

Eduwatch’s field engagements and partner reviews across Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria reveal the following five (5) major recurring causes of school farm failures and lessons for the sustainability of Ghana’s School Farm Initiative.

1. Lack of Sustained Funding

Most farms depend on direct government start-up support, with no systemic internal budget allocation for seeds, feed, or tools. Once the project ends, the farm dies.

Recommendation: The Ministry of Education should mainstream farm operations in their annual budgets for schools and mandate schools to reinvest a portion of income from sales into inputs. Partnerships with agribusinesses and farmer cooperatives should be established to sustain supply chains.

2. Weak Technical Capacity
Few agriculture teachers have practical farm management skills or time for hands-on work, and extension visits are infrequent.

Models based primarily on new university graduates often fail due to their limited practical experience, especially among BSc Agric holders, whereas Agricultural College and Technical University graduates tend to have stronger farming backgrounds.

Recommendation: Build the capacity of teachers and new Agricultural Science graduates
through district agriculture offices assign clear farm management roles and partner with
local agricultural colleges and faculties for mentorship.

3. Poor Curriculum Integration

In many schools, farms are treated as punishment rather than a learning space. The involvement of learners is more in bush or land clearing than in crop cultivation.

Recommendation: Integrate the farm into the curriculum for Agricultural Science, Integrated
Science, and Business Studies Use this to teach record keeping, entrepreneurship, and
climate smart agriculture Instead of using students, schools should be funded to hire farm
labourers to clear farmlands.

4. Land ownership and soil fertility

Encroachment, poor soil quality, and lack of tenure security undermine continuity

Recommendation: Work with traditional authorities and assemblies to secure school land
legally, protect boundaries and promote climate-smart practices such as composting and
water harvesting. Where soil fertility proves challenging, leverage on hydroponics, animal
production, fungiculture, etc.

5. Leadership Turnover and Weak Management

When headteachers or agriculture teachers leave the school, farm records and momentum
are lost due to the lack of inclusive farm management systems.

Recommendation: Form School Farm Committees comprising the headteacher, agriculture
teacher, PTA representatives, student representatives, local farmer representatives, and
District Agriculture Office personnel to ensure effective continuity and accountability.

Integrate school farm management into the administration of secondary schools, alongside
The Key Performance Indicators for District Chief Executives, District Agriculture Directors,
Education Directors and school heads, with quarterly appraisals.

School Farms and Commercial Viability

Besides the challenges noted, it is crucial to address the mistaken belief that school farms
are tied to agricultural commercialisation.

While school farms offer valuable experiential learning opportunities for students, available evidence on their sustainability and impact in Africa does not support a commercial rationale.

This is primarily because the public school system is not built for business but for learning.

Instead, best practices point to a self-financing model that primarily serves educational purposes.

Recognising this reality should guide a measured and proportionate level of investment, with no expectation of a significant financial profit aside learning.

Conclusion

School farms can be powerful tools for learning and building local food systems.

They must, however, be treated not as side projects, but as core components of the school’s teaching
strategy.

Sustained financing, technical support, and community partnerships are essential for success.

About the Author

This Policy Brief is authored by Kofi Asare, Executive Director, Africa Education Watch.

He has over two decades of experience working with governments, local and international organisations, private sector in education and skills policy advocacy and research across Africa.

Email: kasare@africaeducationwatch.org

About Eduwatch

The Education Alert Policy Brief is a monthly publication by Eduwatch, an Education Policy Research and Advocacy Organisation working to promote quality, inclusive education policy management and reform by drawing on cross cultural, trans national and international comparative perspectives across Africa.

At Eduwatch, we envision a continent with globally competitive human capital that
drives economic and social development.