The study sample included 19 women and 17 men, with an average age of 38 years. All of them had lived in the study area for 15 years or more. The participant with the longest residence time had lived in the area for 45 years. All the 36 participants took photographs and provided accompanying photo-stories. Overall, 607 photos were taken by the participants, with a range of 15 to 30. Out of these photos, 175 were discussed in the follow-up in-depth interviews or photo-stories. One photo-story recording was unsuccessful. Thus, the findings here are based on 35 in-depth interviews or photo-stories.
We have organized the results around the top three most recurring themes that emerged from the interviews. First, we describe how galamsey degrades agricultural lands and affects food production. Second, we show how galamsey contaminates water sources, and, in places where agriculture is possible, how food is also contaminated. The third part of the findings illustrates dietary changes due to contaminated food and water sources.
Land Degradation and Food Production
Throughout the study, participants consistently showed how farmlands have been degraded due to galamsey. They also revealed associated impacts on agriculture and food production. Participants were particularly concerned about how previously mined, galamsey pits have been completely abandoned without any attempts at reclamation. Others described how farmlands have been degraded to a point where both reclamation and intensive fertilizer application are required to restore soil fertility:
The first and major problem is land management after galamsey has been completed. I took this photo [Image 1] to show an abandoned mine site. Without reclamation and fertilizer application, nothing can be cultivated on this land. The miners didn’t fill the pits and the land can’t support food production.
Image 1
Although most farmers were keenly aware of the socio-ecological impacts of fertilizer application, they said using these synthetic farm inputs was the only way to make the land productive again:
And because of the mining activities, all the farmlands have been destroyed. That has affected the food we cultivate here. I took this photo [Image 2] to show how we’re increasingly using synthetic chemicals to cultivate food. Myself and the other farmers here, we all know the dangers of using farm chemicals, but this is the only way to make the land productive again.
Image 2
Another prominent concern was how some galamsey pits were dug either inside existing subsistence farms, or near residential units, sometimes without the consent of landowners. These abandoned pits did not only serve as death traps, but were also said to compromise food security:
This photo [Image 3] is a mining pit dug right behind my house. It is deep. People keep falling into the pit every day. At least I’ve seen five dead bodies, both adults and children, retrieved from this pit. But I took this photo particularly to provide evidence of how a large part of my subsistence farmland has been degraded by the miners.
Image 3
The majority of galamsey pits were left uncovered after gold mining was over. Our research team identified many of such abandoned, uncovered pits, as we navigated communities to interact with participants in their homes and farms. Among farmers who attempt to reclaim and cultivate food crops on degraded and abandoned galamsey sites, they described extreme difficulties associated with crop growth and productivity, including difficulties related to cyanide and mercury contamination. Many farmers described food security consequences in discussing photographs associated with these abandoned galamsey pits:
This photo [Image 4] shows a vegetable farm on a covered galamsey pit. The vegetables begin to rot even before they are fully matured. The result is that it’s now very hard to get fresh vegetables for our food […]. The land has lost its fertility. The top layer, which contains rich nutrients, was turned upside down during the pit covering process, making the land useless for farming. No matter what is done, a lot of fertilizers would have to be applied to get the land fertile again.
Image 4
Overall, findings from the interviews demonstrated that there was a serious need for land reclamation in order to prevent ever-increasing agricultural productivity decline, as well as food insecurity. While most of the concerns under this theme were linked to food availability as one component of food security, there were other photo-stories related to food accessibility and quality, as described in the following sub-sections.
Food and water contamination
Food and water contamination from galamsey was the second most prominent theme in the interviews. Mercury is one of the main chemicals used in artisanal gold mining in Ghana. Many study participants described the dangerous manner in which mercury is discarded once it has been used for gold extraction:
When the miners are done washing the gold, they throw the mercury and the black gold dust into the water and on the farmlands. We need you to help carry out a soil test to ascertain the concentration of chemicals in the soil.
There was a very strong perception from the interviews and the photo exhibition that mercury deposits on farmlands cause food and water contamination. For example, many participants took photos and shared stories related to food contamination or poisoning, as a result of mercury deposits:
Mercury is used for the mining and it spreads quickly when it falls on the land. I know because I have done galamsey before. Cassava harvested from a land with mercury residue tends to be reddish inside, instead of the usual white color. Such cassava cannot be used for preparing food. Recently, some neighbors ate food from such affected cassava, got ill and were taken to the hospital. It was a family of six people. At the hospital, they were all diagnosed of food poison. We had to announce this case in the town so that people are cautious of harvesting contaminated cassava.
Another study participant shared two photos with a story that reinforced the above perception that root tuber crops are being contaminated due to mercury deposits in soils:
I took these two photos [Image 5A and 5B] to tell my story. The cassava was planted on the galamsey covered pits and did not grow well. We harvested the tubers and processed it into cassava powder for ‘kokonte’ [thick cassava gruel]. When cooked, the kokonte looks very black, all because of the mercury deposits in the land. When eaten, the cassava powder causes stomach upset and diarrhea, so we don’t use the cassava anymore.
A B
Image 5
In addition to food-related issues, water contamination was also repeatedly highlighted in the photo-stories. There were several stories about village residents who have experienced blood in their urine, a health condition perceived to be the result of mercury deposits in water bodies:
Some people are still mining in the forest closer to the source of the Brim River. When they wash the gold, the dirt flows downstream, as shown in this photo [Figure 6]. Last year, the primary school children in the town became infected from the river and had blood in their urine. They drank the water and bathed in the river. With the help of one medical doctor in town, and some medical students from Johns Hopkins University in the USA, all the school children were treated. So, the doctor advised the school children not to drink from this Brim River. However, not everyone has money to buy bottled water.
Image 6
In addition to contaminating water and rendering them unpotable, galamsey was also said to affect fisheries and aquaculture, with severe implications for food security. Many participants described fish farming projects that have been collapsed due to mercury pollution:
This photo here [Image 7] used to be a fishpond that produced fresh fish for the community. The galamsey miners pumped contaminated mercury water into the pond and killed all the fishes. We now travel elsewhere to buy fresh fish like tilapia. It’s now very expensive to access fresh fish here in town. There used to be about 30 acres of land at both sides of the fishpond. That land has also been destroyed.
Image 7
During the photovoice exhibition, other stakeholders, including health professionals, shared many similar stories, confirming a growing incidence of illnesses linked to food and water contamination, as well as food insecurity in the study area.
Dietary Changes and Overreliance on Processed Foods
The issue of dietary changes was the third most prominent theme that emerged from this research. Participants stressed that there has been an increasing trend towards unhealthy eating habits, perceived to be linked to galamsey. All the 36 participants took photos or shared stories showing a general difficulty in accessing food. In these stories, the scarcity and increasing cost of food was consistently emphasized and contrasted with experiences in the past:
Food is now scarce in this town due to the galamsey mining. There are no good food in the markets and the few farmers have raised their food prices. It wasn’t like that at first because about 90% of the people were farming.
Other participants described the growing predominance of ultra-processed foods with refined ingredients, artificial flavours, and little nutritional value. Of these processed foods, one that was repeatedly mentioned was indomine, an instant noodle imported from Indonesia and marketed throughout Ghana. Study participants bemoaned the proliferation of indomine sale outlets even in the most rural galamsey sites in Ghana. They further emphasized that this food now constituted the main evening meal consumed by most households in sites affected by the environmental impacts of galamsey:
Because galamsey has destroyed foods and farmlands, now indomine is sold all over in this area. In the evenings, indomie is usually the food available to most families. There are about fifteen indomie shops in a community of less than 900 people.
Throughout the photo-stories, participants described the challenging times they find themselves in. Although fresh fruits and vegetables are known to be relatively cheaper in rural Ghanaian markets where they are often abundant, participants said that this situation has changed in their communities. They noted that in recent times, fresh fruits and vegetables have become not only incredibly expensive, but also risky to consume, mainly due to perceived mercury contamination. There were several photos taken to contrast food prices, food quality, and food variety, mainly between fresh fruits and vegetables and processed food options:
With galamsey and its impacts on smallholder farming, we’re in an interesting time. We’ve entered a time where fresh fruits and vegetables are highly expensive than processed food options. So, most sellers now give you the option – either you pay more if you want fresh tomatoes, or you pay less if you want the processed, canned equivalent. This photo [Image 8], which I took from our local market, illustrates these options. One other contradiction is that it is even risky to eat the fresh farm produce due to the mercury deposits on the land. So now we’ve all turned to eating processed foods.
Image 8
Almost all study participants begun their photo-stories with the phrase “our diets have changed.” This dietary change was explained in reference to the growing prevalence of processed foods, including instant noodles (indomine), canned fish, canned fruits, and canned vegetables. Others were packed sachets of hot cereals and beverages such as cocoa and coffee drinks. The way study participants described these processed foods was also noteworthy: reference was often made to the fact that these food options were “very new” to rural settings, and that galamsey miners were partly responsible both in creating shortages of traditional staple foods, and for facilitating the sale and consumption of ultra-processed foods:
Due to galamsey mining and the difficulty in growing food, our diets have changed. Now there are instant noodles, cowbell coffee sachets, and many canned foods like tomatoes, fish, and other vegetables. I took this photo [Image 9] to illustrate these foods. These processed foods are very, very new to our community. They are now eaten by both adults and children.
Image 9
Some study participants worried that if their children grew accustomed to these processed and imported foods, they may no longer appreciate cultural values around local foods and eating habits.