Keta municipal is mainly an agricultural district, with the majority of the population engaged in crop farming, livestock keeping, fishing and other related trading activities.

Crop Production

The municipality is one of the major vegetable producers in the Volta Region.  It is well known for its shallots, which are produced in the flood plains along the Angaw and Keta Lagoons and streams, and in the depressions created by some wealthy farmers.  The main shallot producing areas are Anyanui, Agbledomi, Dzita, Atorkor, Srogboe, Whuti, Woe and Tegbi. Other vegetables such as okro, tomato and pepper are also extensively cultivated either as pure stands or as intercrops depending upon the season, with the alluvial soils along the lagoons providing very ideal sites for their production.

Maize and cassava are also grown as off-season crops, along the littoral but as main season crops in the northern parts of the district.  Coconut is also cultivated along the littoral even though it is no more the main source of income for the people as it used to be some years ago, as a result of the Cape St Paul Wilt Disease, which appeared in the district in the Woe area around 1932 and devastated large numbers of trees and still causing havoc. 

Coconuts are also grown in the inland parts of the Municipalityaround Afiadenyigba, Atiavi, Hatorgodo, Atsiame and Dorveme, areas. Sugarcane is a major crop extensively cultivated in the flood-prone mid-western parts of the district, with the following major producing areas; Atiavi, Hatorgodo, Bleamezado and Tregui. 

Cowpea is a major crop grown in the northern parts of the district around Abor, Weme and other surrounding towns during the main cropping season.  It is also grown along the littoral during off seasons as green manure.  Sweet potato is a crop found all over the Municipality; however, the northern part of the Municipal grows it more extensively.

Farm Sizes

Farm sizes continue to be small in the Municipality compared to other parts of the Volta Region.  The average is 0.5 ha and below.

Yield of Major Crops

While some crops seem to have made gains in yield, others have declined.  The Table below shows area, yield production levels of selected crops for 2003.

  Area, Yield and Production of Selected Crops:

                      Source:  MOFA, Volta Region

Use of Farm Inputs

There is a decline in the use of inorganic fertilizer in the  Municipality,A recent survey has revealed that 38.5% of sampled farmers used manure as against 32.2% that used inorganic fertilizers.  This has been attributed to the increasing cost of chemical fertilizers.

Fishing

The municipality is endowed with numerous water bodies, and has a high potential for fisheries development.  Among the available resources are the Atlantic coastline, lagoons and creeks.  Fishing is carried out in the sea, lagoons and rivers.  Several types of fishing gears are used for fishing in the sea.  These include beach seine, Ali, Polo, Watsa, Set nets and Drift gill nets.  Some of these fishing gears have proved to be inappropriate and efforts are being made to regulate it.  There is a booming shrimp landing from the lagoon as a result of the sea defence project.

Livestock

Livestock production is a secondary vocation to most farmers in the district.  The Municipality is very popular for rearing ducks and geese.  Local poultry (fowls) are also kept on free range.  A few women keep turkeys, while pigeons are pastimes for the wealthy men in the society.  A few farmers keep improved poultry.  Poultry is abundant in commercial towns along the littoral where the demand is highest.

Sheep and goats are found in most homes and are fed on household waste.  They are kept mainly on free range and therefore become a nuisance in the community.  Pigs used to be common in most villages but with the devastation of the coconuts and the subsequent disappearance of waste from its processing, their feeding has become a problem resulting in decrease in their numbers.  Few numbers are being kept around Salo, Agortoe and Afiadenyigba areas.  Exotic breeds are however being kept by a few commercial farmers around Keta and Dzelukope.  Cattle and small ruminants are mostly found in the middle belt of the Municipal where pasture is available.

Oysters and other edible bivalves is another promising area for the Municipality. This can also be clutches in the open sea. Spats or the young ones can be collected from the wild by hanging cultures in the open waters for them to attach. These can then be towed to suitable sites where they are allowed to grow to market size and harvested. These are suitable candidates for export to developed countries where oyster meat is seen as a delicacy, fetching premium prices.

Agriculture Financing

Credit for investment in agriculture is mainly from farmers’ own resources.  Some support is also obtained from family members, susu contributions, and friends.  Credit obtained from banks and  Assembly is very minimal, possibly due to lack of collateral security.

Agriculture Extension

Agricultural extension is in the form of training and visit to farmers, fishermen and processors by extension agents of MOFA.   On-farm demonstrations are also carried out to showcase new technologies and developments.  However, due to inadequate staff, some operational areas are not covered.  This has contributed to low extension coverage in the district. 

Logistics is also another serious constraint militating against extension coverage.  Most field staff have no means of transport to easily cover their operational areas, while those with motorbikes, do not have enough funds for operation and maintenance. Poverty Profile and Poverty Pockets in the Municipal in Relation to Agriculture 

A survey conducted by MOFA indicates that majority of the population (61%) earns less than three hundred thousand cedis per month.  Only about 7% earns more than six hundred thousand cedis.

           Income level of Residents

 Source:   MOFA, Volta Region

The low income levels and poverty in the Municipal could be attributed to: Low agricultural productivity and production:  There is low   agricultural productivity and production for the major staples  (maize, cassava and cowpea) as compared to other districts in      the region.  This is attributable to poor soils and poor rainfall patterns.

1.  Difficulty in accessing land:  Cumbersome procedures land acquisition affect land holdings.  Coupled with that are series of litigations over farmlands especially in the southern coastal parts of the district.
2. Siltation of Keta Lagoon and Creeks:  Though the Municipal i  s endowed with rich water bodies for fishing, siltation especially of the Keta lagoon during parts of the year. Bad road network and seasonal cut off feeder roads:
3. .The bad road network affects the movement of goods and people to and from markets, especially in the northern parts of the municipality.

Poverty Pockets

In a Poverty Profiling and Mapping study of the Municipality,efforts were made to have a deeper understanding of spatial dimensions of incidence of poverty in the Keta Municipality and its inter-play with – Socio – cultural, economic and other prevailing factors and its inter – relationship. The Municipality has been classified into seven poverty pockets.  The Poverty pockets and characteristics are indicated in the Table 39 below Refer to Poverty Profiling and Mapping in Area Council.

 POVERTY POCKETS AND CHARACTERISTICS

Potential Areas for Agricultural Development

The Municipal abounds in water resources, livestock production and crop farming.  There are virgin lands at Shime, for vegetable production as well as 40ha of reclaimed land at the sea defence a for coconut cultivation.  Toje-Alajo soils around Abor are suitable for cassava, vegetable, mango, cashew, coconut, maize and tobacco.

Fish Culture

Marine Culture

Being a Municipal with a coastline of over 60km, fish resources are in abundance, including the cultivable species such as sparidae, mullet, cysters and shrimps.  Mature sparidae such as sea bream can be caught in the wild and brought into the laboratory.  These can then be induced to spawn and the fingerlings so produced stocked in floating cages off shore and fed to table size.  These technologies exist in several countries and can therefore be duplicated here. Oysters and other edible bivalves is another promising area for the municipal.  This can also be clutches in the open sea.  Spats or the young ones can be collected from the wild by hanging cultures in the open waters for them to attach.  These can then be towed to suitable sites where they are allowed to grow to market size and harvested.  These are suitable candidates for export to developed countries where oyster meat is seen as a delicacy, fetching premium prices.

Shrimp Culture

From a survey carried out in the district in the late seventies, the western coastline is dotted with suitable sites for shrimp culture. The soils around Atiteti and Anyanui were found to be good for fishpond construction.  Estimation shows that more than 10km² of land is available for such investment.  Further, being close to the Volta Estuary, young shrimps are abundant throughout the years, the area is close to their spawning and sheltering ground.  These can be harvested, stocked into ponds and grown to suitable size for both local and export markets.

Brackish water Aquaculture

Areas around the Volta delta where fresh and saline water meets is very suitable for fish culture, especially for tilapia species,, mullet and shrimp.  Svereal culture systems can be practised in the area including the following: -
 

Cage Culture

 Cages made from small mesh netting are hanged in water using materials such as bamboo/wawa boards as frames and empty drums or Styrofoam as float.  These cages are stocked with fingerlings, collected from the wild or from hatcheries and fed with compound feed. 

Pen Culture

A shallow area is completely surrounded with stakes onto which small mesh netting is hanged and firmly dug into the mud to prevent fish escaping.  This is in turn stocked with fingerlings taken from the wild or from a hatchery and fed to table size.  With its attendant decline in fishing activities, livelihood of most people has been adversely affected.  The only livelihood activities during this period are cutting of trees as firewood for sale and weaving of raffia mats.  The cutting of trees as firewood has also resulted in erratic rainfall in the area.

Pond Culture

Few ponds culture exist in the Shime area.  These brackish water ponds are constructed and water introduced using tidal flow or by pumping.  These ponds are then stocked with young shrimp or fingerlings obtained from either the wild or hatcheries, fed until they reach market size.

Flood Plain Fisheries

This system when adopted exploits the natural flooding sequence, in which the flood waters from the two major rivers, Volta and Tordzie, bring in wild fish during annual floods into natural pools.  De-silting can enlarge such pools or new dugouts can be created, into which water and fish can be trapped during floods.  When the flood subsides, the fish can be exploited until the next rains.

Rice Production

Rice production is also feasible in the flood prone northern parts of the district where rich alluvial soils are abundant.  By creating dugouts and dams to control the flood waters, land can be freed from annual flooding and this can be put to rice production.  It is estimated that, more than 2000 hectares can be made available for rice production, with trapped water being used for irrigating the fields.Livestock and fish can be integrated into the production systems for a more complete use of resources.  While fish can be stocked into the pools/dams, a shed can be built on the dykes overlapping the water into which poultry/ ducks or pigs can be introduced.

Sugarcane Production

It constitutes the major crop currently grown in the flood prone areas of the district, stretching from Shime area to Hatorgodo and Atiavi.  Over 20km² of land is available for cultivation in the area.  Currently an estimated 200,000mt of sugarcane is produced annually, and is processed into local gin “Akpeteshie”.  This yield can be doubled or tripled if the floodwaters and wild fires can be controlled and the cane processed into rangeland, by introducing nutritious grasses and oversowing with leguminous plants (stylosanthes).There are ready markets for meat products and dairy in the nearby centres such as Accra, tema, Ho, Denu, Aflao and Lome Togo.

Coconut Production

With the introduction of a variety resistant to the Cape St. Paul Wilt Disease into the Municiplality, hope has come for rejuvenating the industry.  It is possible to restore these plantations in order to revive a very important industry that used to support a large number of people.

Vegetable Production

Increased irrigation can make more land available for vegetable production, along the littoral and in the northern parts of the Municipality including the flood plains around Tregui and Hatorgodo.

Agro-Processing

Apart from cassava, maize, sugarcane, pepper and fish, most agricultural products are sold in the raw form.  While cassava is processed into gari, kokonte (dried chips) and dough, maize being a staple is made into powder form or fermented dough.  Biscuit are also made fro cassava starch.  Sugarcane is crushed to extract the juice and then fermented and distilled into alcohol (akpeteshie).  Pepper on the other hand is dried when harvested in the ripe form and sold whole or in the powdered form, while fish is smoked, sun-dried, salted and dried or fermented.

Problems of agriculture

Agricultural development in the Municipality is plagued by several problems, among which are:

1. Inadequate access to credit for farmers, fishermen and processors
2. Low access to land cumbersome procedure in land acquisition, and non availability of large tracts of land for large scale production
3. Low productivity of major crops due to lack of financial resources to purchase inputs
4. Low prices offered for produce
5. Underdeveloped animal production due to lack of suitable pastures
6. Decreasing fish production due to over-fishing, use of unapproved fishing methods and high cost of inputs

Other Fish Culture

There are potentials for other fish culture systems like
1.    Cage culture
2.    Pen culture
3.    Pond culture
4.    Flood plain fisheries
All the above could be exploited for fishery industry in the Municipality.