The Horticulture Business Platform (HBP) Launches Commercial Vegetable Farm and Learning Site at WASS

Students at West Africa Senior High School (WASS) are already harvesting lettuce and cucumbers grown under drip irrigation systems they learned to install. That is the ground-level reality of the HBP Commercial Farm and Learning Site, officially launched on Thursday, June 25, through a partnership between the Horticulture Business Platform (HBP), the Ghana Netherlands Business and Culture Council (GNBCC), and technical partner Holland GreenTech.

More than just a vegetable farm, the initiative serves as a living classroom where young people can gain hands-on experience in modern horticulture while developing the entrepreneurial and business skills needed to build successful agribusinesses.

For years, conversations around Ghana’s horticulture sector have emphasized the need to increase local food production, improve nutrition, and adopt more sustainable farming practices. At the same time, interest among young people in agribusiness continues to grow as they increasingly recognize agriculture as a profitable and rewarding career rather than merely a means of subsistence.

The HBP Commercial Farm and Learning Site was established to bridge these opportunities. It creates a space where students, graduates, and aspiring entrepreneurs can learn modern production techniques, witness best agricultural practices in action, and appreciate the immense potential that exists within Ghana’s horticulture value chain.

The initiative builds on GNBCC’s Horticulture Business Challenge, a programme that equips young graduates with practical skills and places them in real business environments through internships within the horticulture sector. While participants develop professional competencies such as business planning, marketing, and accounting, they also receive hands-on technical training in crop production, irrigation, fertigation, and modern vegetable farming practices.

Students of West Africa Senior High School are equally benefiting from the project by actively participating in field activities. Their involvement exposes them to agriculture from an early stage and helps reshape perceptions of farming as an innovative, technology-driven, and profitable profession.

Speaking at the launch, Assistant Headmaster Forrabe Ayer described the project as a dream come true. He noted that during his generation, agriculture was often overlooked by young people despite its enormous potential, and expressed the school’s full commitment to supporting the initiative and ensuring its long-term sustainability.

HBP Board Chair, Madam Catherine Krobo Edusei, described the farm as a powerful demonstration of what collaboration can achieve. She noted that one of the aspects that excites her most about the initiative is its contribution to promoting healthy eating.

“The more colorful vegetables you have in your diet, the better,” she remarked, encouraging students to embrace the learning opportunity before them. She also expressed appreciation to all the partners whose collective efforts made the project possible.

Delivering her remarks, Hilde Famaey, General Manager of GNBCC, commended the strong partnership that brought the project to life. She explained that through its Private Sector Development Programme, supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, GNBCC is committed to strengthening Ghana’s horticulture sector and creating sustainable economic opportunities.

She emphasized that introducing young people to practical agriculture at an early stage is critical in shaping a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs who can unlock the vast opportunities within the sector.

One of the most inspiring moments of the event came from the students themselves, who shared testimonies of the practical knowledge and skills they had already acquired through their involvement on the farm. Their enthusiasm reflected the project’s growing impact and the possibilities it presents for future careers in agribusiness.

The ceremony concluded with the symbolic cutting of the sod by stakeholders, followed by a guided tour of the farm led by the resident agronomists, who showcased the drip irrigation infrastructure, fertigation systems, and raised-bed vegetable plots being demonstrated on the site.

The HBP Commercial Farm and Learning Site is more than an investment in vegetables. It is an investment in people. By equipping young Ghanaians with practical skills, exposing students to modern agriculture, and demonstrating sustainable production practices, the initiative is helping shape a new generation of agribusiness leaders. As the farm continues to flourish, so too will the opportunities it creates for learning, innovation, entrepreneurship, and food security across Ghana.

Partner with Us

The farm is open to educational institutions, researchers, private companies, development organizations, and other interested stakeholders for learning visits, demonstration trials, collaborative projects, and knowledge exchange. To arrange a visit or discuss partnership opportunities, contact the HBP Secretariat at info@hbpghana.org or call +233 (0) 552 953 873.

About the Horticulture Business Platform (HBP)

The HBP serves as the primary convener and unified voice for Ghana’s horticulture industry, bringing together a diverse array of stakeholders—including farmers, SMEs, exporters, and input suppliers to foster collaboration and address sector-wide challenges. Beyond facilitating essential market linkages and business networking, HBP acts as a critical advocacy actor by organizing policy dialogues and stakeholder forums that actively engage government, private sector, and civil society. By bridging these groups, the platform identifies regulatory gaps, works to reduce trade barriers, and drives the cross-sector consensus needed to shape national policy, positioning itself as an authoritative and credible leader in Ghana’s horticulture ecosystem.