I would never describe myself as a farm girl. I hate bugs. I hate camping. I like air conditioning. But when in Africa…

I was itching to get out of the office so I traveled to the company’s farm in Sagokope, about two hours away. The farm is run by Volta Presentation, a branch of BrandEffect. Kaylee is working on a documentary and other multimedia for the farm, so she’s been there a few times to gather interviews and footage and raved about its beauty. The farm did not disappoint.

Since I can walk to the office from our house, this was the fist time I needed real transportation and my first tro-tro experience. Tro-tros are the main form of public transportation here. It is a privately-owned van packed with about 20 people that travels on fixed routes whenever its filled with passengers. If that makes it sound remotely comfortable, think again. Not every tro-tro is horrible, but sometimes you’ll find one without a floor. Or on fire. And I’m convinced Ghanaians have learned to drive by watching video games.

Lacey came to the farm with Kaylee and me too. When we arrived, the farm director, Matthew, gave us a tour of the grounds and crops. It is peaceful and quiet by the farm and much different from living in Accra.

Volta Presentation harvests crops every Wednesday and delivers crates to its customers in Accra. From what I’ve learned, farms in the city do not use filtered water, but usually contaminated water from the gutters. These makes vegetables from the city grocery stores unsafe to eat, except to Ghanaians whose immune systems have adjusted to the bacteria. Our house ordered three crates last week and it was amazing to eat something fresh! This food is what I miss most about America.

The farm is only two years old. It’s still perfecting farming practices and learning from other organic farmers in Africa, specifically Kenya. The customer base is still growing as well.