About this module
More than half of Takoradi's rubbish could become compost. Farmers need it, because Ghana's soils are tired and fertiliser is costly.
Who it is for. People with no formal certificate, and school field-visit groups for the first units. National Proficiency I is a bridging level for people with minimal education.
Why compost
- In the Takoradi Sub-Metro, about 60% of waste is organic, and the study found most of it suits composting.
- Ghana's soils lose about 40–60 kg of nutrients per hectare each year, while farmers apply only about 12 kg.
- Ghana's big compost plant in Accra processes hundreds of tonnes of waste a day into compost products.
- FAO's principles of agroecology include recycling: "Waste is a human concept that does not exist in natural ecosystems".
CTVET status. No CTVET composting programme was found. This module is not a CTVET curriculum. The Hub's Waste Recycling manual covers composting briefly; this manual goes deeper. Organic fertilisers sold commercially fall under the Plants and Fertilizer Act 2010 (Act 803), managed by MoFA's Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate.
How the module works
Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent from what your assessor sees, asks and reads in your logbook. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme, which uses about 30% in school and 70% at the workplace.
Unit 1 · Work safely with waste and manure
Manure and rotting food carry germs. A hot heap kills them, but only if it is done right, and your hands must stay clean.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Protect yourself | wears gloves and boots; washes hands with soap |
| 1.2 Keep the wrong things out | never adds human waste, dead animals, meat or diseased plants |
| 1.3 Watch for pests and fire | checks for snakes; controls flies and rats; prevents heap fires |
Range. Composting area. Evidence. Observation; oral questions.
Germs
Manure can carry E. coli, Salmonella and other germs that survive in soil for months. Wear gloves for raw manure and young compost, and wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds afterwards.
Keep out
Don't home-compost pet waste, meat, fish, bones, dairy or diseased plants, because small heaps may not get hot enough to kill germs. Never compost human waste or dead animals at this level: that needs a licensed industrial process.
Snakes, pests and fire
- Snakes like warm heaps: make noise as you approach.
- Bury food waste inside the heap to keep rats and flies away.
- Very large hot heaps can catch fire by themselves; split very hot heaps and check temperature and moisture often.
Safe start
- Dress in gloves and boots; set up the handwashing station.
- Sort a pile of waste into "yes", "no" and "ask the trainer".
- Check the site for snakes, standing water and fire risks.
Waste watch
For one day, list everything your household throws away. Which could be composted?
Unit 2 · Why compost: circular farming in Ghana
On a circular farm, the waste from one part feeds another.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 2.1 Explain circular farming | describes how waste becomes a resource |
| 2.2 Know Ghana's examples | names compost, biogas and insect-feed examples |
Range. Farm and town. Evidence. Oral questions; drawn farm loop.
Ghana examples
- Compost plants: ACARP in Accra makes compost, "Compost Plus" and liquid compost.
- Faecal sludge to fertiliser: IWMI and partners made "Fortifer" pellets near Tema, with yield gains in trials.
- Biogas slurry: digester slurry keeps most of the manure's nutrients and can go on crops or into compost.
- Black soldier flies: larvae fed on food waste become poultry and fish feed, and their droppings become fertiliser. A Danish firm plans a Ghana plant to process 8,000 tonnes of waste a year.
Draw the loop
Draw the Hub farm as a circle: crops → waste → compost/biogas/insects → soil and feed → crops. Label every arrow.
Find a loop
Find one example near you where one person's waste feeds another business.
Unit 3 · Greens, browns and the recipe
Mix wet green things with dry brown things in the right amounts, and keep it as damp as a squeezed sponge.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 3.1 Sort greens and browns | sorts local materials correctly |
| 3.2 Balance the mix | aims for about 25–30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen |
| 3.3 Check moisture | uses the squeeze test |
Range. Local waste materials. Evidence. Sorted materials; mix record.
Greens and browns
| Greens (nitrogen, wet) | Browns (carbon, dry) |
|---|---|
| Fresh peels, vegetable waste, grass | Sawdust, dry leaves, rice husk, straw |
| Poultry manure | Shredded cardboard, dry palm fronds |
Aim for a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of about 25–30 to 1. Poultry manure is very high in nitrogen (about 5–15 to 1) and sawdust very high in carbon (200–700 to 1), so the two balance each other well.
The squeeze test
Squeeze a handful. One or two drops: about right (50–60% moisture). A stream: too wet. It falls apart: too dry.
Mix a batch
- Sort waste into greens and browns.
- Mix about 2–3 buckets of browns for every bucket of greens with manure; adjust by feel.
- Do the squeeze test; add water or browns until right.
- Record what you used.
Collect browns
Collect a sack of dry leaves or sawdust for the class heap.
Unit 4 · Build and run a hot heap
A hot heap cooks itself. Heat kills germs and weed seeds and turns waste into compost in weeks, not months.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Build a heap | builds a heap big enough to heat up |
| 4.2 Monitor and turn | records temperature and turns on schedule |
| 4.3 Kill germs | keeps the heap at 55 °C or more for long enough |
| 4.4 Know when it is ready | recognises mature compost |
Range. Hot heap. Evidence. Heap; temperature records; finished compost.
Size
A heap needs to be at least about 1 cubic metre to keep its heat. The fast "Berkeley" method uses a heap about 1 m × 1 m × 1.5 m high.
Heat kills germs
US rules for treating waste require 55 °C or more for three days in a covered heap, or for 15 days with at least five turnings in an open windrow.
The 18-day Berkeley method
Keep the heap at 55–65 °C. Do not turn for the first four days, then turn every second day for 14 days, moving the outside to the middle. Let it cure for some weeks before using it on young plants.
Is it ready?
Dark, crumbly, smells of earth, about half the starting volume, you cannot see the original items, and it no longer heats up. Hot compost is usually ready in 3–4 weeks plus curing; cool heaps take 3–4 months.
Build and run
- Build a 1 m³ heap in layers of browns and greens; water each layer.
- Push in the thermometer; record temperature daily.
- Turn on the Berkeley schedule; record each turn.
- Check for overheating (above 70 °C: spread out a little).
- Judge maturity at the end.
Heap diary
Keep a daily heap diary for two weeks: temperature, smell, moisture, turning.
Unit 5 · Worms, bokashi and other methods
Worms make the richest compost of all, in a box, with no turning.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 5.1 Keep a worm bin | sets up and feeds a worm bin |
| 5.2 Harvest vermicompost | separates worms from finished compost |
| 5.3 Know bokashi | explains bokashi and its limits |
Range. Worm bin; bokashi bucket. Evidence. Working worm bin; records.
Worms
The African nightcrawler (Eudrilus eugeniae) lives naturally in Ghanaian soils and is recommended for composting in Ghana. Worms do best near 25 °C, die below 9 °C or above 35 °C, and like it wetter than a heap: 65–75% moisture. Keep the bin in shade. Worm bins do not get hot, so do not use them for manure that needs germ-killing.
Bokashi
Food waste is mixed with special bran and sealed in a bucket for at least two weeks until it smells pickled. The result must still be buried or composted.
Compost tea: be careful
Compost "teas" brewed with sugar or molasses have been found to grow E. coli and Salmonella. Do not spray them on leaves people eat.
Worm bin
- Set up a bin with damp bedding and worms.
- Feed chopped peels twice a week; record.
- After 8–10 weeks, harvest: light from above makes worms go down; scoop the top compost.
Worm count
Count and weigh the worms in a handful each week. Are they growing?
Unit 6 · Use compost and close the loop
Compost feeds the soil that feeds the crop. Show it with a test plot.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 6.1 Apply compost | applies compost at a sensible rate |
| 6.2 Run a test plot | compares beds with and without compost |
| 6.3 Close the loop | links compost to biogas, insects, crops and animals |
Range. Vegetable beds. Evidence. Test plot records.
How much?
Ghanaian tomato trials used 10–20 tonnes of compost per hectare; 10 t/ha improved soil carbon and structure, and 20 t/ha gave the most fruit. That is about 1–2 kg per square metre.
Test plot
- Prepare two beds of the same size.
- Add compost to one (about 2 kg per square metre); leave the other.
- Plant the same crop in both.
- Record growth and harvest weight for each bed.
Ask a farmer
Ask a farmer what they use to feed their soil, and what it costs.
Unit 7 · Your location, business and brand
Free waste in, valuable compost out. Put yourself between the two.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 7.1 Choose a location | scores a site with the checklist |
| 7.2 Add income ideas | plans at least three products or services |
| 7.3 Market and price | brands, labels and prices a product |
Range. Real or planned site. Evidence. Business plan; labelled sample bag.
Choosing a location
- Close to free waste. Markets, chop bars, hotels, farms, sawmills.
- Close to buyers. Nurseries, gardeners, vegetable farmers.
- Space and shade. Heaps, bins and bagging.
- Water for keeping heaps moist.
- Away from homes and drinking water to avoid smells and run-off.
- Within the rules. Sekondi-Takoradi's waste bye-laws set fines of GH¢300–1,000 for offenders; ask the Assembly before setting up.
Ideas to earn more
- Bagged compost: online listings show organic compost at about GH¢80 for 25 kg.
- Worm compost and live worms for gardeners.
- Potting mix for nurseries and hanging gardens.
- Black soldier fly larvae for poultry and fish feed: one Ghana farm reported BSF meal at about GH¢6 per kg.
- Waste collection from hotels, markets and offices.
- School composting clubs and field visits.
Market yourself
In northern Ghana, farmers said they would pay more for compost that is branded and labelled, pelleted or delivered. Show test-plot photos, give samples to nurseries, and keep a WhatsApp catalogue.
Price a bag
A 25 kg bag needs: waste free, sawdust GH¢2, labour GH¢10, bag and label GH¢5, transport share GH¢5. (1) Cost per bag? (2) Price for a 40% margin? (3) Compare with GH¢80 listings.
First customer
Give a sample bag to a nursery or gardener and ask for feedback.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bokashi | Fermenting food waste in a sealed bucket |
| Browns | Dry, carbon-rich materials |
| C:N ratio | Carbon-to-nitrogen balance in the mix |
| Circular agriculture | Farming where waste becomes a resource |
| Competent / Not Yet Competent | The two possible results of a CBT assessment |
| Greens | Wet, nitrogen-rich materials |
| Vermicompost | Compost made by worms |
| Windrow | A long compost heap |
Logbook
Copy these pages into an exercise book. Your logbook is part of your assessment evidence.
- Unit 1: safety checks; sorting
- Unit 2: farm loop drawing
- Unit 3: mix records
- Unit 4: heap temperature and turning records
- Unit 5: worm bin records
- Unit 6: test plot records
- Unit 7: business plan; sample label
- Every homework, dated
Self-check quiz
- Name three things never to put in a trainee compost heap.
- What carbon-to-nitrogen ratio do we aim for?
- What does the squeeze test show?
- How big must a heap be to heat up?
- What temperature and time kill germs in a covered heap?
- Name four signs compost is ready.
- Which worm is used for composting in Ghana?
- Why be careful with compost tea?
- How much compost per square metre for vegetables?
- Name three compost products to sell.
Further reading and sources
Best next reads: FAO's 10 elements of agroecology; the Hub's Waste Recycling, Bio Digester and Vegetable Production manuals.
What this module does not cover: co-composting human waste, industrial compost plants, fertiliser registration procedures, and Takoradi compost prices (not found; check locally).
Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.