Ghana's capital Accra is a bustling, modern city blessed with glorious beaches. The president was recently voted back in after a free and fair election, and according to the newspapers the stock market here is thriving. So what's the problem?

Ghana is a predominantly agricultural country, and over 60% of the population rely on farming for a living. In return for a loan, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank told the Ghanaian government that they should stop supporting their own farmers and open their borders to more imports. US rice suddenly flooded the country, along with tinned tomato paste from Italy, and frozen poultry from the EU.

Ghana was also told it could no longer help its own farmers with cheap seeds and fertiliser. Yet the West heavily subsidises its own farmers, encouraging them to grow much more food than they need. The excess is then dumped on developing countries at prices so cheap it's impossible for local farmers to compete. As a result, the union officers explain, "we are condemned to life-long poverty, because everything we try to do in agriculture, we have to do at a loss."

Earlier this year Sheryl Garrett travelled to Ghana with Coldplay's Chris Martin. Her diary tells of the problems faced by the country's farmers and their hopes for a brighter future.

Day 1: A different world