Changes in Ghanaian Farming Systems: Stagnation or a Quiet Transformation?

40 Pages Posted: 5 Mar 2016

See all articles by Nazaire Houssou

Nazaire Houssou

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Michael Johnson

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Shashidhara Kolavalli

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Collins Asante-Addo

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Date Written: January 22, 2016

Abstract

This research was designed to understand better the patterns of agricultural intensification and transformation occurring in Africa South of the Sahara using the Ghanaian case. The paper examines changes in farming systems and the role of various endogenous and exogenous factors in driving the conversion of arable lands to agricultural uses in four villages within two agroecologically distinct zones of Ghana: the Guinea Savannah and Transition zones. Using essentially historical narratives and land-cover maps supplemented with quantitative data at regional levels, the research shows that farming has intensified in the villages, while farmers have increased their farm size in response to factors such as population growth, market access, and changing rural lifestyle. The overall trend suggests a gradual move toward intensification through increasing use of labor-saving technologies rather than land-saving inputs — a pattern that contrasts with Asia’s path to its Green Revolution. The findings in this paper provide evidence of the dynamism occurring in African farming systems; hence, they point toward a departure from stagnation narratives that have come to prevail in the debate on agricultural transformation and intensification in Africa South of the Sahara. We conclude that it is essential for future research to expand the scope of this work, while policies should focus on lessons that can be learned from these historical processes of genuine change.

Keywords: Ghana; West Africa; Africa South of Sahara; Africa; intensification; green revolution; households; economic development; technological change; farming systems; stagnation; agricultural transformation

JEL Classification: Q12, O12, O13, O33

Suggested Citation

Houssou, Nazaire and Johnson, Michael and Kolavalli, Shashidhara and Asante-Addo, Collins, Changes in Ghanaian Farming Systems: Stagnation or a Quiet Transformation? (January 22, 2016). IFPRI Discussion Paper 1504, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2740525 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2740525

Nazaire Houssou (Contact Author)

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

1201 Eye St, NW,
Washington, DC 20005
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HOME PAGE: http://www.ifpri.org

Michael Johnson

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

Development Strategy and Governance Division
2033 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
United States
+1 202-862-5600 (Phone)
+1 202-467-4439 (Fax)

Shashidhara Kolavalli

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

1201 Eye St, NW,
Washington, DC 20005
United States

Collins Asante-Addo

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

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