Selorm Kobla Kugbega
Forskare
State-Customary Interactions and Agrarian Change in Ghana. The Case of Nkoranza Traditional Area
Författare
Summary, in English
While agrarian change has been a recurrent theme in Ghana’s endeavor for economic
development, questions on how land resources should be managed to ensure prompt attainment of economic growth remain unanswered. In Ghana, land is controlled by customary actors, while the state is the custodian of agricultural policies. The need for interaction between the two actors to ensure that the envisioned economic gains from agriculture are attained is paramount. This paper asks questions on how land tenure issues are conceptualized in relation to agricultural policies and the interactions between state and customary actors on land management for agricultural development. The paper uses qualitative research methods comprising 17 key informant interviews and document analysis. Concepts of modernized property rights, ideal and new customary tenure served as the theoretical lens for analysis. The findings indicated that state actors vilify customary tenure by considering it inimical to economic development and requiring it to be replaced. Furthermore, new characteristics of commodification, privatization and professionalization within the new customary system are different from the ideal type customary tenure. The paper argues that a new customary tenure taking shape in the Nkoranza traditional area can be harnessed to bring together two seemingly opposing views on tenure management.
development, questions on how land resources should be managed to ensure prompt attainment of economic growth remain unanswered. In Ghana, land is controlled by customary actors, while the state is the custodian of agricultural policies. The need for interaction between the two actors to ensure that the envisioned economic gains from agriculture are attained is paramount. This paper asks questions on how land tenure issues are conceptualized in relation to agricultural policies and the interactions between state and customary actors on land management for agricultural development. The paper uses qualitative research methods comprising 17 key informant interviews and document analysis. Concepts of modernized property rights, ideal and new customary tenure served as the theoretical lens for analysis. The findings indicated that state actors vilify customary tenure by considering it inimical to economic development and requiring it to be replaced. Furthermore, new characteristics of commodification, privatization and professionalization within the new customary system are different from the ideal type customary tenure. The paper argues that a new customary tenure taking shape in the Nkoranza traditional area can be harnessed to bring together two seemingly opposing views on tenure management.
Avdelning/ar
- Institutionen för kulturgeografi och ekonomisk geografi
Publiceringsår
2020-11-18
Språk
Engelska
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Land
Volym
9
Issue
458
Fulltext
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
MDPI AG
Ämne
- Economic Geography
Nyckelord
- land rent
- customary tenure
- tenure security
- chiefs
- state
- agricultural policy
- land reform
- Ghana
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 2073-445X