Sustainability 2014, 6, 375-398; doi:10.3390/su6010375 OPEN ACCESS sustainability ISSN 2071-1050 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Article Migration, Social Demands and Environmental Change amongst the Frafra of Northern Ghana and the Biali in Northern Benin Papa Sow 1,*, Stephen A. Adaawen 1,† and Jürgen Scheffran 2,† 1 Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Street 3, Bonn D-53113, Germany; E-Mail:
[email protected] 2 Institute of Geography, Klima Campus, University of Hamburg, Grindelberg 7, Hamburg D-20144, Germany; E-Mail:
[email protected] † These authors contributed equally to this work. * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +49-228-73-1824; Fax: +49-228-73-1972. Received: 11 October 2013; in revised form: 11 December 2013 / Accepted: 12 December 2013 / Published: 14 January 2014 Abstract: The impacts of environmental change and degradation on human populations, including the possibility of sharp increases in the number of people considered “environmental migrants” have gained considerable attention. Migrating communities may try to distribute their members along particular lines of kinship, gender, marriage and/or services linked to land exploitation and agriculture. This paper explores archives and narratives of African migrants in northwestern Benin and northeastern Ghana. These regions have been marked by severe ecological change and resource deterioration over the years, as well as changes in marital patterns, family relations and customary practices. In the case of Benin, the paper looks at different ethnic groups that migrated from neighboring countries to the study region. It then focuses on the Biali, who undertake marriage journeys after practicing rituals, which are often related to agricultural activities.