Agrarian Transformation in Ghana's Brong Ahafo Region
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Agrarian Transformation in Ghana’s Brong Ahafo Region: Drivers and Outcomes James Boafo BA (Hons), MPhil (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana) A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2019 School of Social Science ABSTRACT Food and agricultural systems in the global South have undergone recent and significant transformation. Such changes are driven by an array of actors, and alongside social, political and economic forces, including a renewed investment by global development actors following the global agri-food crisis in the mid-2000s. The global agri-food crisis, in particular, is associated with speculations in food and agriculture, alongside the introduction of new modernisation policies and programmes – including the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. Such interventions are often couched as a response to the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population, estimated to reach nine billion by 2050. In Africa, an agricultural transformation is also closely tied to initiatives to modernise agriculture, including expanding export-led agricultural development. Turning to Ghana in particular, market-based and export-led agricultural development policies and narratives have expanded since at least the mid-2000s, incorporating new actors, and extending their local level impacts. During this period, dominant agricultural development narratives framed Ghana’s agrarian problems as largely technical and supply-side problems, which could be solved by increasing productivity as well as diversifying into production of export crops, thereby addressing poverty, food insecurity and global market access issues. In particular, the promotion of cashew nut production as export diversification has integrated farmers in the Brong Ahafo Region into the global commodity market. These market-based approaches are shaping agricultural practices – with outcomes that are transforming agriculture in Ghana, particularly the Brong Ahafo Region. With this as context, this thesis adopts a critical political ecology approach to analyse contemporary processes and outcomes of agricultural transformation in Ghana’s Brong Ahafo Region. Political ecology was adopted to render transparent the complex political, economic and sociocultural processes across different global and local scales shaping agricultural transformation in the region, often referred to as the ‘breadbasket’ of Ghana. The research adopts qualitative methods, including interviews, focus group discussions, observation and policy document analysis, to gather in-depth data on farming systems in the Brong Ahafo Region. At the local level, data was gathered from farmers and local agricultural actors across four communities in the region: Wenchi, Amponsahkrom, Kintampo and Nyakoma. At the ii national level, data was also gathered from NGOs, policymakers, politicians and development partners/international donors. The results presented in the thesis demonstrate that Ghana’s contemporary agricultural policies are largely shaped by market-based narratives, with significant influence from international donors. Specifically, through technical and financial aids (alongside other inducements), international donors wield power in shaping narratives of agricultural policies. The ability of international donors to shape and influence agricultural policies in Ghana demonstrates the politicisation of agricultural policy processes in Ghana. The thesis further shows that agricultural policy narratives have broadly framed food insecurity and poverty in Ghana as supply-side problems that can be solved through the adoption of technical solutions. The conception of food security as a technical problem gives urgency to promotion and adoption of technical inputs such as modern seeds, chemical fertilisers and agrochemicals, resulting in an array of socioecological impacts. The results also demonstrate that historical legacies, alongside high global demand for cashew nuts, marketisation and commercialisation narratives, and alongside sociocultural factors, are driving land use changes towards the production of cashew destined for the global market. While farmers are earning income from cashew, its production is distorting local food production as well as reinforcing social differentiation through various patterns of land accumulation and class struggle. Informed by political ecology, this thesis argues that multiple complex processes across global, national and local scales, including global Green Revolution narratives, commercialisation narratives, historical legacies, as well as local level sociocultural factors, are shaping the transformation of agriculture in the Brong Ahafo Region. The thesis concludes by arguing that broader changes to top-down conventional narratives of agricultural development are required to address agriculture and food challenges currently facing Ghana. iii DECLARATION BY AUTHOR This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. iv No publications included in this thesis No manuscripts submitted for publication Other publications during candidature Peer-reviewed papers Boafo, J. and Lyons, K. (in press). Expanding Cashew Nut Exporting from Ghana’s Breadbasket: A Political Ecology of Changing Land Access and Use, and Impacts for Local Food Systems, The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food Boafo, J., Appiah, O. D. and Tindan, D. P. (in press). Drivers of export-led agriculture in Ghana: The case of emerging cashew production in Ghana’s Brong Ahafo Region, The Australasian Review of African Studies Conference abstracts Boafo, J. (2018). Agricultural policy rhetoric and reality; the case of emerging cashew production in Ghana. 25th International Conference of Agri-food Research Network, 2-5 December 2018, Brisbane, Australia. Boafo, J. (2017). Changing land use and investment; the case of Cashew production in Ghana. 24th International Conference of Agri-food Research Network, 2-5 December 2017, Bandung, Indonesia. Contributions by others to the thesis Professor Kristen Lyons and Associate Professor Peter Westoby contributed to this thesis in their capacity as advisors. They assisted in the formulation of the research ideas and questions, and provided feedback on the chapters of the thesis throughout my candidature. No works submitted towards another degree have been included in this thesis Research Involving Human or Animal Subjects The School of Social Science Ethical Review Panel (SSERP) granted ethical approval for this research on 29 April 2016 under the clearance number [RHD3-2016]. A copy of the approval letter is attached in Appendix 4. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my supervisors Professor Kristen Lyons and Associate Professor Peter Westoby for their supervision, guidance, support, advice and critical comments on my work. This thesis was largely shaped by their critical comments, inputs, suggestions and various discussions at meetings. Thanks also go to Emeritus Professor Geoff Lawrence and Dr Sally Babidge, who provided feedback on two of my results chapters. I also wish to sincerely thank Vicki Ford for proofreading the entire thesis. I thank Zannie Langford (PhD candidate) for editing some of the chapters of the thesis. My thanks go to the UQ PhD fraternity namely Jason, Debashis, Kennedy, Uncle Paul, Lata, PJ, Sari, Hannah, Amelia, Anne-Marie, Chris, Bryan, Eric, Denies, Philip, Julius, Ralph, Yaw, Bernard, Chinwe Fr. Philip, Thomas and Amy. Thanks to all of the research participants – farmers, development partners, government officials and grassroots farmers’ movements – who provided rich information for this thesis. To the University of Queensland for providing a scholarship for the PhD training. To all my family, mother, uncles, aunties, nieces, nephews and all my friends in Ghana and diaspora, thank you all for the encouragements throughout the PhD process. Last and above all, glory to God for the gift of life, health and knowledge to write a PhD thesis.