Property rights and renewable natural resources degradation in North-Western Ghana

Abstract

Using a case study approach to determine whether any particular resource rights regime and/or the level of security of land tenure are responsible for renewable natural resources (RNR) degradation, this paper argues that the continued use of irrelevant`Western' concepts to describe the dynamic traditional land tenure system among the Dagaaba inhabitants of the region obscures important RNR management problems associated with the dynamic ecology of semi-arid environments. Degradation has more to do with the fragile environment with which the resource users have to cope. Institutional recognition and support for the traditional land tenure system is advocated.

Smallholders and Land Tenure in Ghana: Aligning Context, Empirics, and Policy

“…Existing literature and our observations from the field point to increased individualization of land rights under increasing population pressure and market integration in Ghana (Bakang and Garforth 1998;Bugri 2008;Otsuka et al 2003;Quisumbing et al 2001a). We find that as individuals acquire more continuous claims to the land, they acquire stronger land rights and are entitled to make more exclusive decisions on the land rather than seek consent of family members or traditional authorities.…”

“…Originally, land acquisition was mainly through discovery or occupation of uncultivated land. The first person to settle on the land and start the community took the role as "custodian" or caretaker of the land (Bakang and Garforth 1998). Upon his death, the role of chief or Tendana was passed on to one of his descendants.…”

“…Farmers acquire land through different channels. Originally, land was acquired through settlement, but there is no unclaimed land remaining in Ghana (Bakang and Garforth 1998). The most common methods of acquiring land are allocation or inheritance of land.…”

“…Customary land is regarded as a common resource of members of a specific group based on lineage or community (Place and Hazell 1993;Pande and Udry 2005). However, in most cases, land in a community is neither entirely communal nor exclusive private property (Bakang and Garforth 1998). As the user group of land increases, land is split in different sections and allocated to different groups.…”

Landownership and the gender gap in agriculture: Disappointing insights from Northern Ghana

“…Under the customary practices, individuals are allocated a piece of land that they may use either temporarily or permanently, but whether the individual has the right to sell, rent, sharecrop, borrow, or bequeath the land rests on the community and the specific situation (Lambrecht and Asare, 2016). In some, typically more remote communities, land can still only be accessed through nonmarket transactions such as borrowing, allocation of customary land, gifts, or inheritance, and farmers consider themselves as users rather than owners of the land (Bakang and Garforth, 1998;Lambrecht and Asare, 2016;Doss et al, 2019).…”