Re‐inventing traditional land tenure in the era of land commoditization: some consequences in periurban northern ghana

Yaro, Joseph Awetori

doi:10.1111/geob.12003

Cited by 49 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…In some cases, the traditional authorities might have been less neutral and, therefore, attempted to justify the deal and acted like spokespersons for affected companies. Such betrayal of the trust of the subjects could be an example of the effect of the commoditization of land on the traditional institutions of governance and management being currently acclaimed [3,14,51,52]. The effect of commoditization is that traditional land use contracts between the traditional authorities and non-land owning community members and settler farmers could easily be terminated for better deals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Chieftaincy Institution in Ghana: Causers and Arbitrators of Conflicts in Industrial Jatropha Investments

Campion

Acheampong

2014

Sustainability

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Large-scale land acquisition in Africa has been the concern and the focus of growing global literature on land grabbing. The upswing in biofuel investments in Ghana led to large-scale land acquisitions by the private sector presided over by chiefs. This research investigates how chiefs, in playing their traditional roles in the acquisition of land and as arbitrators, were, in most instances, the cause and the solution to the ensuing conflicts in the various communities. Data was collected through interviews, use of questionnaires and focus group discussions. Some of the conflict issues include loss of farmlands or other communal lands, disagreements on the land acquisition processes, the quantum and mode of execution of compensation payments and the existence or contents of social responsibility agreements. Furthermore, the use of negotiation, mediation and courts by people in these communities relative to arbitration by chiefs is increasing. The Government of Ghana needs to strengthen the public sector land institutions and put in place stronger and binding mechanisms for resolving disputes arising from large-scale acquisitions of land to cushion the effect of the weakening confidence in the chieftaincy institution.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Chieftaincy Institution in Ghana: Causers and Arbitrators of Conflicts in Industrial Jatropha Investments

Campion

Acheampong

2014

Sustainability

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“…Although this study suggests that poor female and migrant farmers generally lack formal access to land, it is important to highlight that the increasing commoditization of land (Yaro, 2012;World Bank, 2010) means that one's economic background (ability to pay) becomes a critical factor shaping access to land. Yet, the majority of women in the vulnerable communities who may have no financial capacity to acquire land can therefore only access land through marriage or sometimes by borrowing or begging (Yaro, 2010).…”

Section: Socioeconomic and Environmental Factors Constraining Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Yaro, 2012;Quan and Dyer, 2008;Tsikata and Yaro, 2013) and agricultural development (e.g. Barry and Danso, 2014;Owusu, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of land tenure arrangements on the adaptive capacity of marginalized groups: The case of Ghana’s Ejura Sekyedumase and Bongo districts

2015

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Climate change and variability continue to adversely impact on the livelihoods of many, especially agriculture-dependent households, in dryland sub-Saharan Africa. Climate vulnerability is shaped by institutions and socioeconomic processes including land tenure arrangements and infrastructural development. This paper employs a participatory mixed-method approach including household questionnaire surveys, key informant interviews, oral narratives and focus group discussions to understand the dynamics of livelihood challenges in 6 dryland farming communities of different vulnerability status in Ghana. Whilst acknowledging the importance of socioeconomic and environmental processes in influencing climate vulnerability in dryland farming systems, this paper demonstrates how the complex land tenure system is implicitly involved in shaping the vulnerability of two groups of farmers -migrant farmers in the Ejura Sekyedumase District and female farmers in the Bongo District -by limiting the adaptation options available to these two groups. Our results suggest that women's rights regarding land ownership should be formalised in land policy in order to reduce cultural discriminations against women. This highlights that opportunities for women to own and formalise land registration titles should be pursued by the Government of Ghana. This will help women to secure property rights over land and use via mechanisms such as collateral to access credit that could be used to implement climate adaptation practices. The rights of migrant workers should also be recognised in Ghana's land policy to provide them with opportunities for adaptation in a similar manner to non-migrants. This paper demonstrates that smallholder farmers' vulnerability to climate variability and change is shaped by various socio-political and environmental factors. It is, therefore, further recommended that climate change adaptation policies should also consider the broader socioeconomic and environmental factors that could hinder the smallholder farmer's ability to implement various adaptation measures.

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“…The nature and basis of local leadership, whether community-based, political and clientelist, or customary (e.g. Yaro, 2012) is therefore relevant to understanding the organisational capacity of residents seeking to advance or protect their land-related interests. Similarly, the nature of civil society organisations varies greatly, ranging from well-meaning but sometimes politically naı¨ve NGOs concerned to improve living conditions for poor occupants of informal settlements (see Rigon, 2016) to organisations and parties with a covert or overt political agenda, such as Hindutva in India.…”

Section: Identifying the Actors In Land Conflictsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban land conflict in the Global South: Towards an analytical framework

Lombard

Rakodi

2016

Urban Studies

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In cities of the Global South, access to land is a pressing concern. Typically neither states nor markets provide suitable land for all users, especially low-income households. In the context of urban growth and inequality, acute competition for land and the regulatory failures of states often result in conflict, which is sometimes violent, affecting urban authorities and residents. Conflicts are often mentioned in analyses of urban land, but rarely examined in depth. This paper develops a framework for land conflict analysis, drawing on relevant literature and the papers in this special issue. In order to explore the drivers, dynamics and outcomes of urban land conflicts, diverse disciplinary perspectives are discussed, including environmental security, political ecology, legal anthropology, land governance, conflict analysis and management, and urban conflict and violence. The papers focus on conflicts in the peri-urban areas of Xalapa, Mexico, and Juba, South Sudan, and during informal settlement upgrading in eThekwini (Durban), South Africa, and Nairobi. A second paper on South Africa examines how current tenure law reflects the characteristics and outcomes of previous conflicts. We suggest that an analytical framework needs, first, to consider definitional categories, including the material and emotional dimensions of access to land, conflict and violence, and tenure. Second, it needs to identify and examine the interests and behaviour of the many actors involved in urban land conflicts. And third, it needs to analyse the interactions and relationships between those involved at different levels, from the individual/household, through the local to the citywide, national and international.

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Re‐inventing traditional land tenure in the era of land commoditization: some consequences in periurban northern ghana

Cited by 49 publications

References 30 publications

The Chieftaincy Institution in Ghana: Causers and Arbitrators of Conflicts in Industrial Jatropha Investments

The Chieftaincy Institution in Ghana: Causers and Arbitrators of Conflicts in Industrial Jatropha Investments

Impacts of land tenure arrangements on the adaptive capacity of marginalized groups: The case of Ghana’s Ejura Sekyedumase and Bongo districts

Urban land conflict in the Global South: Towards an analytical framework

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