The Impact of Agricultural Practices on Environmental Sustainability in Ghana: A Review

Abstract

Agriculture continues to play its role as the backbone of the Ghanaian economy despite that its contribution to GDP has declined by seven-percentage points between 2007 and 2013. The relationship between agricultural practices and environmental sustainability poses serious challenges, yet it has attracted less attention in many developing countries particularly in Ghana. This paper presents a review of the impact of agricultural practices on environmental sustainability in Ghana.The findings of the study reveal that some of the country's agricultural practices such as deforestation, slash-and-burn agriculture, negative soil nutrients balance, increased dependence on agro-chemicals for both crop and animal production -chemical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, vaccines and antibiotics, antimicrobial drugs, biotechnology, etc threaten our environmental sustainability and need to be altered. Besides, degrading the soil, water, air and biodiversity as well as posing health risks to both famers and consumers, the practices also contribute to high carbon-emissions into the atmosphere facilitating climate change. The effects of climate on agricultural production and productivity are devastating and negate farmers' income and livelihoods, health and the environment in general. These agricultural practices are not sustainable; as they degrade the environment and reduce the effective functioning of the essential ecosystem services; and ultimately, undermine the nutritional and health value of foods.The study recommended sustainable agricultural practices to enhance environmental sustainability through developing resilient/adaptive and low-carbon economy technologies that aim to cope with the vagaries of climate change and reduce the emissions of carbon compounds thereby, protecting the natural resource base of the environment for both present and future generations.

Decolonising the Discourse on Resilience

“…Case Study of the Akan: Geographical, Historical, and Cultural Context Akan is the language of the people called the Akan. The Akan are the largest ethnic group in Ghana (Adomako and Ampadu 2015). According to the 2000 national population census, the Akan constitute 49.1% of the Ghanaian population, and about 44% of the country's population speak Akan as non-native speakers (Awuah-Nyamekye 2009).…”

“…The Akan occupy the greater part of the southern part of Ghana. Akan is spoken as a native language in five of the ten regions in Ghana, namely the Ashanti, Eastern, Western, Central, and Brong Ahafo regions (Adomako and Ampadu 2015). They are sandwiched by the Ewes in the Volta region of Ghana.…”

“…Notably, they built a forest, which aligns with traditional worldviews and values for sustained environmental change, but also with sustaining traditional livelihoods (Awuah-Nyamekye 2009). The resilient and responsive capacity for regular environmental adaptation and climate resilience is emblematic of the Indigenous Akan people of Ghana (Adomako and Ampadu 2015). The Akan's traditional or local ecological knowledge exemplifies a decolonial pathway and the political imaginary of the new resilience doctrine in upholding existing Indigenous cosmologies and epistemologies in coping, adapting, and "bouncing back" from environmental threat and regular climatic disturbances and disruptions posed to life by human practices.…”

“…In fact, trees and all that lives in the thickets are as important as human life. Therefore, cutting down a tree is tantamount to killing a child; anyone who breaches this taboo is severely sanctioned (Adomako and Ampadu 2015). This is embedded in the religious beliefs of the Akan, to the extent that planting a tree is, in essence, a form of worship (Oti 2005).…”

Climate Change and Rural Livelihoods in the Lawra District of Ghana. A Qualitative Based Study

“…These practices continue to threaten and worsen the condition of the environment, undermining sustainability; hence threatening the security of rural livelihoods. Adoption of bad practices worsens the situations as it contributes to factors which further induce climate change and worsen livelihood situation of rural people (Adomako andAmpadu, 2015: Akudugu et. al., 2012).…”