IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v120y2022ics0264837722003192.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Changing land tenure regimes and women’s access to secure land for cocoa cultivation in rural Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Addaney, Michael
  • Akudugu, Jonas Ayaribilla
  • Asibey, Michael Osei
  • Akaateba, Millicent Awialie
  • Kuusaana, Elias Danyi

Abstract

The global literature on the ownership of, access to and control over land for agricultural activities, specifically for cocoa production, reports on gender discrimination, which affects the productivity and wellbeing of women farmers. Yet, the relationship between changing tenure dynamics and women's access to land is inconclusive and blurred in many sub-Saharan African countries, particularly, Ghana. However, understanding this relationship is important in promoting productivity and improving wellbeing, especially of women across Africa. The paper thus examines the determinants and implications of the changing land tenure regime on women cocoa farmers. Using Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region of Ghana as a case study, household surveys and agency interviews were conducted. From the study, land tenure arrangements in the study communities have transformed from the ownership by the extended family to more individualised ownership through inheritance, gift, or purchase. Even though sharecropping presents a major opportunity for women to improve their land needs, the results indicate gender discrimination under the sharecropping arrangements as landowners prefer men to women. This is because the latter do not have the required resources to undertake commercially beneficial farming. It is also argued that though the emerging land commodification presents an opportunity for women to improve land access for cocoa farming, women are still disadvantaged as they lack the wherewithal to acquire land through purchase. In addition, the existing local customs and practices under the matrilineal system of inheritance are fluid and gendered; thus, hindering women's access to land for cocoa farming. The study calls for continuous engagement and advocacy on land tenure to improve channels of equitable land access for women and subsequently improve their economic fortunes in Ghana’s cocoa sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Addaney, Michael & Akudugu, Jonas Ayaribilla & Asibey, Michael Osei & Akaateba, Millicent Awialie & Kuusaana, Elias Danyi, 2022. "Changing land tenure regimes and women’s access to secure land for cocoa cultivation in rural Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:120:y:2022:i:c:s0264837722003192
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106292
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837722003192
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106292?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Pandolfelli, Lauren, 2010. "Promising Approaches to Address the Needs of Poor Female Farmers: Resources, Constraints, and Interventions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 581-592, April.
    2. World Bank, 2011. "Guyana Rice Supply Chain Risk Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 27392, The World Bank Group.
    3. World Bank, 2011. "Uganda Dairy Supply Chain Risk Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 27385, The World Bank Group.
    4. World Bank, 2011. "Ugandan Coffee Supply Chain Risk Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 27386, The World Bank Group.
    5. Cobbinah, Patrick Brandful & Asibey, Michael Osei & Gyedu-Pensang, Yaa Asuamah, 2020. "Urban land use planning in Ghana: Navigating complex coalescence of land ownership and administration," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    6. Dittoh, S. & Snyder, K. A. & Lefore, Nicole, 2015. "Gender policies and implementation in agriculture, natural resources and poverty reduction: case study of Ghana\u2019s Upper East Region," IWMI Books, Reports H047003, International Water Management Institute.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Khan, Majid, 2023. "Shifting Gender Roles in Society and the Workplace: Implications for Environmental Sustainability," MPRA Paper 116306, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 11 Feb 2023.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mahrizal & L. Lanier Nalley & Bruce L. Dixon & Jennie S. Popp, 2014. "An optimal phased replanting approach for cocoa trees with application to Ghana," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 45(3), pages 291-302, May.
    2. Sjauw-Koen-Fa, August R. & Omta, S.W.F. (Onno) & Blok, Vincent, 2018. "Constructing a Multinationals’ Inclusive Sourcing Indicator for Impacting Farmer Business Models: Application in Cocoa Cases," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 9(3), June.
    3. Heidenreich, Anja & Grovermann, Christian & Kadzere, Irene & Egyir, Irene S. & Muriuki, Anne & Bandanaa, Joseph & Clottey, Joseph & Ndungu, John & Blockeel, Johan & Muller, Adrian & Stolze, Matthias &, 2022. "Sustainable intensification pathways in Sub-Saharan Africa: Assessing eco-efficiency of smallholder perennial cash crop production," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    4. Agnes Quisumbing & Neha Kumar, 2011. "Does social capital build women's assets? The long-term impacts of group-based and individual dissemination of agricultural technology in Bangladesh," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 220-242.
    5. Joshua Sikhu Okonya & Netsayi Noris Mudege & Anne M. Rietveld & Anastase Nduwayezu & Déo Kantungeko & Bernadette Marie Hakizimana & John Njuki Nyaga & Guy Blomme & James Peter Legg & Jürgen Kroschel, 2019. "The Role of Women in Production and Management of RTB Crops in Rwanda and Burundi: Do Men Decide, and Women Work?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-15, August.
    6. Hannah Gichungi & Beatrice Muriithi & Patrick Irungu & Gracious Diiro & John Busienei, 2021. "Effect of Technological Innovation on Gender Roles: The Case of Fruit Fly IPM Adoption on Women’s Decision-Making in Mango Production and Marketing in Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(3), pages 407-426, June.
    7. Alwang, Jeffrey & Larochelle, Catherine & Barrera, Victor, 2017. "Farm Decision Making and Gender: Results from a Randomized Experiment in Ecuador," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 117-129.
    8. Thomas Vendryes, 2014. "Peasants Against Private Property Rights: A Review Of The Literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 971-995, December.
    9. Chiputwa, Brian & Spielman, David J. & Qaim, Matin, 2015. "Food Standards, Certification, and Poverty among Coffee Farmers in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 400-412.
    10. Lone Badstue & Patti Petesch & Cathy Rozel Farnworth & Lara Roeven & Mahlet Hailemariam, 2020. "Women Farmers and Agricultural Innovation: Marital Status and Normative Expectations in Rural Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-22, November.
    11. Alobo Loison, Sarah & Hillbom, Ellen, 2020. "Regional evidence of smallholder-based growth in Zambia’s livestock sector," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    12. Andre Croppenstedt & Markus Goldstein & Nina Rosas, 2013. "Gender and Agriculture: Inefficiencies, Segregation, and Low Productivity Traps," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 28(1), pages 79-109, February.
    13. Kwame Adjei‐Mantey & Millicent O. Awuku & Ruby V. Kodom, 2023. "Revisiting the determinants of food security: Does regular remittance inflow play a role in Ghanaian households? A disaggregated analysis," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(6), pages 1132-1146, August.
    14. Fisher, Monica & Kandiwa, Vongai, 2014. "Can agricultural input subsidies reduce the gender gap in modern maize adoption? Evidence from Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 101-111.
    15. Barooah, Prapti & Alvi, Muzna & Ringler, Claudia & Pathak, Vishal, 2023. "Gender, agriculture policies, and climate-smart agriculture in India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    16. Ms. Christine Dieterich & Anni Huang & Mr. Alun H. Thomas, 2016. "Women’s Opportunities and Challenges in Sub-Saharan African Job Markets," IMF Working Papers 2016/118, International Monetary Fund.
    17. Sarah Lyon & Tad Mutersbaugh & Holly Worthen, 2017. "The triple burden: the impact of time poverty on women’s participation in coffee producer organizational governance in Mexico," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(2), pages 317-331, June.
    18. Hermann Ndoya & Charly Tsala & Brice Kamguia, 2024. "What drive financial inclusion gender gap in Cameroon? A Fairlie decomposition approach," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(3), pages 822-838, July.
    19. Tao Xia & Elias G. Carayannis & Stavros Sindakis & Saloome Showkat & Nikos Kanellos, 2024. "Technology transfer for sustainable rural development: evidence from homestead withdrawal with compensation in Chengdu–Chongqing," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 303-333, February.
    20. Margitta Minah, 2022. "What is the influence of government programs on farmer organizations and their impacts? Evidence from Zambia," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(1), pages 29-53, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:120:y:2022:i:c:s0264837722003192. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.