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Fulani pastoralists, indigenous farmers and the contest for land in Northern Ghana

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  • Steve Tonah

Abstract

This paper analyses the land tenure system and the social and economic setting under which migrant Fulani pastoralists and the indigenous farming population obtain farmland and pasture in Northern Ghana. The relationship between the two groups is also discussed in detail. Generally, the destruction of crops by cattle and the rampant loss of cattle to rustlers are identified as responsible for the deteriorating farmer-herdsman relationship. The tense relationship is also heightened by increased competition for the most fertile land along the banks of the Volta lake. Rising conflicts between farmers and pastoralists in Northern Ghana has led to the intervention of both national and local government authorities, ostensibly to maintain law and order and to keep the pastoralists out of the area. Local government officials have also attempted to usurp the powers of the traditional landowners and chiefs by restricting their right to allocate land to the pastoralists. They have also threatened to prosecute chiefs who continue to rent out land to the pastoralists. This sets the stage for the on-going contest for land and power between the local government and landowners in Northern Ghana.

Suggested Citation

  • Steve Tonah, 2002. "Fulani pastoralists, indigenous farmers and the contest for land in Northern Ghana," Africa Spectrum, Institute of African Affairs, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 37(1), pages 43-59.
  • Handle: RePEc:gig:afjour:v:37:y:2002:i:3:p:43-59
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Kojo Boateng, 2017. "Land Access, Agricultural Land Use Changes and Narratives about Land Degradation in the Savannahs of Northeast Ghana during the Pre-Colonial and Colonial Periods," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-26, March.
    2. Kandel, Matt & Anghileri, Daniela & Alare, Rahinatu S. & Lovett, Peter N. & Agaba, Genevieve & Addoah, Thomas & Schreckenberg, Kate, 2022. "Farmers’ perspectives and context are key for the success and sustainability of farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) in northeastern Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    3. Rodrigue Vivien Cao Diogo & Luc Hippolyte Dossa & Sèyi Fridaïus Ulrich Vanvanhossou & Badirou Dine Abdoulaye & Kossi Hélliot Dosseh & Marcel Houinato & Eva Schlecht & Andreas Buerkert, 2021. "Farmers’ and Herders’ Perceptions on Rangeland Management in Two Agroecological Zones of Benin," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-17, April.
    4. Sebastiaan Soeters & Ruben Weesie & Annelies Zoomers, 2017. "Agricultural Investments and Farmer-Fulani Pastoralist Conflict in West African Drylands: A Northern Ghanaian Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-19, November.
    5. Dary, Stanley K. & James, Harvey S. & Mohammed, Asaah S., 2017. "Triggers of Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Ghana: A Non-Parametric Analysis of Stakeholders’ Perspectives," Sustainable Agriculture Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 6(2), May.
    6. Ruben Weesie, 2019. "Towards Adaptive Commons: A Case Study of Agro-Pastoral Dams in Northern Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-29, January.
    7. Donkor, Emmanuel & Owusu, Victor, 2014. "Effects of land tenure systems on resource-use productivity and efficiency in Ghana’s rice industry," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 9(4), pages 1-14, December.

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