Historical Context of Agricultural Commercialisation in Ghana: Changes in Land and Labour Relations

Abstract

This paper provides a broad review of agrarian change in Ghana by highlighting the major developments in the agrarian political economy and their implications for agricultural commercialisation and its modifying influence on land tenure systems, livelihoods, production systems, social relations, and labour relations. While current land tenure arrangements and labour relations in Africa are often explained in terms of globalisation, we argue that the historical context of agricultural commercialisation in Ghana shows continuities and discontinuities in agrarian relations from the colonial period to the present. We also argue that changes over the years have blended with globalisation to produce the distinct forms of labour relations that we see today. The commercialisation of agriculture in Ghana has evolved progressively from the colonial era aided by policies of coercion, persuasion and incentives to its current globalised form. The expansion in the range of commodities over time necessarily increased the demand for more land and labour. The article contributes to the literature by providing great insights into changes in land and labour relations due to increasing commercialisation, and how these enhanced wealth accumulation for the richer segments of society and global capital to the detriment of the poor throughout Ghana’s agrarian history.

Agrarian transformation in Ghana’s Brong Ahafo region: Drivers and outcomes

“…The processes of commodification involve specialisation, including the transition towards more specialised markets for the commodities (Bernstein, 1990). This type of agriculture was largely introduced to Ghana as well as many other developing tropical countries, by European colonial masters (as detailed in Chapter Three), as a way to extract tropical commodities for global markets (Campbell, 2013;Yaro et al, 2016). The major legacy of the commodification of agriculture from the colonial days includes the integration of family farmers into the global economy through the production of export commodities (Campbell, 2013).…”

“…In this thesis, the production of cashew has been analysed as the latest example of the colonial legacy of export agriculture in Ghana, particularly because it is distorting local food production, given that the Brong Ahafo Region is the 'food bowl' of the country. In addition, the commodification of agriculture through export crop production has had profound social impacts in former colonised states including social differentiation, patterns of accumulation, and progressive proletarianisation of the peasantry (Watts, 1983;Yaro et al, 2017;Yaro et al, 2016).…”

“…For instance, three phases of the economic reform programme were aimed at realigning producer price of cocoa, promoting export, and liberalising export and import markets. These liberalisation strategies effectively removed subsidies across all sectors of the economy, including the agricultural sector (Yaro et al, 2016).…”

“…Although the Portuguese were the first to arrive in the Gold Coast, the Danish were the first European settlers to introduce plantation agriculture to the region as early as the late 18 th century (Yaro et al, 2016). The first Danish plantation was established at Amenapaso in Akronpong Akwapim, in 1788 (Awadzi et al, 2001).…”

“…However, on the basis of a range of socio-cultural and ecological factors, the Danish plantations failed to gain acceptance among smallholder farmers in the Gold Coast (Awadzi et al, 2001;Yaro et al, 2016). For example, the plantation system comprising mainly tree crops that required a long period of growth, and occupied the land for a long period, was inconsistent with native perennial cropping, and out of step with the local economy and social systems, as well as communal land tenure arrangements.…”