Land Access, Agricultural Land Use Changes and Narratives about Land Degradation in the Savannahs of Northeast Ghana during the Pre-Colonial and Colonial Periods
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Study Area Context
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Conceptual Framework
3.2. Data
4. The People of Northeast Ghana: Contested Histories and Narratives of Land Use Change
4.1. Role of the Tindaana
4.2. Land Inheritance Systems
4.3. Sacred Trees and Sacred Groves
More recently, Blench and Dengo [32] have done a review of archaeological materials in forest groves in northeast Ghana. They found that the forest groves usually consisted of;‘The middens in the bush are of more recent origin, as prove the trees which cover them, the pottery lying exposed and in many cases, the tailings from ancient iron-smelting. Even in the clusters of trees which today generally are the sacrificial places—clusters much thicker than one usually finds in the bush, as might lead one at first glance to believe they were remains of the original forest—one can still find middens, proving beyond doubt that the present forest grew over the land after it had been cultivated by man’.([27], p. 2)
Blench and Dengo [32] suggests that the forest groves were composed mainly of savannah tree species associated with human settlement and not too old. While there has not been any subsequent studies that have examined these claims, no critical evidence exists to suggest forest groves and other patchy woodlands on the landscape are relics of a hitherto largely forested landscape.‘a clump of trees, generally containing more species than are found in the surrounding landscape, and often a mound or tumulus…The slopes away from the mound are frequently littered with tiny potsherds, indicating that this was originally a settlement site, either of this community or the one(s) that preceded it. The potsherds are recognised as making the soil particularly fertile, and there is a certain competition for fields immediately adjacent to the grove’.([32], p. 3)
4.4. Land Use Patterns During Colonial Era
5. Colonial Rule in the Northern Territories
“these…are an exceedingly turbulent lot and they will not recognise any authority. If any man is wanted for any offence in this part he invariably absconds and though I have warned the chiefs (where there are any) that they will be held responsible for the behaviour of their people, they have so little authority that they are useless to the Administration.”
5.1. Colonial Economy in the Northeast Part of the Northern Territories
5.2. Land Tenure Systems Under British Colonial Rule
The colonial government also asserted the power to nationalise parcels of land anywhere and at any time that they deemed necessary [47], as shown in Figure 6. These attempts by the British colonial government to absolutely control land matters in the Northern Territories marked the genesis of narratives about the need to transform natural resource access/use regimes [37] and to address problems of low agricultural productivity and land degradation.‘It shall not be lawful for the Governor to revoke a right of occupancy granted as aforesaid save for good cause. ‘Good cause’ shall include…abandonment or non-use of the land for a period of two years, provided that when land is allowed to lie fallow for purposes of recuperation of the soil it shall not be held to have been abandoned’.(Land and Native Rights Ordinance, 1927)
5.3. Colonial Narratives of Native Land Degradation
5.3.1. The Agricultural ‘Productionist’ Form
These strategies were implemented but available records indicate that their successes were limited. Der [50] reported that high fluctuations in rainfall conditions, relatively poor soils, and the colonial government’s disregard for traditional political-economic relations of production and social life prevented the large-scale implementation of these strategies. Der [50] also noted that the peripheral status of the Northern Territories, in terms the availability of readily exploitable natural resources and export revenue generation capacity, did not encourage the government to commit much developmental attention to the region. Figure 8 illustrates the views of the colonial government on committing resources to the development of the Northern Territories. The Governor (head of the colonial government) and other high ranking colonial officers such as General Gray shared the opinion that:‘In the Northern Territories speaking generally, the lack of interest shown by the population in growing crops for money seems to be because once having money there is nothing to spend it on. With the advent of a railway, the inevitable result would be the establishment of stores, and, with the right kind of goods which appeal to the native, it would act as an incentive to him to grow crops, as, by this means alone, is he able to obtain money beyond what is necessary for him to live…With the advent of cheap transport there seems no doubt that an export of products from the Northern Territories could be established.’
From Figure 8, there also seemed to be disagreements among colonial officials about the development of some agricultural sectors such as sheep rearing in the Northern Territories. While the Principal Veterinary Officer noted that ‘no wool breed of sheep would thrive in the Northern Territories’, the Governor responded to that view by stating that he saw a healthy woolly breed of sheep in the Northern Territories and that he is ‘desirous of proceeding with any well considered experiment’ on the viability of commercial sheep rearing in the Northern Territories. Given these uncertainties about potential of the Northern territories and the failure of past attempts at promoting cash crops and commerce, the agricultural resources of the area could not be developed faster and/or effectively to make it profitable and justify development investments there. The area was subsequently considered for supplying labour to work in the more profitable commercial farms and mines further down in southern Ghana.‘so long as there is no established industry or product being carried on in, or exported from the Northern Territories, the country cannot be developed’.(General Gray, 1929)
5.3.2. The Conservationist Form
5.4. Land Use Patterns during Colonial Era
6. Discussion
7. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
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Boateng, P.K. Land Access, Agricultural Land Use Changes and Narratives about Land Degradation in the Savannahs of Northeast Ghana during the Pre-Colonial and Colonial Periods. Soc. Sci. 2017, 6, 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010035
Boateng PK. 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. 2017; 6(1):35. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010035
Chicago/Turabian StyleBoateng, Peter Kojo. 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 6, no. 1: 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010035
APA StyleBoateng, P. K. (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, 6(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010035