Agrarian change in Northern Ghana: Winners, losers, and emerging tensions
Written by: Ibrahim Wahab, Joseph A. Yaro, Gloria Afful-Mensah, Michael B. Awen-Naam
In northern Ghana, capitalist agrarian transformation is reshaping rural communities. A 2024 study highlights how the growth of medium- and large-scale farms is driving economic efficiency while deepening social inequalities, particularly for women, youth, and smallholders. This transformation sparks new opportunities and conflicts, underscoring the need for inclusive policies to balance growth with equity and sustainability.
Over the past two decades, northern Ghana has witnessed significant changes in its agricultural landscape. Historically dominated by smallholder farms, the region is now seeing the emergence of medium- and a few large-scale farms. For example, between 2000 and 2020, small-scale farms – those cultivating less than 5 ha – dropped from 78% to 36% of farms, while lower-medium farms (5–20 ha) grew to 54%. Larger farms – those exceeding 40 hectares – now account for 2.1%, predominantly owned by urban-based elites leveraging resources accumulated outside of agriculture.
This agrarian shift is driven by factors like expansion in road infrastructure, mechanisation, the increased use of herbicides, urban investor involvement, and rising urban-food demand. However, while the resulting growth promises increased agricultural efficiency and output, it also raises critical questions about equity and social cohesion.
Winners and losers in the agrarian shift
The biggest beneficiaries of this agrarian transformation are predominantly wealthy, urban-based elites and chiefs. These individuals and groups often possess the capital to invest in mechanisation, acquire prime land, and benefit from state subsidies. Urban-based investors, for instance, have contributed to the commercial cultivation of lucrative crops like rice and soybeans, enjoying favourable markets and increasing their profits. Chiefs, too, benefit by leveraging their control over land to trade favours or extract rents from investors. The few local farmers who have managed to upscale to upper medium-scale constitute an important group responsible for local development in their communities.
However, these changes come at a significant cost to marginalised groups. Women and youth, in particular, face systemic barriers. Gender inequalities are deeply entrenched in the region’s patriarchal society, with women’s limited access to land and resources restricting their ability to scale-up farming operations. Most women remain confined to subsistence farming, cultivating less than 2 ha, while men dominate the commercial farming space. Even when women manage to break into medium-scale farming, they often encounter unequal power dynamics within households. For example, women’s agricultural labour and output is frequently appropriated by male family members, further entrenching gendered poverty. Youth, meanwhile, are often excluded from land inheritance as their family heads and chiefs prioritise short-term financial gains by leasing land to urban investors.
Conflicts in communities
The agrarian transformation in northern Ghana has also triggered tensions within and among communities. Key sources of conflict include farm boundary disputes, competition for fertile land, and disagreements over land control between chiefs and ‘Earth Priests’ (the spiritual custodian of the land). The increasing involvement of urban investors exacerbates these tensions, with many locals perceiving their presence as a threat to communal land rights.
In the rice valleys of Builsa South, for instance, tensions have escalated to acts of resistance, including the destruction of investor-owned crops, by local community members, particularly indigenous youth groups. These conflicts underscore the fragility of traditional land governance structures, which are increasingly challenged by commercial pressures.
Policy reforms
State-led land reforms have also given rise to conflict around agrarian change. For instance, market liberalisation, which aims to encourage private investment and integrate rural economies into national and global markets, tends to serve the interests of elites. Chiefs and political actors frequently collude to appropriate communal land for personal gain, sidelining smallholders in the process.
Another reform by the government is the promotion of mechanisation and agrochemicals for commercial farming. This has facilitated the expansion of farm sizes, raising environmental concerns with the clearing of savannah woodlands for farmland threatening biodiversity and depriving communities of critical resources like shea nuts, firewood, and medicinal herbs. These environmental costs highlight the unsustainable nature of unchecked agricultural expansion.
To ensure more equitable outcomes and safeguard ecological reserves, policymakers must prioritise inclusive land reforms that strengthen the rights of marginalised groups. Initiatives that support smallholder farmers, promote gender equity, and regulate urban investor activities are critical to fostering sustainable development.
Looking ahead
The capitalist transformation in northern Ghana offers both opportunities and challenges. While the rise of commercial farming promises economic growth, it also risks deepening social and economic inequalities. Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach that balances productivity with equity, sustainability, and social cohesion. By amplifying the voices of marginalised groups and fostering inclusive agricultural practices, northern Ghana can chart a path toward a more just and sustainable agrarian future.
To read the full paper, see here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joac.12613
Photo © USAID Ghana