Exploring the Effects of Large-scale Land Acquisition on Rural Agriculture and Livelihood Sustainability: A Case Study of Kuntanase, Ghana

Abstract

The paper examines the impact of large-scale land acquisition by commercial agricultural investors on livelihoods, land tenure security, agricultural productivity, and food security in Kuntanase, Ghana. Although the study was restricted to Ghana, many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa face similar challenges. Data were collected from 127 households through interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires. Findings indicate that LSLA has greatly devastated agriculture, leading to land loss, reduced farm sizes, decreased production, and changes to petty trade and casual labour. Though there was temporary employment for some members of the community in investment firms, the majority of the jobs were precarious and poorly paid. Additionally, the study illustrates that land dispossession has heightened food insecurity, raised household expenditures, and undermined community solidarity. The paper proposes the demand for greater transparency in land governance, the safeguarding of customary rights to land, equitable compensation mechanisms, and sustainable rural development policies to counter the adverse effects of Large-Scale Land Acquisition (LSLA) in Kuntanase. It contributes to the frontier of knowledge on large-scale land acquisition in the realm of social science, farm expansion, and sustainable food production, offering theoretical intervention to enrich academic debate.