Content
About this brief
A feminist political ecology of farm resource entitlements in Northern Ghana
Brief about:
Journal Article (2021)
Written by:
Climate change in Ghana is intensifying gender inequalities in agriculture, but gender must be viewed intersectionally to fully understand vulnerabilities and their causes
The gendering of farming is being shaped and exacerbated by all of these things, not just climate change or development.
Ethnic minority women in these communities are most acutely vulnerable to changing economies and climate change – intersectional analysis is imperative to properly identify markers of vulnerability.
Key findings
- There are intensifying gender and other intersecting inequalities in agriculture, in particular gender/class, gender/ethnicity that are getting worse as a result of climate and and international development-oriented commercial agriculture interventions.What it means
Disparities are getting worse based on these inequalities: access to seed, fertiliser, tractor mechanisation, credit, processing/marketing services and extension and information.
- Land tenure arrangements are complicated, with land grabs being facilitated from within communities resulting in internal disparities.What it means
Many studies falsely talk about African communities as single, homogenous entities. Donor support does not affect all individuals equally within communities.
Proposed action
- Understand differences in climate change vulnerabilities within communities, you must consider how they are shaped by commercialisation, donors and other development actors, and wider policies
- Gender should be viewed intersectionality with other factors, ethnic minority status, wealth, etc
- To make people more resilient to climate, e
g. women, you must consider factors on multiple levels
- It is important to consider the ways that women interact with different types of people and institutions
Cultural norms may limit women more than men, but this is worsened by wider political, environmental and economic factors as well. For example, if land is in short supply because people are having to farm more to cope with changing climate it becomes harder for women to access land
- Resolve land tensions within communities by strengthening community land tenure governance structures
- Agroecology to protect vulnerable peasant farmers & protect their access to resources and resilience
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Ben Levett for preparation assistance
We would like to extend a special thank you to Ben Levett, for their invaluable contribution in assisting the preparation of this research summary.
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A feminist political ecology of farm resource entitlements in Northern Ghana
Cite this brief: Vercillo, Siera. 'A feminist political ecology of farm resource entitlements in Northern Ghana'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/a-feminist-political-ecology-of-farm-resource-entitlements-in-northern-ghana/
Brief created by: Dr Siera Vercillo | Year brief made: 2022
Original research:
- Vercillo, S., ‘A feminist political ecology of farm resource entitlements in Northern Ghana’ 29(10) (pp. 1467–1496) https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2021.2013781. – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0966369X.2021.2013781
Research brief:
Climate change in Ghana is intensifying gender inequalities in agriculture, but gender must be viewed intersectionally to fully understand vulnerabilities and their causes
The gendering of farming is being shaped and exacerbated by all of these things, not just climate change or development.
Ethnic minority women in these communities are most acutely vulnerable to changing economies and climate change – intersectional analysis is imperative to properly identify markers of vulnerability.
Findings:
There are intensifying gender and other intersecting inequalities in agriculture, in particular gender/class, gender/ethnicity that are getting worse as a result of climate and and international development-oriented commercial agriculture interventions.
Disparities are getting worse based on these inequalities: access to seed, fertiliser, tractor mechanisation, credit, processing/marketing services and extension and information.
Land tenure arrangements are complicated, with land grabs being facilitated from within communities resulting in internal disparities.
Many studies falsely talk about African communities as single, homogenous entities. Donor support does not affect all individuals equally within communities.
Advice:
Understand differences in climate change vulnerabilities within communities, you must consider how they are shaped by commercialisation, donors and other development actors, and wider policies
Gender should be viewed intersectionality with other factors, ethnic minority status, wealth, etc
To make people more resilient to climate, e
- g. women, you must consider factors on multiple levels
It is important to consider the ways that women interact with different types of people and institutions
- Cultural norms may limit women more than men, but this is worsened by wider political, environmental and economic factors as well. For example, if land is in short supply because people are having to farm more to cope with changing climate it becomes harder for women to access land
Resolve land tensions within communities by strengthening community land tenure governance structures
Agroecology to protect vulnerable peasant farmers & protect their access to resources and resilience