Shifting Trends in Rural Livelihood
A CASE STUDY OF ASUTIFI DISTRICT-GHANA
August 2006
Authors:
Ebenezer Attah
Enoch Ofosu
Jeroen Nagel
Mary Anne Akuto
Maurice van Beurden
Pearl Boadiwaa Krah
Richard Ahiagble
ABSTRACT
The concept of livelihood is of utmost importance to all development partners particularly the Department for International Development (DFID). A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets and activities required for a means of living. It is much more than a job as it covers a whole range of things people do to make a living.
People employ a diversity of means to help meet basic needs: food crop production; cash crop production; forest and tree product gathering, consumption, processing and sale; and income earning enterprises both on and off the farm at different times and places. Due to the dynamisms in society, people shift from one livelihood activity to the other in order to make a living and this creates the problem of livelihood insecurity. Questions that come to mind as people shift from one livelihood activity to the other include:
· What are the characteristics of the assets which people draw their livelihood from?
- What are the livelihood activities available to people?
- How effective is the role of stakeholders in ensuring livelihood security for people?
In line with the above questions, a study was conducted in the Asutifi District in the Brong-Ahafo Region to analyse the livelihood trends of the people in the context of sustainable development. The specific objectives of the study included: To identify the characteristics of the assets from which people draw their livelihoods, to identify the livelihood activities and their contributions to household needs and to determine the effectiveness of the roles of the stakeholders in ensuring livelihood security for the people.
The study adopted a participatory approach by involving community members (as household respondents) and other stakeholders (the District Assembly, traditional leaders, Unit Committees and other non-governmental organizations as key informants) to achieve the research objectives. Data sources included both primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected through questionnaire administration, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and non-participant observation. The primary data was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively in line with the specific research objectives. The secondary sources consisted of a desk study of books, journals, and the internet to extract information and statistics on livelihood related topics including the concept of sustainable livelihood, livelihood assets, rural livelihood and livelihood diversification.
The research revealed that people in the four communities visited still depend on natural capital (mainly farm lands) as their major livelihood asset from which they draw their livelihood. The major economic activity that people engage in as a means of living is agriculture (mainly crop farming) as indicated by 50 percent of the respondents. The study further revealed that there has been a shift in the livelihood activities of the people as admitted by 41 percent of the respondents. The major cause of the shift in livelihood activity of the people is the presence of the Newmont Mining Company in the study district. Other causes of the shift include land administration problems and low income.
In line with the research findings, it is recommended that farmers should be trained in improved farming technology in order to improve their production level. This recommendation is made based on the fact that Newmont Mining Company has taken about 7500 hectares of farm lands and farmers can now hardly practice shifting cultivation which they had hither to practiced. It is also recommended that the youth should be equipped with employable skills to improve their chances of getting employment aside farming. It is again recommended that the activities of Newmont Mining Company should be well monitored to promote livelihood security for the people.
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