A bitter pill: smallholder responses to the new green revolution prescriptions in northern Ghana

ABSTRACT

Through a qualitative case study from the Northern Region of Ghana, this paper examines smallholders’ perceptions of environmental change and contemporary Green Revolution prescriptions promoted by foreign donors, NGOs and the state. These prescriptions seek to commercialise and intensify production in Ghana through increasing use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and faster-growing seed varieties. We argue that many smallholders are reluctantly adopting the inputs and techniques of the Green Revolution in response to erratic rainfall, shortened growing seasons, and drier soils with diminished fertility, as well as other structural constraints such as increasing competition for land. Farmers’ responses are also influenced by social inequalities, as gender and wealth differences affect access to agro-inputs and participation in farm contracts. Female farmers are especially disadvantaged in adoption, which is serving to widen disparities. However, even those farmers who are following the Green Revolution prescriptions are not uncritical of its impacts, as they commonly described their decision to adhere to this technical package as a short-term trade-off to meet subsistence needs at the expense of worsening soil health and increasing debt.

KEYWORDS:

• Climate change
• development
• Green Revolution
• smallholder
• agriculture
• Ghana
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank Geoffrey Penhorwood and the reviewers for their thoughtful comments and feedback on drafts of this manuscript. Most of all, the authors would like to show appreciation to those at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana and all of the farmers and others who assisted with this research.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Northern Region is one of three regions (along with the Upper West and Upper East Regions). The case study sites were selected because of their proximity to the biggest northern city, Tamale, where there are major food markets, regional grain and seed storage, transportation, credit institutions and processing facilities, which has made it a prime target for ODA for many decades. The specific district and location of the communities are not identified in order to maintain the confidentiality of both participants and research assistants in this study.

2. Each G7 country involved in NAFSNA committed millions of dollars in Ghana between 2011 and 2015, led by the United States (US$225 m), France (US$76.25 m), Canada (US$71 m), and Germany (US$69 m) (DFID, 2013).

3. Maize, rice and soy are also the only crops supported by the government led contract in the district studied.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the funding support from the Africa Institute and the Faculty of Social Science at Western University, the International Development Research Centre, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.