Urbanization, Land Scarcity and Urban Farmers' Mobility: Evidence from Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5614/jpwk.2023.34.1.5Keywords:
Farmers? Mobility, Land Scarcity, urban agriculture, urbanizationAbstract
This study assessed how urban farmers survive land scarcity challenges in the midst of rapid urbanization in a developing country such as Ghana. As land scarcity becomes more pronounced in urban areas, farmers struggle to find a place to farm within the urban space but the numerous opportunities that come with farming within the city still inspires them to find spare lands and open spaces in the city to farm. Therefore, the study examined the factors that influence urban farmers? mobility with respect to farmland in the midst of intense land scarcity. Reponses from 251 farmers were analyzed with both Tobit and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). Land situation factors such as land ownership type, land scarcity challenges, and size of land were found to be associated with farmers? mobility. Farm characteristics such as level of market benefits, intensity of vegetable production, and level of technology were also associated with farmers? mobility within the city. Personal characteristics such as age, level of education, level of farmer engagement, and marital status also played a role. This implies urban farming sustainability requires conscious government efforts to include urban agriculture in its spatial planning decisions since there are numerous opportunities for farming within the city.
Downloads
References
Ackerson, N. O., & Awuah, E. (2010). Urban Agriculture Practices and Health Problems
among Farmers Operating on a University Campusin Kumasi, Ghana. The Journal of Field Actions, (Special Issue 1). retrieved from https://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/pdf/451 ISSN: 1867-8521
Armah-Klemesu, M., & Maxwell, D. (1998). Urban Agriculture in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. Retrieved from Accra, http://hdl.handle.net/10625/25583
Antwi-Agyei, P., Peasey, A., Biran, A., Bruce, J., & Ensink, J. (2016). Risk perceptions of wastewater use for Urban Agriculture in Accra, Ghana. PloS one, 11(3), e0150603. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0150603
Allen, A., & Apsan Frediani, A. (2013). Farmers, not gardeners. The making of environmentally just spaces in Accra. City, 17(3), 365-381. ISSN 13604813, 14703629 doi:10.1080/13604813.2013.796620
Allen, A., Apsan Frediani, A., & Wood-Hill, M. (2014). Land and Planning for Urban Agriculture in Accra: Sustained Urban Agriculture or Sustainable Urbanization. In: Drechsel, P. and B. Keraita (eds.). Irrigated Urban Vegetable Production in Ghana Characteristics, Benefits and Risk Mitigation (pp. 146-161). Accra: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). ISBN: 978-92-9090-798-5
Appeaning Addo, K. (2010). Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Developing Countries Studied using Remote Sensing and In Situ Methods. Remote Sensing, 2(2), 497-513. ISSN 20724292. doi:10.3390/rs2020497
Appiah, D. O., Bugri, J. T., Forkuor, E. K., & Boateng, P. K. (2014). Determinants of Peri-Urbanization and Land Use Change Patterns in Peri-Urban Ghana. Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(6). ISSN 19139063. doi:10.5539/jsd.v7n6p95
Arku, G., Mkandawire, P., Aguda, N., & Kuuire, V. (2012). Africa's Quest for food security: what is the role of Urban Agriculture? Retrieved from Harare: ISBN: 978-1-77937-037-2
Asomani-Boateng, R. (2002). Urban cultivation in Accra: an examination of the nature, practices, problems, potentials and urban planning implications. Habitat International, 26, 591-607. ISSN 01973975.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0197-3975(02)00027-9
Ayambire, R. A., Amponsah, O., Peprah, C., & Takyi, S. A. (2019). A review of practices for sustaining urban and peri-Urban Agriculture: Implications for land use planning in rapidly urbanising Ghanaian cities. Land Use Policy, 84, 260-277. ISSN:02648377. DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.03.004
Azunre, G. A., Amponsah, O., Peprah, C., Takyi, S. A., & Braimah, I. (2019). A review of the role of Urban Agriculture in the sustainable city discourse. Cities, 93, 104-119. ISSN: 2334-2900 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.04.006
Badami, M. G., & Ramankutty, N. (2015). Urban Agriculture and food security: A critique based on an assessment of urban land constraints. Global Food Security, 4, 8-15. ISSN: 22119124 doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2014.10.003
Bartlett, J. E., Kotrlik, J. W., & Higgins, C. C. (2001). Organizational research: Determining appropriate sample size in survey research. Information technology, learning, and performance journal, 19(1), 43. ISSN: 1535-1556.
Bolang, P. D., & Osumanu, I. K. (2019). Formal sector workers? participation in urban agriculture in Ghana: perspectives from the Wa Municipality. Heliyon, 5(8), e02230.ISSN: 24058440 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02230
Caradonna, F., Cheng, J., El-aama, D., Hafiz, B., Isaacson, J., Pretell, M., & Reinig, M. (2013). Decision Making Processes of Vulnerable Groups: The potential of Urban Agriculture to support a just distribution of land, cultural recognition and meaningful participation, La, Accra Environmentally Just Urbanization through Urban Agriculture; Accra, Ghana Reports 2012 (First ed., pp. 225-266): University College London-UCL
Cofie, O., Larbi, T., Danso, G., Abraham, E., Kufogbe, S. K., Henseler, M., . . . Obiri?Opareh, N. (2005). A Narrative On Urban Agriculture in Accra Metropolis Accra Retrieved from Accra:
Conway, S. F., Farrell, M., Mcdonagh, John, & Kinsella, A. (2020). Mobilising Land Mobility in the European Union: An Under-Researched Phenomenon. International Journal of Agricultural Management.9. DOI: 10.5836/ijam/2020-09-7
Cornish, G. A., & Aidoo, J. B. (2000). Informal Irrigation in the Peri-urban Zone of Kumasi, Ghana; Findings from an initial questionnaire survey. Retrieved from Wallingford:
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches: Sage publications. ISBN:9781506386706. DOI: 10.4236/health.2021.134032
Danso, G., Cofie, O., Annang, L., Obuobie, E., & Keraita, B. (2004). Gender and Urban Agriculture: the case of Accra, Ghana. Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Forestry (RUAF).
Danso, G., Drechsel, P., Obuobie, E., Forkuor, G., & Kranjac-Berisavljevic, G. (2014a). Urban Vegetable Farming Sites, Crops and Cropping Practices. In: Drechsel, P. and B. Keraita (eds.). Irrigated Urban Vegetable Production in Ghana Characteristics, Benefits and Risk Mitigation (pp. 7-27). Accra: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/65296. ISBN: 978-92-9090-798-5.doi: 10.5337/2014.219
Danso, G., Hope, L., & Drechsel, P. (2014b). Financial and Economic Aspects of Urban Vegetable Farming. In: Drechsel, P. and B. Keraita (eds.). Irrigated Urban Vegetable Production in Ghana Characteristics, Benefits and Risk Mitigation (pp. 39-51). Accra: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). ISBN: 978-92-9090-798-5.DOI; 10.22004/ag.econ.208748
Drechsel, P., Graefe, S., Sonou, M., & Cofie, O. O. (2006). Informal irrigation in urban West Africa: An overview (Vol. 102): International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
Diehl, J. A., Sweeney, E., Wong, B., Sia, C. S., Yao, H., & Prabhudesai, M. (2020). Feeding cities: Singapore's approach to land use planning for urban agriculture. Global Food Security, 26, 100377.ISSN 22119124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100377
De Vaus, D. A. (2002). Surveys in social research (5th ed.). London: : Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203519196. ISBN 9781134086313(In UK)
Egyir, I. S., Cofie, O. O., & Dubbeling, M. (2014). Options for Local Financing in Urban Agriculture. In P. D. a. B. Keraita (Ed.), Irrigated Urban Vegetable Production in Ghana Characteristics, Benefits and Risk Mitigation (pp. 137-145). Accra: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). ISBN: 978-92-9090-798-5.doi: 10.5337/2014.219.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (2012). Growing Greener Cities In Africa. Retrieved from Rome: ISBN 9789251072868(In Italy)
Follmann, A., Willkomm, M., & Dannenberg, P. (2021). As the city grows, what do farmers do? A systematic review of urban and peri-Urban Agriculture under rapid urban growth across the Global South. Landscape and Urban Planning, 215, 104186. ISSN: 01692046 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104186
Fourdinier, G. (2019). New technologies in support of Urban Agriculture. Field Actions Science Reports. The journal of field actions, (Special Issue 20), 112-115. ISSN:1867139X, 18678521
Ghana Statistical Service. (2005). 2000 Population and Housing Census,[name of District]: Greater Accra Region (Vol. 5): Ghana Statistical Service.
Ghana Statistical Service. (2005 in Songsore, 2009). 2000 Population and Housing Census,[name of District]: Greater Accra Region (Vol. 5): Ghana Statistical Service.
Ghana Statistical Service. (2014). 2010 Population and Housing Census; Housing in Ghana (1965-0175). Retrieved from Accra:
Ghana Statistical Service. (2016). Projected population by region and sex, 2010-2016. Retrieved from Accra:
Ghana Statistical Service Accra (GSS) Ghana Health Service (GHS) and ICF International. (2015). Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2014. Retrieved from Rockville, Maryland, USA
Glenn, D. (1992). Determining sample size. A series of the Program Evaluation and Organizational Development. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences, EDIS, Publication date: 6th November, 1992.
Greene, W.H (1990). Econometric Analysis. 8th Edition. Pearson. London. ISBN-13: 9780134804576 (In UK)
Guo, G., Wen, Q., & Zhu, J. (2015). The impact of aging agricultural labor population on farmland output: from the perspective of farmer preferences. Mathematical problems in Engineering, 4, (pp1-7). ISSN1024123X DOI:10.1155/2015/730618
Henseler, M., & Amoah, P. (2014). Marketing Channels for Irrigated Exotic Vegetables. In: Drechsel, P. and B. Keraita (eds.). Irrigated Urban Vegetable Production in Ghana Characteristics, Benefits and Risk Mitigation (pp. 51-61). Accra: International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
Hosseinifarhangi, M., Turvani, M. E., van der Valk, A., & Carsjens, G. J. (2019). Technology-driven transition in urban food production practices: A case study of Shanghai. Sustainability, 11(21), pp 6070.ISSN 19370695 https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216070
Houssou, N., Johnson, M., Kolavalli, S., & Asante-Addo, C. (2018). Changes in Ghanaian farming systems: stagnation or a quiet transformation? Agriculture and Human Values, 35(1), 41-66.ISSN 0889048X. DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-017-9788-6.
Jiang, L., Deng, X., & Seto, K. C. (2013). The impact of urban expansion on agricultural land use intensity in China. Land use policy, 35, 33-39. ISSN:02648377 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2013.04.011
Kanianska, R. (2016). Agriculture and its impact on land-use, environment, and ecosystem services. Landscape ecology ? The influences of land use and anthropogenic impacts of landscape creation, 1-26. InTechOpen (July 27, 2016). ISBN: ? 9789535125136
Keraita, B., & Cofie, O. O. (2014). Irrigation and Soil Fertility Management Practices. In: Drechsel, P. and B. Keraita (eds.). Irrigated Urban Vegetable Production in Ghana Characteristics, Benefits and Risk Mitigation (pp. 63-74). Accra: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). ISBN: 978-92-9090-798-5
Kidido, J. K., & Lengoiboni, M. (2019). Household land allocations and the youth land access nexus: Evidence from the Techiman Area of Ghana. Land, 8(12), 185. ISSN 2073-445X. https://doi.org/10.3390/land8120185.
Koul, H. L., Song, W., & Liu, S. (2014). Model checking in Tobit regression via nonparametric smoothing. Journal of Multivariate Analysis, 125, 36-49. ISSN 0047259X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmva.2013.11.017
Kufogbe, S., & Surveyors (1996). Urbanisation and Changing Patterns of Land Use in the Peri-urban Zone Along the Airport-Ayimensah Transect of Accra, Ghana, Our Common Estate Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. London
Lambin, E. F., & Meyfroidt, P. (2011). Global land use change, economic globalization, and the looming land scarcity. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 108(9), 3465-3472. ISSN:00278424, 10916490. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1100480108
Lasisi, M., Popoola, A., Adediji, A., Adedeji, O., & Babalola, K. (2017). City Expansion and Agricultural Land Loss within the Peri-Urban Area of Osun State, Nigeria. Ghana Journal of Geography, 9(3), 132?163. ISSN: 0855-9414
Lin, T. F., & Schmidt, P. (1984). A test of the Tobit specification against an alternative suggested by Cragg. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 66(1) pp 174-177. ISSN: 0034-6535 https://doi.org/10.2307/1924712
Lovell, S. T. (2010). Multifunctional Urban Agriculture for sustainable land use planning in the United States. Sustainability, 2(8), 2499-2522. ISSN 19370695. doi:10.3390/su2082499
Mackay, H. (2018). Mapping and characterising the Urban Agriculture landscape of two intermediate-sized Ghanaian cities. Land Use Policy, 70, 182-197. ISSN: 02648377 doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.10.031
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD). (2017). Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (Gama) Sanitation and Water Project: Final Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP). Retrieved from Accra.
Moeis, F. R., Dartanto, T., Moeis, J. P., & Ikhsan, M. (2020). A longitudinal study of agriculture households in Indonesia: The effect of land and labor mobility on welfare and poverty dynamics. World Development Perspectives, 20(4), 100261. ISSN: 24522929. DOI:10.1016/j.wdp.2020.100261
Mougeot, L. J. (2000). UA: definition, presence, potentials and risks. In N. Bakker, M. Dubbeling, S.Guendel, U. Sabel Koschella, H. de Zeeuw (Ed.), Growing Cities, Growing Food, UA on the Policy Agenda. (pp. 1- 42). Feldafing, Germany DSE, .
Mougeot, L. J. (2006). Growing better cities: UA for sustainable development: IDRC.Ottawa, Ontario. ISBN 1552502260
Naab, F. Z., Dinye, R. D., & Kasanga, R. K. (2013). Urbanisation and its Impact on Agricultural Lands in Growing Cities in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Tamale in Ghana Modern Social Science Journal, 2 (2), 256-287. ISSN: 2051-5499
Newey, W. K. (1987). Specification tests for distributional assumptions in the Tobit model. Journal of Econometrics, 34(1-2),125-145.ISSN:03044076.https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4076(87)90070-4
Nijenhuis, K. (2013). Farmers on the move: mobility, access to land and conflict in Central and South Mali: 55. 270. African Studies Centre. Leiden. ISBN: 978-90-5448-134-8
Nin-Pratt, A., & McBride, L. (2014). Agricultural intensification in Ghana: Evaluating the optimist?s case for a Green Revolution. Food Policy, 48, 153-167. ISSN:03069192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2014.05.004
Obuobie, E., Danso, G., & Drechsel, P. (2003). Access to land and water for urban vegetable farming in Accra. UA Magazine, 11, 15-17. ISSN: 1571-6244
Obuobie, E., & Hope, L. (2014). Characteristics of Urban Vegetable Farmers and Gender Issues. In: Drechsel, P. and B. Keraita (eds.). Irrigated Urban Vegetable Production in Ghana Characteristics, Benefits and Risk Mitigation (pp. 28-37). Accra: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). ISBN: 978-92-9090-798-5
Oda, K., Rupprecht, C. D., Tsuchiya, K., & McGreevy, S. R. (2018). UA as a sustainability transition strategy for shrinking cities? Land use change trajectory as an obstacle in Kyoto City, Japan. Sustainability, 10(4), 1048. ISSN 19370695 https://doi.org/10.3390/su10041048
Odame, H. S., Okeyo-Owuor, J. B., Changeh, J. G., & Otieno, J. O. (2020). The role of technology in inclusive innovation of UA. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 43, 106-111. ISSN: 1877-3435 .DOI:10.1016/j.cosust.2019.12.007
Owusu, G. (2008). Indigenes and Migrants Access to Land in Peri-Urban Areas of Ghana?s largest City of Accra. International Development Planning Review (IDPR), 30(2), 177-198. ISSN 14746743. DOI:10.3828/idpr.30.2.5
Owusu, G. (2013). Coping with Urban Sprawl: A Critical Discussion of the Urban Containment Strategy in a Developing Country City, Accra. Planum Journal of Urbanism, 1(26), 1-17. ISSN 1723-0993. http://197.255.68.203/handle/123456789/6236
Satterthwaite, D. (2007). The transition to a predominantly urban world and its underpinnings. Human Settlements Discussion Paper Series, Theme: Urban Change 4(4), 1-90. ISBN: 9781843696704. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0136
Satterthwaite, D., McGranahan, G., & Tacoli, C. (2010). Urbanization and its implications for food and farming. Philosophical Transitions of the Royal Society, 365, 2809-2820. ISBN: 1235646440. doi:10.1098/rstb.2010.0136
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research Methods for Business Students (8th ed.). Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Seto, K. C., Fragkias, M., Burak, G., & Reilly, M. K. (2011). A Meta-Analysis of Global Urban Land Expansion. Plos One, 6(8), 1-9. ISSN:19326203 doi:10.1371/10.1371/journal.pone.0023777.g001
Smit, J., Nasr, J., & Ratta, A. (2001). UA Yesterday and Today. In UA Food, Jobs and Sustainable Cities. New York: The UA Network, Inc.
Stoler, J., Weeks, J. R., & Fink, G. (2012). Sachet drinking water in Ghana's Accra-Tema metropolitan area: past, present, and future. Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 2(4), 223-240. ISSN:20439083. DOI: 10.2166/washdev.2012.104
Such L., Schlossarek, M., Du?kov L., Malan, N., & ?arapatka, B. (2020). Land tenure security and its implications for investments to UA in Soweto, South Africa. Land Use Policy, 97, 104739. ISSN: 02648377. DOI:10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104739
Supasub, S., Sirisunyaluck, R., Chalermphol, J., Limnirankul, B., & Kanjina, S. (2020). Factors affecting the adaptation of farmers affected by the urban expansion of Chiang Mai city. International Journal of Agricultural Technology, 16(4), 1037-1046. ISSN 2630-0192
Taiwo, O. J. (2014). Determinants of peri-urban and UA locational choice behaviour in Lagos, Nigeria. Land Use Policy, 39, 320-330. ISSN: 02648377. DOI:10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.02.003
Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2010). Sage handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 9781483305493
Taylor J. E. (2010). Agricultural labor and migration policy. Annual Reviews of Resource. Economics, 2(1), 369-393. ISSN:19411340. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-040709-135048
Tellman, B., Eakin, H., Janssen, M. A., de Alba, F., & Turner II, B. L. (2021). The role of institutional entrepreneurs and informal land transactions in Mexico City?s urban expansion. World Development, 140, 105374. ISSN: 0305750X, 18735991 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105374
Teklu, T. (2005). Land scarcity, tenure change and public policy in the African case of Ethiopia: Evidence on efficacy and unmet demands for land rights. International Conference on African Development Archives. Centre for African Development Policy Research. Schorlarly Works at WMU. West Michigan University, 9, 2005.
Tuffour, M. (2022). Sustaining Urban Agriculture Under Intense Urbanisation In Ghana: Emerging And Existing Roles Of Formal Institutions. Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, 17(3), 54-70.ISSN: 20653913, 20653921. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27160134
UN-Habitat. (2014). The State of African Cities 2014: Re-imagining sustainable urban transitions. Retrieved from Nairobi, Kenya. ISSN: 9789210575614
UN-Habitat. (2009). Ghana: Accra Urban Profile. Retrieved from Nairobi . ISBN 978-92-1-132129-6
Van Veenhuizen, R. (2006). Introduction to UA. In Cities farming for future, UA for green and productive cities (pp. 2-17). Leusden, The Netherlands: RUAF Foundation, IDRC, Canada and IIRR publishers, the Philippines. ISBN:? 1930261144
Vez-Guerra, A. (2004). Multiple means of access to land for UA: A case study of farmers? groups in Bamako, Mali. Cities feeding people series. Intl Development Research. Ottawa. Canada
World Bank. (2015a). Rising through Cities in Ghana : Ghana Urbanization Review Overview Report. World Bank, Washington, DC. World Bank Group. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/22020 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
World Bank. (2015b). Urbanization in Ghana : Challenges and Strengths. Ghana in Brief. World Bank, Washington, DC. World Bank Group. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/22761 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO
Yankson, P. W. K., & Bertrand, M. (2012). Challenges of Urbanization in Ghana. In Elizabeth Ardayfio-Schandorf, Paul W. K. Yankson, & M. Bertrand (Eds.), The Mobile City of Accra: Urban Families, Housing and Residential Practices (pp. 27-46). Dakar: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).
Yu, M., Chen, Z., Long, Y., & Mansury, Y. (2022). Urbanization, land conversion, and arable land in Chinese cities: The ripple effects of high-speed rail. Applied Geography, 146, 102756. ISSN:01436228; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2022.102756.
Zezza, A., & Tasciotti, L. (2010). UA, poverty, and food security: Empirical evidence from a sample of developing countries. Food Policy, 35(4), 265-273. ISSN:03069192. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.04.007
Zhang, W., & Xu, H. (2017). Effects of land urbanization and land finance on carbon emissions: A panel data analysis for Chinese provinces. Land Use Policy, 63, 493-500. ISSN 0264-8377.doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.02.006.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Journal of Regional and City Planning
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Manuscript submitted to JRCP has to be an original work of the author(s), contains no element of plagiarism, and has never been published or is not being considered for publication in other journals. The author(s) retain the copyright of the content published in JRCP. There is no need for request or consultation for future re-use and re-publication of the content as long as the author and the source are cited properly.
