Owner re-possession of land and its effects on livelihoods of migrant farmers in Birim Central Municipal

Abstract

The issue of owner re-possession of land poses serious threat among migrant farmers, as it exposes them to various vulnerabilities. A mixed method approach research was conducted in three communities, an urban and two peri-urban areas-Oda, Asene and Aboabo. Two hundred and sixty respondents were selected using stratified-random sample technique and administered with questionnaire in the three communities. Twenty-one key informants were purposively selected and interviewed, and two focus group discussions were conducted in the communities. The sustainable livelihood approach was adapted to study livelihood assets, vulnerabilities, alternative livelihood strategies and livelihood outcomes of the farmers. The main findings of the research include: land owners re-possessing their lands for housing, industries, banking, schools, recreation and hospitality; migrant farmers become expose to economic and social vulnerabilities as a result of land re-possession; alternative livelihood strategies such as backyard garden, petty trading, livestock rearing and remittances as means of improving livelihood and to ameliorate vulnerability problems; by generating income, increasing well-being, reducing vulnerability and ensuring food security. The study therefore concludes, based on the research findings, that poor persons affected by economic and social vulnerabilities, devise alternative livelihood strategies to improve and sustain lives. Based on the research findings, the study recommends that migrant farmers should have their agriculture lands registered to cover all contractual agreement with land owners in order to have secured land for their farming activities. Also, the young farmers should engage in skilled-learning jobs such as tailoring, dressmaking and basketry as alternative jobs in order to reduce unemployment rate in the study communities.