Farming in the shadow of the city: changes in land rights and livelihoods in peri-urban Accra

Abstract

Contending perspectives have interpreted the impact of rapid growth in peri-urban areas in very different ways. One school of thought characterizes peri-urban growth as leading to the development of new markets, and the conversion of property rights in such a way as to transform the local economy, leading to greater entrepreneurialism. Another sees the destruction of agricultural livelihoods without necessarily replacing them with any alternative form of economic activity. This paper reviews the literature on pen-urban land use, property rights change, and livelihoods, and then compares four cases within the peri-urban periphery of Greater Accra, the capital and largest city of Ghana, to assess the impact of rapid urban sprawl on the area immediately surrounding the city. Cases examined include the loss of land to housing, the protection of agricultural land from urban sprawl, environmental degradation as a result of urbanization, and the commercialization of peri-urban agricultural production as a result of changing market demand. The paper ends with recommendations for policy and programmatic interventions.