Effects Of Peasant Farming In Ghanaian Women

Peasant farming is the mainstay economic activity and the major source of livelihood of the northeast Ghanaian woman. She is constrained in this quest by her limited access land. In recent times lands have become fragmented because of commercialisation. Additionally, she uses rudimentary farm implements such as the hoe and in some instances the bull plough, thus, she lacks access to appropriate technology to enhance her farming activities. Culturally, the patriarchal nature of her society and the subordination she is subjected to leaves her with little or no choice when it comes to her economic liberation. This has led to a phenomenon of the feminization of poverty and subsequently the deagrarianisation of the northeast Ghanaian woman. An …show more content…
According to Millar (2004) women are considered farm hands and are only able to acquire less productive land. They spend their scarce resources to add value to the land by investing in soil improvement or by putting the land under cultivation of legumes or cultivating vegetables which are considered as women crops. In the light of the constraints identified above, it is imperative to examine the practice of peasant farming among northeast Ghanaian women, access and control of land for farming, the socio-cultural issues with farming and alternative livelihood adaptation strategies for poverty alleviation. The paper focuses on examining the problems of peasant farming as source of sustenance and livelihood among northeast Ghanaian women, determining the life sustaining ability of the farming practice for these women and analyzing the sustainability of other livelihood adaptation strategies available to the women of northeast …show more content…
An investment in the educational attainment of women has higher benefits than cost. Though there are a number of educational initiatives in Ghana aimed at the educational attainment of girls and women including, the Girl Child Unit of the Ministry of Education and the Non-Formal Education Division, women still lag behind in education after the basic level. To bridge the educational gap and attain higher qualifications for girls and women, educational policy and amenities should be developed with a focus on gender needs and dimensions. Girls should be encouraged not see themselves only as potential mothers and wives in the future but be imbibed with a sense of purpose that higher educational will make them better placed to face the challenges of womanhood. Skills training should be a concern for government and other civil society groups and should be targeted at self-employment. Women and girls who are not in school should be encouraged and assisted to acquire employable skills in fields such as dress making, basket weaving, and hair dressing to mention a