Smallholders and Land Tenure in Ghana: Aligning Context, Empirics, and Policy

36 Pages Posted: 5 Mar 2016

See all articles by Isabel Lambrecht

Isabel Lambrecht

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Sarah Asare

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Date Written: December 18, 2015

Abstract

For decades, policymakers and development practitioners have debated benefits and threats of property rights formalization and private versus customary tenure systems. This paper provides insights into the challenges in understanding and empirically analyzing the relationship between tenure systems and agricultural investment, and formulates policy advice that can support land tenure interventions. We focus on Ghana, based on extensive qualitative fieldwork and a review of empirical research and policy documents. Comparing research findings is challenging due to the use of different indicators, the varying contexts, and the diversity of investments. The interaction between land rights and investment make establishing causality extremely difficult. Setting policy priorities and strategies requires more and better insights into the diverse responses of different stakeholders and the tenure and cropping systems involved.

Keywords: Ghana; west Africa; Africa south of Sahara; Africa; land rights; land tenure; land markets; customary land rights; smallholders; property rights; customary tenure; agricultural investment; tenure insecurity

Suggested Citation

Lambrecht, Isabel and Asare, Sarah, Smallholders and Land Tenure in Ghana: Aligning Context, Empirics, and Policy (December 18, 2015). IFPRI Discussion Paper 1492, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2741867 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2741867

Isabel Lambrecht (Contact Author)

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

1201 Eye St, NW,
Washington, DC 20005
United States
+1 202-862-5600 (Phone)
+1 202-467-4439 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ifpri.org/

Sarah Asare

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

1201 Eye St, NW,
Washington, DC 20005
United States
+1 202-862-5600 (Phone)
+1 202-467-4439 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ifpri.org/

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