Interface between artisanal and small-scale mining and cocoa farming in the Wassa Amenfi East and West Districts of Ghana

Abstract

The study examined the interface between artisanal and small-scale mining and cocoa farming in the Wassa Amenfi East and West District of Ghana. A sample of 758 cocoa farmers were randomly sampled from fourteen communities in the study districts. Formal institutions mandated to oversee mining activities in Ghana were purposively sampled. Quantitative data were collected using an interview schedule and analysed using descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression and complemented with narratives from key informant interviews. Land ownership in the study communities were primarily allodial and vested in traditional stools, clans, families, and individuals. The most widely used modes of land acquisition were outright purchase, partnership, and lease. Generally, miners resorted to informal agreements to acquire lands due to cumbersome legal processes which deter prospective miners from acquiring land through legal means. The odds to dispose of cocoa farms were significantly higher for migrants and married farmers and those with access to alternative livelihoods, and high well-being. We recommend to institutions mandated to issue mining licences to make the processes less cumbersome and institutionalise informal land acquisition at the community level since most prospective miners prefer to secure land from informal sources.