The poor peasant: One label, different lives. The dynamics of rural livelihood strategies in the Gia-Kajelo community, Northern Ghana

Abstract

The literature on rural dwellers or peasants has for long been characterised by homogeneous treatment of the label 'peasant'. This article adds to the voices of those who recognise and explore the diversity and dynamism of rural places and try to incorporate these in the explanation of meaning and realities. Peasants are a heterogeneous group of people engaged in multiple activities and with multiple characteristics. The article exposes the dynamic and complex nature of rural places by examining the survival/livelihood strategies of peasants using a four-category wealth-ranking scheme. Poverty in the Gia-Kajelo community of Northern Ghana, in conjunction with the difficult physical environment, has led to a multiplicity of livelihood paths. In this article it is argued that the livelihoods of peasants constitute dynamic, complex and diverse paths. The paths chosen by peasants in pursuit of food security and secure livelihoods are dynamic in response to changing economic, political and environmental conditions. Households and individuals vary in their emphasis and choices of strategies, according to their entitlements within the wider socio-political and economic context and their internal structure in terms of size, composition and capital.