SUSTAINING URBAN AGRICULTURE UNDER INTENSE URBANISATION IN GHANA: EMERGING AND EXISTING ROLES OF FORMAL INSTITUTIONS
SUSTAINING URBAN AGRICULTURE UNDER INTENSE URBANISATION IN GHANA: EMERGING AND EXISTING ROLES OF FORMAL INSTITUTIONS

Summary/Abstract: Many countries in the sub-Saharan Africa continue to experience intense urbanisation which affects urban agriculture in many ways. In Ghana, this has resulted in an extreme land scarcity for urban farmers; making them relocate to government institutions lands. As a result of this situation, the roles of these government institutions though not mandated to support urban agriculture have been made to do so. In this study, the seemingly evolving and existing roles of institutions supporting Ghana’s urban agriculture within the context of intense urbanisation is assessed. Three main sources of data were used. They were key informant interviews from ‘mandated’ and ‘unmandated’ institutions, in-depth interviews from urban farmers and the several policy documents on agriculture. Three main themes emerged from the analysis of data. They were the evolving and existing roles of institutions in supporting urban farmers, policies of institutions providing lands to farmers and the challenges farmers encounter in receiving such support. The study recommends the drafting of a comprehensive urban agriculture policy, the establishment of an “Urban Agriculture Development Board” which will help develop and sustain Ghana’s Urban Agriculture.

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