Access to and control over land from a gender perspective

A study conducted in the Volta region of Ghana

by Beatrice Akua Duncan
and Caroline Brants

A publication of the FAO Regional Office for Africa (RAF)

This report gives the outcome of a study undertaken on men and women’s access to and control over land in seven districts of the Volta Region in Ghana, which was jointly funded by the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation (Ghana Office) and the FAO Regional Office for Africa and implemented with the assistance of the Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) Ghana Office.

The study aimed to document gender-specific constraints in the Volta Region with regard to land tenure. Such information is needed in support of actions aiming to achieve: (i) greater decision making power of women with regard to obtaining secure access to land, (ii) better use of legal aid and other legal services by women (WiLDAF implemented programme supported by SNV), and (iii) improved agricultural productivity, of especially women farmers, and improved food security at the household level as a result of increased security of land tenure (FAO concern).

The research showed that women’s farming activities had increased since independence due to changes in labour division in agricultural production, their greater involvement in both food and cash crop production as well as trading of agricultural produce. This had not necessarily resulted in a betterment of their socio-economic position or an increased control over the returns from their farming activities. It has, however, increased their workload and responsibilities.

Significant differences were observed with regard to women and men’s access to and control over land in the Region. These gender inequalities were largely ascribed to men’s dominance in decision-making processes due to their leadership positions within the communities and households, the advantages accorded to them by local tradition, custom and the patrilineal inheritance system, and their relatively better financial position. In theory, most men and women had access to farmland, but the options to access it and the degree of control differed. Men often had full (primary) access rights to land, whereas women usually had partial or conditional (secondary) access rights to land. Besides, these rights differed between distinct categories of women: widows with biological children had greater access to land than widows with only step or adopted children. Women in a consensual relationship had even less access to land. Land ownership was largely vested in lineages, clans and family units and control over land was generally ascribed to men by lineage or clan heads. Intra-regional differences were noted in men and women’s access to and control over land due to sub-regional variations in demographic, social, economic, cultural, ethnic and historic developments. Landownership among women was still rather an exception than the rule, although it had somewhat augmented due to increased land purchases by women themselves and registration of gifts of land received from parents, grandparents and/or spouses.

Factors such as knowledge of land legislations and education were expected to have a positive impact on men and women’s access to and control over land, but could not be proven by the study. Existing legislation pertaining to land was seldom applied to the benefit of the communities studied.

The low level of knowledge of the law (even less among women), explained to some extent why the registration of land and the drawing of wills were uncommon practices in a Region where land disputes were widespread. Most disputes were solved through customary methods of conflict resolution as opposed to the State court system, which was considered to be too slow and only necessary if conflicts could not be solved locally.

Both men and women acknowledged that if women were to obtain greater access to and control over land, this would have a positive impact on the household food supply, household income and family welfare. At the same time, they cautioned that this would only happen if women also acquired increased access to and control over resources such as labour, credit, agricultural inputs, information and knowledge.

The study therefore recommends the following actions: (i) increasing the utilisation of existing land legislations, legal aid and legal services; (ii) strengthening women’s capacities to obtain and defend their land rights; (iii) promoting gender equity in access to and control over land; and (iv) improving the socio-economic status of women.

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FAO Regional Office for Africa (RAF)