3. PROFILES OF THE STUDY AREA, TARGET GROUP AND FARM SECTOR

This chapter provides background information on the study area and the target group and discusses various characteristics of the farm sector in the Volta Region.

3.1 Profile of the Volta Region

The Volta Region is located in the eastern part of Ghana and shares its eastern border with the Republic of Togo. It is Ghana’s fourth largest region and covers a surface area of about 20,572 km². The region stretches from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in the south, up to the Northern Region in the north (refer to annex 1).

The 2000 Population and Housing Census recorded a total population of 1,635,421 inhabitants (790,886 men and 844,535 women) in the Volta Region (Ghana Statistical Service, 2002a,). Ewe communities occupy most of the Region, with the exception of some areas in the Northern zone, which are largely inhabited by migrant groups from mainly Akan-speaking regions of Ghana such as the Central, Brong Ahafo, Eastern and Ashanti Regions. Many people in the Northern zone identify themselves with well-known Akan clans such as the Oyoko and Asona.

Farming is the dominant form of land use and the main source of income for most households in the Volta Region. This is related to the predominantly rural character of the Region and fact that the Region is well endowed with natural resources and fertile soils. Fishing is another important income-generating activity, especially for communities along the coastline and the Volta Lake. Trading activities can be observed throughout the Region.

Literacy rates are high for both men and women in the Volta Region. Statistics from the 2000 Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) show that almost two thirds (58%) of all female adults and over four fifth (83%) of all male adults in the Region had been to school (refer to table 2). Male school attendance was slightly higher in both urban and rural areas in the Volta Region, compared to national averages. Female school attendance in the Volta Region exceeded national averages in the rural areas, but fell short in the urban areas.

Table 2: Literacy rates of men and women in the Volta Region and Ghana

Source: GLSS 4, 2000

3.2. Profile of the target group

A total of 300 questionnaires were administered through this study in the Volta Region. Almost forty percent of the respondents (N = 118) were male and sixty percent (N = 182) female. In addition sixty percent (N=180) of the respondents were below 41 years of age. The average age of both male and female respondents was around 40 years.

Marital status

Almost two thirds of the respondents (N=196) were married, 9% were single (N=26), 9% widowed, 9% involved in a consensual relationship (“mpena awaree”), 8% divorced and1% separated. Most of the married respondents (N=140) were married to someone from a different clan. Same clan marriages were recorded in 48 cases and largely in the Kadjebi district (N=11), followed by the Keta district (N=10) and Hohoe district (N=7).

Table 3: Marital status of the respondents

Source: WILDAF Study 2000

Outstanding differences between the sexes were observed amongst the categories married and widowed. A larger percentage of male respondents (76%) were married as compared to female respondents (58%), whereas more female respondents (14%) were widowed as compared to male respondents (1%). This could be related to differences in remarriage patterns between widowed men and widowed women.

Religious affiliation

The most common religions practised were Christianity (91% of the respondents), followed by Traditional Religions (6%), Islam (1%) and others (2%). One’s daily activities and practices, however, seemed to be more affected by local traditions and customs rather than by religion.

Ancestral homes

The vast majority of both the male (78%) and female respondents (75%) originated from the Volta Region. This applied to all but one district included in the study, namely the Kadjebi district. Over one third of the respondents in that district (35%;N=23) originated from the Central 23% (N=15) from the Ashanti and 23% (N=15) Brong Ahafo Regions. These observations were in line with other studies conducted in the Region, which also highlighted the presence of migrant communities in the northern part of the Volta Region.

Inheritance system

The patrilineal inheritance system dominated in the study area. Ninety-six percent (N= 289) of the respondents indicated that they inherited from their father, 2% from their mother and 2% from both parents. Even migrants who originated from matrilineal communities (such as the Ashanti, Kwahu, Akwapim and Fanti) had converted to the patrilineal inheritance system applied by their host communities in the Volta Region in order to facilitate their integration process.

Education

Conforming to the outcomes of the GLSS 2000, the study underlined the relatively high literacy rates of men and women in the Region. Eighty-seven percent of the male respondents and sixty-three percent of the female respondents had completed at least primary school. Furthermore, the study revealed that the educational levels of male respondents were higher than those of female respondents. This was related to the withdrawal of girls from school at a younger age because of socio-economic and cultural factors. Households with limited resources generally preferred to invest in the education of their sons rather than their daughters, as their sons were to become the breadwinners of the family and caretakers of their parents.

Occupational background

Farming activities were the main source of income for most respondents, both male and female. Ninety-three percent (N=277) of the respondents (NT=297) mentioned farming as their main occupation; seventeen percent (N=46) in combination with other occupations such as trading, teaching, carpentry, masonry, tailoring etc. Trading was only expressed by female respondents (N=38) and mainly by women from the Kajebi (N=17) and Keta districts (N=13), where trading is a common occupation amongst women^[8]. Other occupations mentioned were hairdressing, masonry work, teaching, office work and tailoring/seamstressing. It was remarkable that only one respondent mentioned fishing as a main occupation, as fishing is known to be an important income-generating activity in the Region.

3.3 Characteristics of the farm sector in the Volta Region

3.3.1 Importance of the farm sector

The farm sector plays an important role in terms of food and cash crop production, income-generation, opportunities for employment and food security. Each sub-region is noted for the cultivation of a wide variety of food and cash crops^[9] (refer to table 4).

Table 4: Most common food and cash crops produced in the Volta Region

Source: WILDAF Study 2000

Eighty percent of the respondents (N=86) who specified the use of their farm produce (NT=107), indicated that their produce was partially sold and partially consumed by the household, 18% (N=19) indicated that it was all consumed and a mere 2% (N=2) indicated that all was sold to the market. These data highlight the importance of farming activities in terms of food security^[10] for the household.

It was revealed, during the focus group discussions, that an increasing number of households in the Region were experiencing problems in meeting their nutritional needs. This was ascribed to the following developments:

• Land is becoming a scarce and precious commodity in the Volta Region due to an increased demand for land and food as a result of population increase^[11].

• The migration of youth from rural to urban areas in search of work has contributed to a shortage of farm labour in the rural areas.

• An increased desire for foreign food (e.g. rice from Thailand) and a decreased demand for local food (e.g. local rice) have contributed to a reduction in the production of different rice varieties.

• Local nutritional food crop varieties (such as hilly rice and different types of beans) have been replaced by modern rice and bean varieties that require more inputs and were considered to have less nutritional values by the communities.

• Productivity levels on the farms have gone down due to a lack of credit amongst farmers to make required investments on their farms.

• Agricultural production has decreased due to an increased laziness of men.

Further research is required to assess the extent of food insecurity in the Volta Region and other regions of Ghana.

3.3.2 Sources of credit used for farming activities

Farming activities were mainly financed by the respondents themselves (69%; N=235), followed by monies received from spouses (11%; N=40), moneylenders (7%; N=24), relatives (6%; N=20) and friends (3%; N=12) (refer to figure 1).

Figure 1: Sources of credit used for farming activities

Source: WILDAF Study 2000

Remarkably few respondents obtained credit through local saving groups called susu (N=6), from Community Based Organisations (N=2) or from banks (N=5). Further research is required to determine why the above-mentioned sources of credit were barely used. Possible explanations could be the limited sizes of the loans offered or farmers or the inability of farmers to comply with the rules and regulations of formal credit institutions.

A comparison of credit sources used by female respondents and male respondents to finance their farming activities showed that both groups mainly depended on their own resources. Women largely financed their farming activities through their trading activities and vice versa. Differences, however, were observed with regard to the other credit sources used. Women depended more on credit from their spouses and less on friends and moneylenders than men did.

Incomes obtained through farming activities were generally spent on the education of children, the purchase of food and clothing, the expansion of farming activities and to address health issues.

3.3.3 Gender division of labour in the farm sector

The study revealed that men, women and children were involved in farming activities. A clear division of labour, similar to the division discussed in the literature review (refer to page 5), was observed with regard to the farming tasks performed. Men were more involved in activities such as land clearing, land preparation and planting cash crops, whereas women were more involved in activities such as planting food crops, watering crops, storage and food processing. Children were responsible for chasing away birds and rodents. All parties were involved in activities such as weeding and harvesting.

The intercropping of cash/food crops (such as tomatoes, okro, pepper and eggplants) by women on their husbands’ farm(s) was a common practice observed in all the communities studied. Women generally controlled the incomes derived from this specific activity and were often compensated in cash (57%; NT=155) and/or in personal effects (41%; NT=111) for their assistance. Female respondents, however, did not feel that they were sufficiently compensated for their hard work, as they seldom received fixed assets such as land. Only a few women (2%; NT=5) had received land from their husband to farm on, under the precondition that decisions on what to grow and how to utilise the incomes were made by both husband and wife. Respondents who indicated that women were not compensated for their assistance (8%; N=22), ascribed this to the fact that they did not work for their personal welfare but for the welfare of their family and the fact that men failed to acknowledge the contributions made by women to the family farms. It appears that a woman’s traditional obligation, discussed in the literature review, to assist her husband on his farm has gradually shifted from a legal obligation (according to customary law) to a moral and economic obligation. Most women supported their husbands on a voluntary basis and for economic reasons. Only 12% of the women (N=21) stated that they were obliged to assist their husbands.

Few respondents (N=48), mainly men (69%), worked as paid farm labourers. Wages paid to male and female labourers were said to be equal as the wages were based on the rule of “equal pay for work of comparable value.” Men, however, earned more in practice than women did - the averages being 8,114 cedis ($1.56) per day for male agricultural labourers and 6,400 cedis ($1.23) per day for female agricultural labourers^[12]. The difference was ascribed to the fact that men performed tougher tasks and worked longer hours.

3.3.4 Time allocated to farming and non-farming activities

Consistent with the literature review, the study revealed that women performed most of the reproductive activities, such as childbearing, cooking, taking care of the children, cleaning the house and the compound, and fetching water. Men assisted them with childcare and occasionally with the collection of firewood and performed some of the other activities mentioned above when their wives were ill.

Men allocated more hours to productive activities, such as farming, than women did. Male respondents worked on average 6-7 hours on the farms, on a normal day, compared to 4-5 hours for female respondents. These differences were linked to the greater involvement of women in time-consuming reproductive activities, performed in and around the house throughout the day. Almost one third (29%) of the female respondents and over one third (38%) of the male respondents indicated that they spent even more than 7 hours a day on the farm(s). This further highlights the importance of the farm sector for households in the Volta Region.

Male and female respondents agreed that women had a heavier workload than men did. They had greater responsibilities and worked longer hours. The Ewe expression: ‘‘The hand of a woman is like the shell of a crab, there is always oil on it” reflects the heavy and continuous workload of women is Ewe societies.

3.3.5 Changing roles and responsibilities of women in the farm sector

Changes were observed in the Volta Region with regard to the roles and responsibilities of women in the farm sector. Almost two thirds of the respondents (59%, NT = 281) acknowledged an increased involvement of women in farming activities after independence in 1957. Changing roles and responsibilities of women in the farm sector were ascribed to changes in the gender division of labour, an increased involvement of women in food crop production, an increased involvement of women in cash crop production and an increased involvement of women in farm related trading activities.

Changes in the division of labour

The increased involvement of women in farming activities after independence was largely ascribed to changes in the division of labour on the farms. Seventy percent of the respondents (N=63;NT=101) who had observed changes over time with regard to tasks traditionally ascribed to men and women, explained that women had become more involved in male dominated activities such as land clearance. This was due to an increased involvement of men in other income-generating activities, usually undertaken to supplement the household income. Tasks previously performed by male household members had been taken over by female household members, often following the migration of male household members to other areas. Financial constraints did not enable these households to hire labourers to do the work, nor could they risk a decrease in the household income due to unperformed farming activities. Changes in the gender division of labour were also ascribed to the increased laziness and irresponsibility of men, the greater financial needs of the household, the need to improve the level of food security within the household, and the desire of women to become economically independent.

Increased involvement of women in food crop production

An increased involvement of women in food production was pointed out by over half (54%, N=153) of the respondents (NT=218). This development was especially observed in the Central zone (Hohoe, Ho and Kpando districts) and the Northern zone (Jasikan and Kadjebi districts).The increase was ascribed to an overall increase in food crop production, as a result of the five following developments. First, households were trying to become more self-sufficient in food production because of increasing food prices. Secondly, husbands required more assistance from their wives on the farm(s) to meet the nutritional demands of the family. Thirdly, land that was unsuitable for cash crop production was increasingly being used for food crop production^[13]. Fourthly, greater incomes were required to meet the financial needs of the household. Finally, households preferred to cultivate food crops rather than cash crops due to the generally shorter production cycles of food crops.

Increased involvement of women in cash crop production

An increased involvement of women in cash crop production, a traditionally male dominated activity, was expressed by almost one third (29%; N=82) of the respondents (NT=218). This development was observed in all three sub-regions, but especially in the Keta, Kadjebi and Ho districts. Some women assisted their husbands in the production of cash crops, whereas others produced their own cash crops such as coffee, rice, cocoa, beans and oil palm. The main explanation given for the increased involvement of women in cash crop production was the fact that their involvement in this activity had become culturally acceptable due to an increased need for their labour. Traditionally, cash crop farming was only open to men as the cultivation of cash crops increased one’s ownership rights to the land. It was feared that if women were to obtain such rights, the land could be lost to another clan or lineage through marriage. The increased involvement of women in cash crop farming was not observed everywhere, as a number of respondents highlighted the fact that women were still not permitted to cultivate cash crops in their communities. Some ascribed women’s non-involvement in cash crop farming to the fact that they lacked the physical strength to produce cash crops.

Increased involvement in trading activities

An increased involvement of women in farm related trading activities had been observed by four percent (N=10) of the respondents (NT=218). This was especially observed in the Keta district (10% of the cases) where women were already actively involved in trading. Many women pointed out that they wished to start trading activities but lacked the funds to do so or stuck to farming activities as their labour was required to help meet both the financial and nutritional needs of the household.

The increased involvement of women in food crop production, cash crop production and trading activities has not necessarily resulted in a betterment of their socio-economic position or an increased control over their farming activities. It has, however, enlarged the workload and responsibilities of women farmers in the Region.