Exploring the livelihood changes of land dispossessed in Peri urban areas. The case of ‘Jirapa-Dubai’ in Jirapa Municipality of the Upper West Region.

Abstract

Peri-urban areas are characterised by their prime locations and proximity to urban centres. Due to scarcity of prime locations in urban areas; private investors have immense interest in lands in communities that are closer to urban centres and such investors are rapidly acquiring large-scale lands. This often creates distinctive challenges related to land ownership, land use changes and dispossession leading to peri-urban livelihood alterations and its consequences of loss of lands and farm exit. This study explored the factors and the nuanced complexities surrounding the impacts of livelihood changes and its upshot faced by peri-urban Jirapa dwellers of land dispossessed, as there is a persistent denial and indifference of state institutions and investors to the negative impacts of land grabbing. The study used theory of accumulation by dispossession and sustainable livelihood approach. This study employed a qualitative constructivist paradigm design to explore the livelihood changes of land dispossessed residents at peri-urban Jirapa Municipality. Purposive and snowballing techniques were used to select 49 participants at the household levels. They were 33 land dispossessed (men and women), 2 chiefs, 7 opinion leaders, 2 members of Royal Cozy Hill and 5 relevant stakeholders. Data was analysed using thematic analysis with the help of Nnvivo 12 software. Transcribed scripts were uploaded into Nvivo 12 for thematic analysis. All codes and themes were developed in the Nvivo software for analysis. The study's findings revealed that farm exit and farmland sizes reduction, led to low farm production and increased poverty translated into livelihood alterations. It also revealed that, land dispossession happens as a result of land ownership systems, perceived community development, philanthropic support, social and economic pressures. The socio-cultural changes observed in the study areas were due to a development project leading to the transformations of sacred land, economic and tourism development, and shifts in social relationships between families and traditional authorities. The coping strategies adapted by the dispossessed include; on and off-farm supplementation, gardening and migration. The study has shed light on the intricate factors contributing to livelihood changes of land dispossessed in the Jirapa peri-urban area. The study recommends that the private developer should liaise with the Municipal Assembly to provide support for the affected families for sustained alternative income-generating activities.