CHANGING LAND USE PATTERNS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR FOOD PRODUCTION IN COMMUNITIES NEAR WA

Abstract

The study investigated changing land use patterns and its implications for food production in communities near Wa, Ghana. The thrust of the study is to ascertain whether changing land use patterns in communities near Wa has effects on food production in these communities and how the communities are coping with the phenomenon. Qualitative research design was used for the study. Purposive sampling was employed in selecting respondents. Sample was 123. Data collection methods included interview, focused group discussions and observation. Study participants included tendamba, farmers and staff of Land Commission in Upper West Region. Data collected was analysed quantitatively. The data was analysed using SPSS version 21 and Microsoft Excel programmes. The study's data was analysed in percentages and numbers. The results were presented in tables and charts. The study respondents who were reached revealed that the communities were losing farmlands and output to non-agricultural land uses. The communities lose on the average of 89.1 acres of land and 671.2 bags of maize per annum. The study's results revealed housing as the main driving force that takes farmlands away. The study concluded that changing land use patterns in communities near Wa had negatively affected farm lands availability and maize crop yield. Farmers buy food to augment their family food supply as a result of farm land losses. The study recommended formation of Tendamba Land Fields in the communities to enable farmers who have been dispossessed of their farm lands get land to cultivate and sustain their livelihoods.